Reading order
The History of The Lord of the Rings reading order
Volumes 6–9 of 12 in The History of Middle-earth
1
2
3
4- 4 volumes
- Volumes
- 1988–1992
- Published
- about 30 h
- Reading time
- Completed
- Status
Quick answer
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Publication order
4 volumes1988–1992Completed
Volume numbering in the sources is incomplete — the order below follows publication years.
A plan for the whole series
4 volumes, 1,683 pages, about 30 hours. At 45 min a day that is about 6 weeks.
Stages
2 stages, with 1 short book from outside the series between them. You finish around December 13, 2026, 4 days later than in one go.
- Stage 113 h17 daysby November 15, 2026
- 1. The Return of the Shadow
- 2. Sauron Defeated
- Short breakThe Fire Next Time · James Baldwin · 120 pp. · score 8.8
- Stage 218 habout 3 weeksby December 13, 2026
- 3. The Treason of Isengard
- 4. The War of the Ring
- The end of the series
We count 1.1 min per page, the pace of an average novel reader. Faster? Move the slider.
How this plan is calculated
The plan comes from the pages and ratings of each volume: we split the series into stages of about three weeks’ reading, size each break to the stage before it, and read the chance of finishing from how many readers rate the last volume compared with the first. How we work out the plan →
Every volume in order
No volume in this series has enough ratings to enter a ranking yet, so the list carries no scores — the order and the volumes are still complete.
Order and years: Wikidata (CC0). Spotted an error? Tell us. · Data updated October 29, 2026
Frequently asked questions
Which The History of The Lord of the Rings book is the longest?
“The Treason of Isengard” is the longest at 504 pages; the shortest is “Sauron Defeated” with 186 pages.
What should I read after The History of The Lord of the Rings?
Other series by J. R. R. Tolkien: The Lord of the Rings, Middle Earth, The History of Middle-earth.
