The Nature of Middle-earth: Late Writings on the Lands, Inhabitants, and Metaphysics of Middle-earth is a book of previously unpublished texts by J.R.R. Tolkien, compiled by Carl F. Hostetter, who had been sent the texts for publication by Christopher Tolkien in 2020.[1] Addressing numerous topics on inner workings and close details of Tolkien's world of Arda, the book was published by HarperCollins and Mariner Books in September 2021.
It is the first publication to exclusively feature essays by J.R.R. Tolkien that all solely concern his Middle-earth legendarium.
A solicitation released by HarperCollins describes the book as the unofficial fourteenth volume of The History of Middle-earth, though it is to be noted the publication is fully approved by the Tolkien Estate.[2] The full description is as follows:
| “ | The first ever publication of J. R. R. Tolkien’s final writings on Middle-earth, covering a wide-range of subjects, and the perfect next read for those who have enjoyed Unfinished Tales and the History of Middle-earth series and are hungry for more.
The Nature of Middle-earth will comprise numerous late (c. 1959-73) and previously unpublished writings by J.R.R. Tolkien on the “nature” of Middle-earth, in both chief senses of that word: both metaphysical and natural/historical. For Tolkien fans, readers, and scholars interested in learning more about Tolkien’s own views on Middle-earth. It will appeal in particular to those readers who enjoyed Unfinished Tales, and some of the later volumes of the History of Middle-earth. Indeed, many of the texts to be included are closely associated with materials published in those places, and were sent to Hostetter, specifically, in photocopy by Christopher Tolkien for potential publication. |
” |
A Special Deluxe Edition
Contents[]
- Foreword
- Editorial Practices
- Abbreviations & Conventions
| PART ONE: TIME AND AGEING |
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| PART TWO: BODY, MIND AND SPIRIT |
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| PART THREE: THE WORLD, ITS LANDS, AND ITS INHABITANTS |
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- APPENDICES
- I Metaphysical and Theological Themes
- II Glossary and Index of Quenya Terms
- Index
Among the topics covered in The Nature of Middle-earth are fate and free will, the Valar's telepathy and the Ósanwe-kenta, Dwarven beards, how different races of Middle-earth age, the making of lembas bread, how Eru Ilúvatar was the source of all creativity, the lands and animals of Númenor, and many others. Much of the topics and details covered fittingly address the varying curiosities that Middle-earth fans acquired through the decades from reading The Hobbit and especially The Lord of the Rings, which Tolkien commented on in a 1956 letter to H. Cotton Minchin, expressing how different readers who wrote to him desired further information on Middle-earth's cultures, botany, music, the workings of Elvish languages, and other matters.
External links[]
- Other info
- July 2021 interview with Carl F. Hostetter for tolkienista.com
- The full cover art illustration by Ted Nasmith
See also[]
- The History of Middle-earth
- Unfinished Tales of Númenor and Middle-earth
- Representations of Nature in Middle-earth
Translations[]
| Foreign Language | Translated name |
| Afrikaans | Die aard van Midde-aarde |
| Albanian | Natyra e Tokës së mesme |
