The Arda Masterlist
Commonly associated with its most popular continent, Middle Earth, Arda is the world of Maiar and Valar, and the world in which the Lord of the Rings is set. Envisioned as a fictional history of our world, the defining works were written entirely by J.R.R. Tolkien, in the form of approximately two metric tons of loosely organized notes, and four actual books. Since his death in 1973, the majority of these notes have been edited into other cohesive stories by Tolkien's son, Christopher. In recent years there have been many attempts to create new stories set in Arda, though the canonicity of these is greatly contested, so they will be displayed separately from the works of J.R.R. and Christopher Tolkien.
- The Baggins Saga. The only works fully written and published by J.R.R.T., these books take place in Arda's third age, and center around te adventures of Bilbo Baggins and his nephew Frodo. These are the most popular of the Arda novels.
- The Hobbit. Originally written as a children's story, and then later reworked to fit into Middle Earth, this story follows Bilbo Baggins and a group of Dwarves, traveling to take their home back from the dragon Smaug. It can be found in nearly any bookstore or bought online Here
- The Lord of the Rings. Though initially published as three novels; The Fellowship of the Ring, The Two Towers, and The Return of the King, this was planned to be one story, and is usually treated as one entity. This story follows Frodo Baggins, Bilbo's nephew, as he tries to destroy the One Ring, a weapon of immense power that's sought after by Sauron, the dark lord. It can be bought online Here
- The Silmarillion. The first text compiled by Christopher Tolkien from his father's notes, this book covers the creation of the world and the history of its first age, thousands of years beforete events of Lord of the Rings. It can be bought online Here
- The History of Middle-Earth. More texts compiiled by Christopher, these works contain many of Tolkien's shorter-form stories, as well as some works he left unfinished. In general, these aren't recommended reading unless you've already read and loved the Silmarillion. As far as I can tell, the only modern printing of these books is in a prohibitively expensive premium boxed set, so for many people the best way to read these will be by some less official means that I won't link to here.
- The Book of Lost Tales. Usually published in two volumes, these are exactly what they sound like, a collection of unrelated short stories set in and around Middle Earth.
- The Lays of Beleriand. This is much more experimental, a collection of in-universe lyrical verse. These have somewhat of a mournful tone, as many of the tales told are tragedies.
- The Shaping of Middle Earth. Also experimental, this is a collection of tales covering the creation and the world, and acted as a precursor to the Silmarillion. This means that there is a lot of overlap between the two texts, although this volume vontains more of Tolkien's original notes and manuscripts.
- The Lost Road and Other Writings. The last of the series, this is mainly snippets of Tolkein's manuscripts with his son's added commentary.
- The Great Tales. The last major works compiled by Christopher Tolkien, these were his attempts to refine his father's notes into more cohesive stories, as opposed to the collections of notes and short writings shown in The History of Middle Earth series. All of these books take place in Arda's first age.
- Beren and Luthien. This book follows the titular Beren and Luthien, a human and an elf who fall in love, and their struggles with differing mortalities. Much of this text is derived from poems in The Lays of Beleriand. It can be bought online Here
- The Children of Hurin. This book, predictably, follows Turin, son of Hurin, a man who has recently ben captured by Morgoth, during the war of the Valar. The actual plot is also shown in the Silmarillion, although here it is expounded upon and written as a full novel. It can be bought online Here
- The Fall of Gondolin. The final of the Great Tales, this book follows the fall of the secret elven city of Gondolin, at the hands of Morgoth during the war of the Valar. It can be bought online Here
Now how well Christopher Tolkien did editing his father's works, and how much merit his posthumous additions had as installments in the history of Arda is hotly debated, but most people can agree that he at least did a good job defending the legacy of middle earth, keeping film adaptations to one critically acclaimed trilogy in the 2000s and one less acclaimed trilogy in the 2010s, he held officially produced media set in Arda to a somewhat respectable standard. This is why it's not until directly after his death that we got
- The Heretical Texts. These are works produced after the death of Christopher Tolkien. Corporate in nature, they were produced with a much larger budget than any of the novels, and fans of Tolkien's original works tend to look down on them, and consider them non-canon, so whether or not they count as 'official' works is up to individual discretion.
- The Rings of Power. This is a show produced by Amazon in 2022. Set in the second age of Arda, it covers Sauron's rise and fall, and the events that set the stage for The Lord of the Rings to happen nearly three thousand years later. It can be watched online Here
- The Shadows Duology. These games were released in the mid 2010s, produced by Ubisoft. They take place between The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings, and follow a typical open-world action adventure format, and while meechanically novel, they offer little to the overall Lord of the Rings story. They can both be bought in one bundle Here
- The Shadow of Mordor. The first game, following the Gondorian Ranger Talion and the elf lord Celebrimbor. Two expansions were released; The Bright Lord and The Lord of the Hunt.
- The Shadow of War. The second game follows the same caracters acting out essentially the same plot. Two expansions were released; The Blade of Galadriel and The Desolation of Mordor