Some things I learned from reading The Nature of Middle-earth
16 November 2021 | Kalimac’s Corner | David Bratman
It’s all about NoME (a great abbreviation, as the book is gnomic in more than one sense).
You should also read Jeff LaSala’s thoughtful piece on the subject.
I have one quibble with Jeff. He calls NoME “kind of an unofficial thirteenth installment” for the 12-volume History of Middle-earth, but the 13th volume of HoME already existed before the series was published. It’s Unfinished Tales, most of which would have fit very nicely in parts 2 – 4 of The Peoples of Middle-earth, v. 12 of HoME, if it hadn’t already appeared.
But then what about John D. Rateliff’s 2‑volume The History of The Hobbit? That too surely qualifies. So that makes NoME at least v. 16.
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