When  J.R.R. Tolkien  laid aside  The Silmarillion  in 1937
 the extension of the original  'mythology' into  later Ages
 of the world  had scarcely  emerged, if  it had  emerged at
 all;  as  he  himself  recorded,  he  knew  nothing  of the
 peoples and history  of these  Ages until  he 'met  them on
 the  way':  'The  Mines  of  Moria  had  been a  mere name;
 and  of  Lothlorien  no  word  had  reached my  mortal ears
 until  I  came  there.  Fangorn  Forest  was  an unforeseen
 adventure. I had never heard of  the House  of Eorl  nor of
 the   Stewards   of   Gondor.   Saruman   had   never  been
 revealed to me.'                                          
   It  was  in  the  Appendices  to  The  Lord of  the Rings
 that  there  emerged  a comprehensive  historical structure
 and  chronology  of  the Second  and Third  Ages, embracing
 all the diverse strands that  came together  in the  War of
 the  Ring.  The  difficulty  bordering  on despair  that he
 found in providing  these Appendices,  leading to  delay in
 the  publication  of  The  Return  of  the  King,  is  well
 known;  but  in  The  Peoples  of  Middle-earth Christopher
 Tolkien  shows  that  the  work had  in fact  been achieved
 years  before,  in  essays  and  records  differing greatly
 from the published forms. In these early texts is  seen the
 evolution  of  the  chronology  of  the  later   Ages,  the
 Calendars, the Hobbit genealogies  (with those  of families
 that  were  printed  but  not  published), and  the Westron
 language   or   Common  Speech   (from  which   many  words
 and names are recorded that were afterwards lost).        
   Following  the  account  of  the  Appendices a  number of
 other  writings  by  J.R.R.  Tolkien  are included  in this
 book,  chiefly  deriving  from  his  last  years,  when new
 insights  and new  constructions still  freely arose  as he
 pondered the history that he had created.                 
   This  final  volume  of   The  History   of  Middle-earth
 concludes   with    two   soon-abandoned    stories,   both
 unique in the setting of  time or  place: The  New   Shadow
 in Gondor of  the Fourth  Age, and  the tale  of Tal-elmar,
 in  which  the  coming  of  the  dreaded  Numenorean  ships
 is  seen through  the eyes  of men  of Middle-earth  in the
 Dark Years.                                               

         J.R.R. TOLKIEN.      
                             
         THE PEOPLES OF       
          MIDDLE-EARTH.       
                             
 Edited by Christopher Tolkien.
                             
    Harper CollinsPablishers.

 To Baillie Tolkien.

                       CONTENTS.                          
                                                         
 Foreword.                                      page vii.
                                                         
                          PART ONE.                       
                                                         
 THE PROLOGUE AND APPENDICES TO                           
 THE LORD OF THE RINGS.                                   
                                                         
  I. The Prologue.                                    3.
  II. The Appendix on Languages.                     19.
  III. The Family Trees.                               85.
  IV. The Calendars.                                  119.
  V. The History of the Akallabeth.                     140.
  VI. The Tale of Years of the Second Age.              166.
  VII. The Heirs of Elendil.                            188.
  VIII. The Tale of Years of the Third Age.             225.
  IX. The Making of Appendix A.                            
          (i) The Realms in Exile.                     253.
          (ii) The Tale of Aragorn and Arwen.          262.
          (iii) The House of Eorl.                     270.
          (iv) Durin's Folk.                           274.
                                                         
                          PART TWO.                       
                                                         
 LATE WRITINGS.                                           
                                                         
  X. Of Dwarves and Men.                                295.
  XI. The Shibboleth of Feanor.                         331.
  XII. The Problem of Ros.                              367.
  XIH. Last Writings.                                   377.

         
                                                       
                            PART THREE.                 
                                                       
  TEACHINGS OF PENGOLOD.                                
                                                       
   XIV. Dangweth Pengolod.                            395.
    XV. Of Lembas.                                    403.
                                                       
                             PART FOUR.                 
                                                       
          UNFINISHED TALES.                             
                                                       
  XVI. The New Shadow.                                409.
  XVII. Tal-Elmar.                                    422.
                                                       
  Index.                                              439.