Have any of you guys read it? Is it worth reading or even buying entirely?

They're expensive but if you have the cash easily to your disposal then they're worthwile reads, they're mostly Tolkeins masses of notes and annotated by Christopher Tolkein with a few short stories here than there.

You can find out many different interesting things about the background behind his ideas to what Tolkein originally planned to write before changing different ideas slightly.

i had it in my School libary but i didn't really read most of it.

Corintur wrote:

Have any of you guys read it? Is it worth reading or even buying entirely?

Them, not it. HoMe is a 12 or 13 volume series (can't rember which). They are worth getting I'd say as they're interesting and they can provide lots of ideas for alternate colour schemes (the original version of the Fall of Gondolin in particular).

13

I have most of them...all but the last five I think. Great resources for further delving into Tolkien's world

Excellent. I was hoping for this reaction.

I shall instruct the wife to empty the coffers when my birthday arrives.

Good luck getting them

I'm still only in progress in collecting the whole set unfortunately. Though it's definitely something I'd like to finish collecting, they're interesting books as I've already said. Just they're quite expensive considering there's 13 of them.

I've had the History books for years and consult them every once in a great while about some rare point of textual criticism. I find they do not significantly add to one's appreciation of the aesthetic of Middle Earth or its history unless you are extremely interested in the development of the story lines and the many "might have beens" (for example, Aragorn was originally to be called Trotter rather than Strider . . .). A better and far less expensive place to begin would be with the paperback Unfinished Tales and a copy of Tolkien's letters. If you like these, you may then want to go on and collect the History but, I must say, I really enjoyed both titles and read them many times over while still not finding the History particularly useful. Perhaps a better choice would be the new(ish) Reader's Companion? I don't own a copy myself. Has anyone else used this? I hear it's extremely comprehensive.

Finally, I believe there are only twelve volumes.

Alfirin wrote:

(for example, Aragorn was originally to be called Trotter rather than Strider . . .).

You forgot to mention he was also a Hobbit with wooden feet back then.