JRR Tolkien novel on sale 34 years after death

April 18, 2007

London - Lord of the Rings author JRR Tolkien has a new book on sale, 34 years after his writer's death.

The Children of Hurin has been completed by his son Christopher from a series of unfinished manuscripts.

Christopher said the story, set long before the events of the Rings trilogy, represents the last major work by his father about Middle-earth.

The book has been illustrated by Alan Lee, who worked on the movie series and helped launch the book in London.

Tolkien's grandson Adam, who worked as assistant editor on the book, was also at the launch.

He said he was "sad" at how some fans have forgotten about who his grandfather actually was.

"Everyone talks about the brand , the franchise and the films. People obviously forget there's a man behind it, that he wrote it for his reasons and the books are wonderful," he added.

"I'm certainly not unhappy about the success they've had, but it's a shame that it should become a brand. It's a work of art."

'Life changing'

One fan at the launch, Australian Asher Solomon, was buying a copy for his older brother who introduced him to The Hobbit when he was 10.

"It was a life-changing moment because it was the first sort of real book that I ever read. He introduced me to the whole genre of fantasy, but the first one's always the best one," he said.

Fans will recognise several passages from the book that have already been published separately.

Christopher Tolkien previously edited another of his father's unfinished works, The Silmarillion, in 1977. This outlines the mythology of Middle-earth and includes individual tales, including that of The Children of Hurin.

The Lord of the Rings has sold more than 150 million copies worldwide and was made into three hugely successful films.