[William Cloud Hicklin]

Originally Posted by lindil

Aiwendil mentioned the conservatism of CJRT's choices, but this was a foregone conclusion as the 2nd ed. Silm made only the most minor changes. If the Gil-Galad parentage question was going to be revisted, that would have been the time. He wants ths to be an intro to the Silm it seems [I did get to rtead a bit of the preface/fwd]. I am actually suprised he changed even when Anglachel was given!

This conservatism, you should understand, has little to do with a desire for consistency with the 1977 text, but reflects rather "an extreme scrupulosity" in his handling of his father's manuscripts. In other words, he was being conservative with regard to the Narn papers, and accordingly moved the giving of Anglachel because, since 1980, he has concluded he was mistaken in his interpretation of those texts. But with regard to Orodreth, and especially the inclusion of words and phrases he left out or altered in the Unfinished Tales edition, he has stuck to the original rather than presume to 'improve' it.

Overall though it may well be the intro to the Silm that has been needed since 77 for so many folks who didn't or had a hard time 'getting it'.

That's indeed what he had in mind- to present to Lord of the Rings readers some of the First Age legendarium in a form less "rebarbative" (his word) than the Silmarillion. Nonetheless, I predict that it will really appeal only to that subset of LR readers who enjoy the Appendices

I wonder if he will do the same for Beren and Luthien as my memory recalls that there was a fairly detailed 50's version of the first sections, that was not used for the Silm, and undoubtedly other more detailed texts were compressed as well, and it would have probably an even wider appeal. IN all of the interviews has there been any word for CJRT or Adam that there will be more Silm material to come???

That's all there is. I'm afraid that it's not the case that "other more detailed texts were compressed as well." Chapter 19 of the 1977 text represents the most detailed and expansive versions of the three that Tolkien wrote in 1937. The 1951 version remains unpublished, and I suppose it might see the light of day; but it's been described as nothing more than a paraphrase of the second Lay of Leithian (HME III), and at any rate only extends through B & L's meeting.

There is some non-Middle-earth writing which I would like to see (and have suggested as much to CRT): The Fall of Arthur, Aotrou and Itroun, and the Beowulf translation(s). But it appears that with the CoH the Silmarillion cupboard is about bare- after thirty years and 15 books.