The Collected Poems of J. R. R. Tolkien

The Collected Poems of J. R. R. Tolkien is the first publication to bring together J.R.R. Tolkien’s poetry in a collected edition, presented as an elegant three-volume hardback boxed set. Spanning almost seven decades of his life, it reflects Tolkien’s long-standing ambition to be a poet, alongside his work in prose, languages and art.

While many readers know his verse from The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings, the wider range of his poetry has been less familiar. This collection traces writing from an early poem dated 1910 through work composed during his years at Oxford and later periods, including poems written while he served in France during the First World War. It also follows the emergence of elements connected with his legendarium, ‘The Silmarillion’, and the continuing influence of the ‘Matter of Middle-earth’ on his verse.

Key details

• Three-volume hardback boxed set
• World-first collected publication of J.R.R. Tolkien’s poems
• Almost 250 works presented across the set
• Includes more than 70 poems not previously seen
• Commentary and notes by Christina Scull and Wayne G. Hammond

Synopsis

Almost 250 poems are gathered across three volumes, ranging from Tolkien’s earliest dated work in 1910 to verse written across the rest of his life. The collection includes poems from his Oxford years and from the period of the First World War, often concerned with life, loss, faith, friendship, longing for England and the wife he left behind.

The poems are interwoven with commentary and notes by Tolkien scholars Christina Scull and Wayne G. Hammond, placing the writing in the context of Tolkien’s life and literary accomplishments, and forming what is described as a poetical biography.