There is a considerable amount of editorial material in this series. To me, it seems a bok for serious students only. ( )

Christopher Tolkien systematizes his father's papers. ( )

A return to the very beginnings of Tolkien's Middle Earth ethos and the Elder Days. A rich collection of wild and energetic tales much different than the distillation found in The Silmarillion, such as the cosmological poem "Habannan Beneath the Stars." There is much here that is stylistically reminiscent of The Canterbury Tales and The Decameron. Recommended for those interested in the mythos of men and elves, or the Tolkien completist. ( )

Rating this a 3 primarily so as not to invoke Dave's ire. He's right that the tales are "turgid, tedious, and unconscionably self-indulgent." But then, he also uses "belike" in a nonsensical way.

Where I differ from him is in trying to imagine what the reviews would be in a world that didn't contain Tolkien's other published works. First of all, I shudder to think of such a world. Secondly, we don't live in that world, so what's the point in rating a book from that subjunctive point of view? Such arguments are simply attempts to justify one's own peevishness.

The Book of Lost Tales is a solid 3. No, the tales are not great, and yes sometimes they are downright terrible. But the book does precisely what it's supposed to do: Provide early, unrefined versions of stories that NEVER got to a point where Tolkien himself was comfortable publishing them. It's for the Tolkien lovers who want to delve into that minutiae. There's no reason to criticize the book simply because you're not one of those people.
( )

I read The Hobbit, The Lord of the Rings, and the Silmarilion (in that order). I read them after seeing the movies. I love those books. Part one of the Book of Lost Tales is interesting and continuously shows the author's surprising amount of imagination. However, my comments here are based upon reading only about half the book. It really is like reading a history book and doesn't draw you in to fall in love with any characters, places, or groups of people. I may pick up the book and try finishing it later, but it's going on the shelf for now. I was planning on buying the whole set. I'm glad I bought only the first one. ( )