The War of the Ring
by Christopher Tolkien, J. R. R. Tolkien
The War of the Ring is volume 8 of The History of Middle-earth, Christopher Tolkien's edition of his father's drafts, first published by Unwin Hyman in London in 1990, with a Houghton Mifflin edition that year. It follows The Lord of the Rings drafts to the opening of the Black Gate.
- Editions tracked
- 1
- First edition
- Unwin Hyman, 1990
- First published
- Unwin Hyman, London, 1990
The first edition of The War of the Ring by Christopher Tolkien was published in London by Unwin Hyman in 1990. We track 1 edition.
Which edition do you have?
First edition
- 1st Unwin Hyman1990 Hardback · The History of Middle-earth 8 I own The War of the Ring, Unwin Hyman 1990 Log in to want this
We have not yet researched the issue points for this book. If you know how to tell the first from later printings, tell us and we will credit you once it is checked against a second source.
Awards, adaptations and setting
In print
- Editions recorded
- 15 on Open Library, 8 in English
- Wikipedia
- Articles in 1 language
From Wikidata and Open Library, both CC0. A prize or a new adaptation often lifts demand for the first printing.
More by Christopher Tolkien
- A Middle English Vocabulary1922 · 1 edition
- Sir Gawain & the Green Knight1925 · 1 edition
- Beowulf: A Translation and Commentary1936 · 1 edition
- The Hobbit1937 · 3 editions
- The Lay of Aotrou and Itroun1945 · 1 edition
- Tolkien On Fairy-stories1947 · 2 editions
- Farmer Giles of Ham1949 · 1 edition
- The Fellowship of the Ring1954 · 1 edition
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Read the guide →Frequently asked questions
Who published the first edition of The War of the Ring?
The first edition of The War of the Ring by Christopher Tolkien, J. R. R. Tolkien was published in London by Unwin Hyman in 1990.
How many editions of The War of the Ring are there?
We track 1 edition of The War of the Ring, including 1 first edition. Each has its own page with how to identify it.
Where these facts come from
- The History of Middle-earth, Wikipedia (en.wikipedia.org)
- The War of the Ring by J. R. R. Tolkien, Open Library (openlibrary.org)
- The History of The Lord of the Rings, Wikipedia (en.wikipedia.org)
Every fact on this page was checked against the sources listed. Checked 3 November 2026. Reviewed by Harriet Ellis; read how we check facts.