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One of the most useful features of the Elrond's Library site is the list of links to acquiring the translations. I have included my own list to many sites where I have successfully acquired volumes for my collection.
One of the most useful features of the Elrond's Library site is the list of links to acquiring the translations. I have included my own list to many sites where I have successfully acquired volumes for my collection.
I keep all of these organized in a Zotero bibliography, so that's the simple way I count them. In the list below, a "volume" is a single bound book, thus a one-volume LOTR counts has one volume, but a three-volume LOTR counts has three volumes. An "edition" is a single publishing group, so that both a one-volume LOTR and a three-volume LOTR count as one edition. At the present time there are a total of 926 volumes in 495 editions from 71 different languages:
I keep all of these organized in a Zotero bibliography, so that's the simple way I count them. In the list below, a "volume" is a single bound book, thus a one-volume LOTR counts has one volume, but a three-volume LOTR counts has three volumes. An "edition" is a single publishing group, so that both a one-volume LOTR and a three-volume LOTR count as one edition. At the present time there are a total of 926 volumes in 495 editions from 71 different languages:
LOTR: 694 volumes, 273 editions, 58 languages
LOTR: 694 volumes, 273 editions, 58 languages
Hobbit: 109 volumes (+ 5 bound with LOTR), 108 editions, 54 languages (13 without LOTR translation)
Hobbit: 109 volumes (+ 5 bound with LOTR), 108 editions, 54 languages (13 without LOTR translation)
Silmarillion: 59 volumes (+4 bound with LOTR or Hobbit), 58 editions, 25 languages
Silmarillion: 59 volumes (+4 bound with LOTR or Hobbit), 58 editions, 25 languages
Unfinished Tales: 10 volumes/editions, 7 languages
Unfinished Tales: 10 volumes/editions, 7 languages
Book of Lost Tales: 16 volumes, 8 editions, 5 languages
Book of Lost Tales: 16 volumes, 8 editions, 5 languages
Lays of Beleriand: 2 volumes/editions, 2 languages
Lays of Beleriand: 2 volumes/editions, 2 languages
Shaping of Middle-earth: 2 volumes/editions, 2 languages
Shaping of Middle-earth: 2 volumes/editions, 2 languages
Lost Road: 2 volumes/editions, 2 languages
Lost Road: 2 volumes/editions, 2 languages
Return of the Shadow: 2 volumes/editions, 2 languages
Return of the Shadow: 2 volumes/editions, 2 languages
Treason of Isengard: 2 volumes/editions, 2 languages
Treason of Isengard: 2 volumes/editions, 2 languages
War of the Ring: 2 volumes/editions, 2 languages
War of the Ring: 2 volumes/editions, 2 languages
Sauron Defeated: 2 volumes/editions, 2 languages
Sauron Defeated: 2 volumes/editions, 2 languages
Morgoth's Ring: 2 volumes/editions, 2 languages
Morgoth's Ring: 2 volumes/editions, 2 languages
War of the Jewels : 2 volumes/editions, 2 languages
War of the Jewels : 2 volumes/editions, 2 languages
Peoples of Middle-earth: 2 volumes/editions, 2 languages
Peoples of Middle-earth: 2 volumes/editions, 2 languages
History of Middle-earth Index: 1 volume/edition, 1 language
History of Middle-earth Index: 1 volume/edition, 1 language
History of the Hobbit: 1 volume/edition, 1 language
History of the Hobbit: 1 volume/edition, 1 language
Children of Hurin: 3 volumes/editions (+1 bound with LOTR), 3 languages
Children of Hurin: 3 volumes/editions (+1 bound with LOTR), 3 languages
Beren and Lúthien: 3 volumes/editions, 2 languages
Beren and Lúthien: 3 volumes/editions, 2 languages
Fall of Gondolin: 3 volumes/editions, 2 languages
Fall of Gondolin: 3 volumes/editions, 2 languages
Fall of Númenor: 2 volume/edition, 2 languages
Fall of Númenor: 2 volume/edition, 2 languages
Nature of Middle-earth: 3 volumes/editions, 2 languages
Nature of Middle-earth: 3 volumes/editions, 2 languages
Maps of Middle-earth: 1 volume/edition, 1 language
Maps of Middle-earth: 1 volume/edition, 1 language
Complete Guide to Middle-earth: 3 volumes, 2 editions, 2 languages
Complete Guide to Middle-earth: 3 volumes, 2 editions, 2 languages
Atlas of Middle-earth: 2 volumes/editions, 2 languages
Atlas of Middle-earth: 2 volumes/editions, 2 languages
The Collection
The Collection
The pages are arranged by the order of languages I use on my shelves. I start with English and move through the Indo-European languages most closely related to English (Germanic) to those that are the most distantly related to English (Indo-Aryan) (with geographic proximity to the British Isles resolving ties). The the order moves through the non-Indopean languages roughly from west to east. Within languages the volumes are arranged by the order in which they were published. The Table of Contents contains lists by language name , by title in Unicode order, and by language family.
