How long does it take to read The Shaping of Middle-Earth?
The Quenta, the Ambarkanta, and the Annals
J. R. R. Tolkien, Christopher Tolkien
The Shaping of Middle-Earth by J. R. R. Tolkien, Christopher Tolkien takes about 6 hours 58 minutes to read at 250 words a minute.
Book 4 of The History of Middle-earth
Previous: The Lays of Beleriand Next: The Lost Road and Other Writings
About 6 hours 58 minutes
A weekend read
First published 1986. 380 pages, about 104,500 words.
14 days at 30 minutes a day
Estimate based on 275 words per page.
At other speeds
| Slow, 150 words a minute | 11 hours 37 minutes |
| Average, 250 words a minute | 6 hours 58 minutes |
| Fast, 400 words a minute | 4 hours 21 minutes |
The page count is the median across 15 editions, so your copy may differ. How we calculate.
About the book
In this truly indispensable reference, trace the development of the early lore of Middle-earth. Poems and prose, maps and chronologies, detours and diversions along the road to Middle-earth -- Christopher Tolkien has gathered archival materials that his late father, J.R.R. Tolkien, used to create the world and the history behind his classic stories. The Shaping of Middle-earth presents early versions of those first tales, from the creation myth to the fall of Morgoth. Writings include a chronology of the events in Beleriand, the first Silmarillion map, and the only known description of the physical nature of Middle-earth's universe. Detailed annotations highlight changes ranging from the spelling of Elvish names to pivotal emendations whose effects reach even to the War of the Ring. This extraordinary book will be fascinating reading for those just entering this world -- and a delight for fans of this endlessly beloved land. - Back cover.
Subjects: Literary collections, Middle Earth (Imaginary place), Fiction, fantasy, general, Middle earth (imaginary place), fiction, Fiction, science fiction, general, Textual Criticism
