New Middle-earth & the Tresco MS

What would life be like today if Tolkien was telling the truth when he said he translated The Lord of the Rings from ancient manuscripts ..?

In a nutshell, that is what "New Middle-earth" is all about. Explore below and begin a journey that has no end.

As they say, The Road goes ever on and on ...

On this page you can find:

• A brief description of "New Middle-earth"
• Further reading
• Contacts

Elsewhere at Arda Online you can find:

• Details of the "Tresco Manuscript"
• The Tresco Manuscript part 1: the manuscript unveiled
• The Tresco Manuscript part 2: Aerlinn's Notes
• The Tresco Manuscript part 3: Hundred's Preface
• The Lore of Life, Leaf and Stone"
• Living the Visions. Across the Bridge, before the Gate"
• A New Middle-earth timeline
• A map of NMe in the Sixth Age
• A provenance of JRRT's sources
• Home Eleven
• Away from Home, part 1
• Away from Home, part 2
• Merrill Valley project

Elsewhere on the Net:

• Nothing at present

Project description

This term - properly abbreviated 'NMe' - was first described in his article New Middle-earth: Exploring Beyond the Mountains:

New Middle-earth is a secondary, sub-created world. To all intents and purposes it is identical to the primary world we all inhabit, with one important exception: within it the Middle-earth related by the late Professor JRR Tolkien in The Lord of the Rings is not fiction, but historically true.

The concept asserts Tolkien's self-professed role as editor of authentic texts originating in a remote (and previously unknown) period of world history. The consequences of this assertion provide the scope and inspiration for whatever intellectual and creative endeavours may be enacted within it.

There are no monopolies on exploring reality in the Primary world. History, politics, science, literature and anthropology exist legitimately alongside fine arts, historical romance, fantasy, science fiction and reworkings of ancient lore. The full spectrum of disciplines should be available to those wishing to explore New Middle-earth. The scope of such explorations should be limited only by the imagination of those accepting the challenge.

In relation to such explorations, Tolkien's writings will always command great respect, yet they must not become too precious. Precious should carry its own warning for us all.

- New Middle-earth: Exploring Beyond the Mountains
In: Reunion: the Journal of Middle-earth Studies, issue 1, June 1996

It is obvious from the above that 'New Middle-earth' was intended to encompass a wide range of approaches to the fundamental assumption that The Lord of the Rings was a historical text. To date the best known NMe writings are those of Martin Baker, most of which concern the 'Tresco manuscript'.

Back to the top

Back to the top

Back to the top