answer as the author, but as a historiantrying to recall events of a pass long forgotten. After his death, his son Christopher, aided by the Canadian writer Guy GavrielKay, set out to edit many of Tolkien's earlier mythological works. The majority ofTolkien's works were not published until long after his death. The first to be publishedwas the "Simarillion," a very detailed work containing many of the myths and the richhistory of Middle-earth. In the early 80's, Christopher compiled many of Tolkien'smiscellaneous stories into a set of books called the "Book of Lost Tales." The most recentaddition to the Tolkien library is the "History of Middle- earth" series. This set of books isalmost like a textbook of just the history of Middle-earth and includes many of Tolkien'snotes, maps, sketches, and time lines on everything that occurred in Middle-earth, fromthe creation of the planet to its destruction. Apart from the Middle-earth cannon ofworks, Tolkien has written many children's books as well as an impressive collection ofpoetry. Tolkien has also used his linguistic skills to translate many books into English. Other published works are mainly composed of letters he sent to people explaining thingsabout Middle-earth and several scholarly essays. Tolkien never expected his works toachieve the popularity that they have, thinking that they would only be of interest to aselect group of readers. Yet his vision of Middle-earth, rooted in his love of language andlore, touched the spirt of people the world over. His work has proved the inspiration formany other writers and artists, and set the foundation for the modern "heroic fantasy"genre. Tolkien's famous book, "The Lord of the Rings", has been repudiated as one of thebest fantasies ever written. Tolkien creates a very deep intimacy between the book and the reader, he captures the reader's attention and lures him into the story. One of the ways how this cathar...