The pages are arranged by the order of languages I use on my shelves. I start with English and move through the Indo-European languages most closely related to English (Germanic) to those that are the most distantly related to English (Indo-Aryan) (with geographic proximity to the British Isles resolving ties). The the order moves through the non-Indopean languages roughly from west to east. Within languages the volumes are arranged by the order in which they were published. The Table of Contents contains lists by language name , by title in Unicode order, and by language family.
The collection is by no means complete and not every translation in every language is represented here. As of 17 October 2025, the day that a DHL driver put the Kazakh translation into my hands on my front porch, I now have at least one copy of LOTR in every language into which all or part of it has been translated and published (at least that I know about). While I have translations of The Hobbit in some languages that do not have a LOTR translation, that has never been a focus of my collection.
The collection is by no means complete and not every translation in every language is represented here. As of 17 October 2025, the day that a DHL driver put the Kazakh translation into my hands on my front porch, I now have at least one copy of LOTR in every language into which all or part of it has been translated and published (at least that I know about). While I have translations of The Hobbit in some languages that do not have a LOTR translation, that has never been a focus of my collection.
The images throughout the website are scans of my copies. My current scanner is an inexpensive home multifunction printer/scanner so when the covers have foils, they don't scan well. If a cover looks "boring" and you can't see the art or text, that's often the reason. Some of the worst scans I have supplemented with a photo that shows the true colors.
The images throughout the website are scans of my copies. My current scanner is an inexpensive home multifunction printer/scanner so when the covers have foils, they don't scan well. If a cover looks "boring" and you can't see the art or text, that's often the reason. Some of the worst scans I have supplemented with a photo that shows the true colors.
One of the special treasures in my collection is a copy of the first published edition of the first translation (from 1957 into Dutch). Only 3000 copies of the first edition were printed and it was never printed in that form again. While the original dust jackets (on left) are not in good condition (thus halving its value on the collector market), this is still a treasure to me. I recently purchased and installed replica dust jackets (on right), but saved the originals for archival purposes.
One of the special treasures in my collection is a copy of the first published edition of the first translation (from 1957 into Dutch). Only 3000 copies of the first edition were printed and it was never printed in that form again. While the original dust jackets (on left) are not in good condition (thus halving its value on the collector market), this is still a treasure to me. I recently purchased and installed replica dust jackets (on right), but saved the originals for archival purposes.
Notes on the Details
Notes on the Details
If you see an [H], [S], or other abbreviation in brackets following a language name, that indicates a copy of The Hobbit, The Silmarillion, or one of Tolkien's other works relating to Middle Earth beyond LOTR. If you see a form such as "Russian S [H S CH]" that means LOTR, The Hobbit, The Silmarillion, and The Children of Húrin all in one bound volume.
If you see an [H], [S], or other abbreviation in brackets following a language name, that indicates a copy of The Hobbit, The Silmarillion, or one of Tolkien's other works relating to Middle Earth beyond LOTR. If you see a form such as "Russian S [H S CH]" that means LOTR, The Hobbit, The Silmarillion, and The Children of Húrin all in one bound volume.