| Amharic | የመካከለኛው ምድር ተፈጥሮ |
| Arabic | طبيعة الأرض الوسطى |
| Armenian | Միջերկիր բնույթը |
| Assamese | মধ্য-পৃথিৱীৰ প্ৰকৃতি |
| Asturian | La Naturaleza de la Tierra Media |
| Azerbaijani | Orta Yerin təbiəti |
| Basque | Erdialdeko Lurraldea izaera |
| Belarusian Cyrillic | Прырода Міжзем'я |
| Bengali | মধ্য-পৃথিবীর প্রকৃতি |
| Bosnian | Priroda Međuzemlja |
| Bulgarian Cyrillic | Природата на Средна земя |
| Cambodian | ធម្មជាតិនៃផែនដីកណ្តាល |
| Catalan | La naturalesa de la Terra Mitjana |
| Cebuano | Ang Kinaiyahan sa Tunga nga yuta |
| Chinese | 中土的性质 |
| Croatian | Priroda Međuzemlja |
| Czech | Povaha Středozemě |
| Danish | Midgårds natur |
| Dutch | De aard van Midden-aarde |
| Esperanto | La naturo de Mez-Tero |
| Estonian | Keskmaa loodus |
| Filipino | Ang Kalikasan ng Gitnang-lupa |
| Finnish | Kirjoituksia Keski-Maasta |
| French | La nature de la Terre du Milieu |
| Frisian | De natuer fan Midden-ierde (Western) |
| Friulian | La Nature de Tiere di Mieç |
| Galician | A natureza da Terra Media |
| German | Die Natur von Mittelerde |
| Greek | Η φύση της Μέση Γη |
| Gujarati | મધ્ય-પૃથ્વીની પ્રકૃતિ |
| Hebrew | טבעה של הארץ התיכונה |
| Hindi | मध्य पृथ्वी की प्रकृति |
| Hungarian | Középfölde természete |
| Icelandic | Eðli Miðjarðar |
| Indonesian | Sifat Dunia Tengah |
| Irish Gaelic | Nádúr na Meán-domhain |
| Italian | La natura della Terra di Mezzo |
| Japanese | 中つ国の性質 |
| Kannada | ಮಧ್ಯ-ಭೂಮಿಯ ಸ್ವಭಾವ |
| Kazakh | Ортаңғы-жер табиғаты (Cyrillic) Ortañğı-jer tabïğatı (Latin) |
| Korean | 중간계의 성격 |
| Kurdish | سروشتی زەوی ناوەڕاست (Sorani) Xwezaya Cîhana navîn (Kurmanji) |
| Kyrgyz Cyrillic | Орто Жердин табияты |
| Laotian | ທໍາມະຊາດຂອງແຜ່ນດິນໂລກກາງ |
| Latvian | Viduszemes daba |
| Lithuanian | Vidurinėsžemės prigimtis |
| Luxembourgish | D'Natur vum Mëttleren Äerd |
| Macedonian Cyrillic | Природата на Блискиот Земјата |
| Malayalam | മധ്യ ഭൂമിയുടെ സ്വഭാവം |
| Maltese | In-natura tad-Nofsani-pajjiż |
| Manx | Najoor y Thallooin Meanagh |
| Marathi | मध्य-पृथ्वीचे स्वरूप |
| Mongolian Cyrillic | Дундад газар мөн чанар |
| Nepalese | मध्य-पृथ्वीको प्रकृति |
| Norwegian | Midgards natur |
| Occitan | La Natura de la Tèrra-Mejana |
| Pashto | د منځني ځمکه طبیعت |
| Persian | طبیعت سرزمین میانی |
| Polish | Natura Śródziemia |
| Portuguese | A Natureza da Terra-média |
| Punjabi | ਮੱਧ-ਧਰਤੀ ਦਾ ਸੁਭਾਅ |
| Romanian | Natura Pământul de Mijloc |
| Russian | Природа Средиземья |
| Sardinian | Sa Natura de sa Terra de Mesu |
| Serbian | Природа Средње земље (Cyrillic) Priroda Srednje zemlje (Latin) |
| Sicilian | La Natura dâ Terra di Menzu |
| Sinhalese | මැද පෘථිවියේ ස්වභාවය |
| Slovak | Povaha Stredozeme |
| Slovenian | Narava Srednjega sveta |
| Spanish | La naturaleza da la Tierra Media |
| Swahili | Asili ya Dunia ya Kati |
| Swedish | Midgårds natur |
| Tajik Cyrillic | Табиати Замини Миёна |
| Tamil | மத்திய பூமியின் இயல்பு |
| Telugu | మధ్య-భూమి యొక్క స్వభావం |
| Thai | ธรรมชาติของมิดเดิลเอิร์ธ |
| Turkish | Orta dünya'nın doğası |
| Turkmen | Orta Ýeriň tebigaty |
| Ukrainian Cyrillic | Природа Середзем'я |
| Urdu | درمیانی زمین کی نوعیت |
| Uzbek | Ўрта Ёрнинг табиати (Cyrillic) O'rta Yerning tabiati (Latin) |
| Venetian | Ła Natura deła Tera-Mexa |
| Vietnamese | Bản chất của Trung địa |
| Welsh | Natur y Canol-y ddaear |
| Yiddish | די נאַטור פון מיטל-ערד |
| Yoruba | Iseda ti Arin-aye |