On 21 September 1937: J.R.R. #Tolkien's The Hobbit was published. The book tells of a hobbit, Bilbo Baggins, and his journey with thirteen dwarves to recover their treasure from a dragon, Smaug. It's sold over 100 million copies and is one of the best-selling books of all time.

It tells us about the Gods - the "Valar" - including the important myths of the First Age such as Beren and Lúthien, the Fall of Gondolin, and the Flight of the Noldor, as well as the Downfall of Númenor. We learn about the characters Eärendil, Elwing, Fëanor, Galadriel, Túrin, Melian, Mîm and more!

On 15 September 1977: J.R.R. #Tolkien's The Silmarillion was published. Edited by Christopher Tolkien, the book details the entire history of the world before The Hobbit, and goes into the legends that underpin the entire mythology including the creation of the world.

On 30 August 2018: J.R.R. #Tolkien's The Fall of Gondolin was published. Edited by Christopher Tolkien, it's the tale of the elven city of Gondolin and its destruction, over 6,500 years before The Lord of the Rings. Tolkien called it "the first real story of this imaginary world".

On 19 August, T.A. 3019 in Tolkien's Middle-earth: as part of their bond of friendship, Legolas goes with Gimli to see the Glittering Caves. Gimli later founds a Dwarven colony there and becomes the Lord of the Glittering Caves. Image: Ted Nasmith