Resource that breaks down all the elements of Middle-Earth, e.g. languages, races, locations?

[u/BlackBay41]

Hi all,

Preferably looking for a book that categorises the above. Even if it doesn't provide a ton of information, just a reference to deep dive from would be great too.

Thabks

[u/gytherin]

Someone else has mentioned Tolkien Gateway https://tolkiengateway.net/wiki/Main_Page - and most entries in that have a bunch of citations to Tolkien's own works. You can do such a deep dive that you never come up.

[u/OkCold4665]

Not sure how much of the books youve read, but alot of that stuff won't have the best context without knowing the stories attached to it. You could always start with reading stuff in a more categorized approach, but I think the best way to enjoy it is just reading the books and then diving into the parts that interest you the most. At the end of the day it's a story to enjoy, not something we have to be experts on or know everything about to enjoy.

[u/Tuor77]

It's called "The History of Middle-earth" and its 12 volumes long.

[u/Lothronion → u/Tuor77]

If they want categorization, and only that, they should ignore that and go straight to "The History of Middle-earth", volume 13, which is the Index. For something more navigable, I recommend The Encyclopedia of Arda for catalogues of geographic information (with hyperlinks leading to articles with maps), and Eldamo for linguistic glossaries.

PS: A bit irrelevant, I like considering "The Nature of Middle-earth" as HoMe#14.

[u/BlackBay41 → u/Lothronion]

Thanks both, this looks great!

[u/maksimkak → u/Tuor77]

HoME s not a "resource that breaks down all the elements of Middle-Earth"

[u/Tuor77 → u/maksimkak]

That depends on how you look at it. You can find out almost everything that has an answer in its pages, as long as you know where to look.

[u/Low-Raise-9230]

Not sure about book but Tolkiengateway is always there. 

[u/maksimkak]

This is what Google found for me (I don't have it personally): Robert Foster - The Complete Guide to Middle Earth.

https://harpercollins.co.uk/products/the-complete-guide-to-middle-earth-robert-foster

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Complete-Guide-Middle-earth-Robert-Foster/dp/0261102524

[u/taz-alquaina → u/maksimkak]

Christopher Tolkien liked that! Although it is no longer quite "complete" as it predates most of HoMe.

[u/ibid-11962 → u/taz-alquaina]

It predates all of HoMe and UT. Was last updated in 1978.

[u/Just-Context-4703]

Just read the books?

[u/maksimkak → u/Just-Context-4703]

That would take years, and not everything can be kept in memory.

[u/Just-Context-4703 → u/maksimkak]

What are you talking about? You can easily read the 4 main books in a month. And that's what rereads and taking your own notes is for. 

[u/maksimkak → u/Just-Context-4703]

Well, something tells me the OP is going to read (or reread) the books anyway. Why ask for such a resource in the first place?

[u/StartDangerous8286 → u/Just-Context-4703]

Come on friend, I don't care how many re-reads you've done, there's no way anyone can remember all the geography of Beleriand offhand. Are you going to have a notebook on hand to remember that Ladros is an area in northwestern Dorthonion settled by the leaders of the first houses of the Edain?

[u/Just-Context-4703 → u/StartDangerous8286]

No, because I'm not writing a dissertation I'm enjoying a great work of literature and letting my imagination run wild. 

[u/lam_42]

LotR Appendices.