As Xenite.Org founder Michael Martinez mentioned in a comment on the Q-and-A article “Was Smaug Present at the War of Wrath?” a new Tolkien book will be published in 2021. Here is the official press release from Houghton Mifflin Harcourt.
NEW YORK, Nov. 19, 2020 /PRNewswire/ — Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Books & Media will publish The Nature of Middle-earth, a previously unseen collection of writings by J.R.R. Tolkien, in the U.S. on June 24, 2021. Presented for the first time in one volume and edited by Carl F. Hostetter, the writings will transport readers back to the world of The Silmarillion, Unfinished Tales, and The Lord of the Rings.
Deb Brody, HMH’s VP and Publisher, says: “It is well known that J.R.R. Tolkien published The Hobbit in 1937 and The Lord of the Rings in 1954–5. What may be less known is that he continued to write about Middle-earth in the decades that followed, right up until the years before his death in 1973.
“For him, Middle-earth was part of an entire world to be explored, and the writings in The Nature of Middle-earth reveal the journeys that he took as he sought to better understand his unique creation. From sweeping themes as profound as Elvish immortality and reincarnation, and the Powers of the Valar, to the more earth-bound subjects of the lands and beasts of Númenor, the geography of the Rivers and Beacon-hills of Gondor, and even who had beards!
“This new collection is a veritable treasure-trove offering readers a chance to peer over Professor Tolkien’s shoulder at the very moment of discovery: and on every page, Middle-earth is once again brought to extraordinary life.”
The Hobbit was first published in 1937 and The Lord of the Rings in 1954–5. Each has since gone on to become a beloved classic of literature, and an international bestseller in more than 70 languages, collectively selling more than 150,000,000 copies worldwide.
The Nature of Middle-earth will be published subsequently in several languages by numerous Tolkien publishers worldwide.
CARL F. HOSTETTER has for many years been one of the world’s leading Tolkien experts and respected head of the Elvish Linguistic Fellowship. He has worked as a Computer Engineer for NASA since 1985.
About Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Books & Media
For nearly two centuries, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt has published some of the world’s most renowned novels, nonfiction, children’s books, and reference works. As part of a leading global learning company, it is uniquely positioned to offer educational and entertaining content for all audiences. Its distinguished author list includes eleven Nobel Prize winners, forty-eight Pulitzer Prize winners, fifteen National Book Award winners, and more than one hundred Caldecott, Newbery, Printz, and Sibert Medal and Honor recipients. Current and recent authors include Tim O’Brien, Natasha Trethewey, Paul Theroux, Alison Bechdel, Adam Hochschild, Tim Ferriss and a celebrated roster of children’s authors and illustrators including Kwame Alexander, Lois Lowry, and Chris Van Allsburg. HMH is also home to The Best American series® The Whole30®, Weber Grill, How to Cook Everything®, and other leading lifestyle properties; books by J.R.R. Tolkien; and many iconic children’s books and characters, including Curious George®, The Little Prince, and The Polar Express. HMH Productions develops and produces media and licensed products related to brands such as Carmen Sandiego and Oregon Trail. HMH Audio, publishes audio books of HMH front list and backlist titles.
CONTACT: Megan Wilson
Assoc. Director of Publicity
617.351.3377
megan.wilson@hmhco.com
SOURCE Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
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Fans can pre-order The Nature of Middle-earth, edited by Carl Hostetter, at Amazon.
But is it really “previously unseen” material, or did most of it already appear in, e.g., Vinyar Tengwar?
All back issues of Vinyar Tengwar are now available for sale on Amazon, so I don’t believe this book will be Vinyar Tengwar material.
It does seem certain from the press release that Rivers & Beacon Hills is going to be included, so it likewise seems reasonable to suppose that others will too.
We’ll just have to wait and see. The press release also says these texts are “previously unseen”. Maybe whomever wrote it was unaware of what texts have been pre-published. Or maybe these are related texts but not the ones we’ve seen already.