The abbreviations I use are:
[AM] The Atlas of Middle-earth [LT] The Book of Lost Tales
[BL] Beren and Lúthien [MM] The Maps of Middle-earth
[CG] The Complete Guide to Middle-earth [MR] Morgoth's Ring
[CH] The Children of Húrin [NM] The Nature of Middle-earth
[FG] The Fall of Gondolin [PM] The Peoples of Middle-earth
[FN] The Fall of Númenor [RS] The Return of the Shadow
[H] The Hobbit [S] The Silmarillion
[HH] The History of the Hobbit [SD] Sauron Defeated
[HI] The Index [SM] The Shaping of Middle-earth
[UT] Unfinished Tales [TI] The Treason of Isengard
[LB] The Lays of Beleriand [WJ] The War of the Jewels
[LR] The Lost Road [WR] The War of the Ring
The abbreviations I use are:
[AM] The Atlas of Middle-earth [LT] The Book of Lost Tales
[BL] Beren and Lúthien [MM] The Maps of Middle-earth
[CG] The Complete Guide to Middle-earth [MR] Morgoth's Ring
[CH] The Children of Húrin [NM] The Nature of Middle-earth
[FG] The Fall of Gondolin [PM] The Peoples of Middle-earth
[FN] The Fall of Númenor [RS] The Return of the Shadow
[H] The Hobbit [S] The Silmarillion
[HH] The History of the Hobbit [SD] Sauron Defeated
[HI] The Index [SM] The Shaping of Middle-earth
[UT] Unfinished Tales [TI] The Treason of Isengard
[LB] The Lays of Beleriand [WJ] The War of the Jewels
[LR] The Lost Road [WR] The War of the Ring
Throughout the site I have referred to FR (The Fellowship of the Ring), TT (The Two Towers), and RK (The Return of the King). Tolkien did not think of his work as a trilogy, but as a single work divided into 6 numbered Books. When needed, I have referred to these six Books as "Books" (with a capital B). Some Japanese and Korean editions follow this pattern and publish each of Tolkien's Books as separate volumes rather than following the earliest English publication pattern which put two Books into each of three volumes. This three-volume pattern is the most common publishing standard, followed by the one-volume pattern. Some early Eastern European editions, such as the first Bulgarian and Russian editions, as well as French N, divided the six Books into two volumes. This pattern is not followed in 21st century editions, however. Some editions, such as Georgian B, have FR broken into two volumes. The Appendices are not always present, but when they are they are most commonly bound with RK. In some editions, such as Dutch E, German A, German F, and Japanese B, they are bound as a separate volume, but this is not common. A particularly interesting pattern is found in Russian L, where the Appendices are published as the Prologue to FR in the first of two volumes. In some of the latest volumes of the first Swedish translation, such as Swedish C, the Appendices are bound with three of Tolkien's minor works. At the bottom of the Table of Contents is a chart to illustrate the different publishing formats found in my collection.
Throughout the site I have referred to FR (The Fellowship of the Ring), TT (The Two Towers), and RK (The Return of the King). Tolkien did not think of his work as a trilogy, but as a single work divided into 6 numbered Books. When needed, I have referred to these six Books as "Books" (with a capital B). Some Japanese and Korean editions follow this pattern and publish each of Tolkien's Books as separate volumes rather than following the earliest English publication pattern which put two Books into each of three volumes. This three-volume pattern is the most common publishing standard, followed by the one-volume pattern. Some early Eastern European editions, such as the first Bulgarian and Russian editions, as well as French N, divided the six Books into two volumes. This pattern is not followed in 21st century editions, however. Some editions, such as Georgian B, have FR broken into two volumes. The Appendices are not always present, but when they are they are most commonly bound with RK. In some editions, such as Dutch E, German A, German F, and Japanese B, they are bound as a separate volume, but this is not common. A particularly interesting pattern is found in Russian L, where the Appendices are published as the Prologue to FR in the first of two volumes. In some of the latest volumes of the first Swedish translation, such as Swedish C, the Appendices are bound with three of Tolkien's minor works. At the bottom of the Table of Contents is a chart to illustrate the different publishing formats found in my collection.
Some one-volume Russian editions of LOTR also include The Hobbit, The Silmarillion, and, more recently, The Children of Húrin. These megavolumes are called Полная История Средиземья ("The Complete History of Middle-earth"). See Russian S [H S CH] and Russian U [H S].
Some one-volume Russian editions of LOTR also include The Hobbit, The Silmarillion, and, more recently, The Children of Húrin. These megavolumes are called Полная История Средиземья ("The Complete History of Middle-earth"). See Russian S [H S CH] and Russian U [H S].
When needed, I refer to the number of "volumes" as being the number of physical, individually-bound units in a particular edition. I use the term "edition" to refer to a single volume or set of volumes (from two through nine) that comprise a single published product.
When needed, I refer to the number of "volumes" as being the number of physical, individually-bound units in a particular edition. I use the term "edition" to refer to a single volume or set of volumes (from two through nine) that comprise a single published product.
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