0231: Unfinished Tales » What’s In The Book?

What exactly is inside Unfinished Tales—and why did Christopher Tolkien include these particular writings?
In this episode of The Tolkien Road, we continue our After the Silmarillion series with a guided tour through Unfinished Tales, covering material from the First, Second, and Third Ages, along with the book’s fascinating appendices.

00:00 — Introduction: Unfinished Tales, Part Two
05:33 — Tolkien Quote of the Week: Recovery and Seeing the Ordinary Anew
08:00 — What Is Actually in Unfinished Tales?
10:04 — Part One: The First Age
12:56 — Tuor and His Coming to Gondolin
15:12 — The Children of Húrin
21:22 — Part Two: The Second Age
22:48 — Aldarion and Erendis: The Mariner’s Wife
27:18 — The Line of Elros
27:53 — The History of Galadriel and Celeborn
30:33 — Part Three: The Third Age
30:35 — The Disaster of the Gladden Fields
33:19 — Cirion and Eorl
34:06 — The Quest of Erebor
36:45 — The Hunt for the Ring
37:57 — The Battles of the Fords of Isen
40:48 — Part Four: The Appendices
40:58 — The Drúedain
42:36 — The Istari
43:47 — The Palantíri
44:22 — Tolkien’s Maps and the Mystery of Himling
46:02 — Final Thoughts

Why Some Stories Appear Again

Several stories in Unfinished Tales already appear in some form in The Silmarillion
Christopher Tolkien included them because the versions in The Silmarillion were often heavily compressed or editorially reconstructed
Unfinished Tales gives readers access to fuller, less polished, and more textually authentic versions of Tolkien’s writings
This reflects Christopher’s broader decision to preserve the history of the manuscripts rather than smooth every story into a finished form

Part One: The First Age
The First Age section contains two of Tolkien’s great tales:

Tuor and His Coming to Gondolin
- Based on Tolkien’s later expansion of one of his earliest Middle-earth stories
- Goes into considerably more detail than the abbreviated version found in The Silmarillion
- Remains truly unfinished, ending with Tuor’s arrival rather than the actual Fall of Gondolin
The Children of Húrin
- Another major story reaching back to the earliest days of the legendarium
- Tolkien developed this tale much further than many others
- It eventually formed the basis of the standalone Children of Húrin
- Along with Gondolin and Beren and Lúthien, it belongs among the great tales of the First Age

Part Two: The Second Age
This section expands dramatically on Númenor and several major Second Age figures.

A Description of the Island of Númenor
- Primarily geographical rather than narrative
- Includes a map based on Tolkien’s own surviving sketch of Númenor
Aldarion and Erendis: The Mariner’s Wife
- One of the most substantial narratives in the book
- Explores marriage, ambition, Númenórean expansion, and the cost of Aldarion’s obsession with the sea
- Despite its richness, the story itself remains unfinished
The Line of Elros
- Provides a chronological history of the Kings of Númenor
- More reference work than narrative, but valuable for understanding the Second Age
The History of Galadriel and Celeborn
- Collects multiple writings and traditions surrounding Galadriel
- Shows just how complicated Tolkien’s evolving conception of her became
- Highlights the difficulties created by a character whose history stretches across thousands of years

Part Three: The Third Age
For readers of The Lord of the Rings, this may be the most immediately accessible section.

The Disaster of the Gladden Fields
- Gives a much fuller account of Isildur’s death and the loss of the One Ring
- Complicates the simplified image of Isildur familiar from popular adaptations
Cirion and Eorl
- Explores the origins of the alliance between Gondor and Rohan
- Appears to have been intended as part of a larger history of the Third Age
The Quest of Erebor
- Retells the background of The Hobbit from Gandalf’s point of view
- Explains why Gandalf became involved with Thorin and why Bilbo was chosen
The Hunt for the Ring
- Expands on the Ringwraiths’ pursuit of the Ring before and during the opening of The Fellowship of the Ring
- Includes material involving Saruman, Gríma, and the movements surrounding the search for the Shire
The Battles of the Fords of Isen
- Gives a detailed historical treatment of the battles involving Rohan before the main action at Helm’s Deep
- Christopher describes it as a particularly rigorous historical analysis

Part Four: The Appendices
The final section gathers several specialized pieces of lore:

The Drúedain
- Expands the history of the Wild Men encountered near Gondor
- Connects them to much older traditions reaching back toward the First Age
The Istari
- One of the most popular pieces in the book
- Explores Gandalf, Saruman, Radagast, the Blue Wizards, and the Wizards’ origins in Valinor
The Palantíri
- Collects Tolkien’s later writings about the Seeing Stones
- Explains their nature, history, and use in far greater detail than The Lord of the Rings
Maps and Geography
- Christopher updates the Middle-earth map with locations appearing in Unfinished Tales
- Even small geographical details, such as the island of Himling, open windows into the deeper history of the legendarium

The Big Takeaway
Unfinished Tales is less a single book than a guided tour through Tolkien’s unfinished workshop.
Its value comes from seeing Middle-earth expand outward in every direction: fuller First Age legends, the history of Númenor, overlooked events surrounding The Lord of the Rings, and dense pieces of lore about Wizards, Palantíri, maps, and forgotten peoples.
Christopher Tolkien’s willingness to preserve the rough edges gives readers something unique: not simply more Middle-earth stories, but a view into how Tolkien kept revisiting, revising, and deepening his world throughout his life.

SPECIAL THANKS

Kaitlyn of Tea with Tolkien
Liis U
Andrew T
John R
Shannon S
Brian O
Emilio P
Zeke F
James A
James L
Chris L
Chuck F
Asya V
Ish of the Hammer
Teresa C
David of Pints with Jack
Jonathan D
Eric S
Joey S
Eric B
Matt L
Johanna T
Ms. Anonymous
Sam N
Mike M
Dyrenair

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