Appendix A

Appendix A of The Lord of the Rings contains historical background of the events in Middle-earth prior to the War of the Ring. Its main focus is on the Mannish kingdoms of Númenor, Gondor and Rohan, and on the Dwarves of the line of Durin. It also contains The Tale of Aragorn and Arwen.

Contents

• The Númenórean Kings
  • Númenor (A synopsis of the events of The Silmarillion, especially the Akallabêth)
  • The Realms in Exile (A list of the kings of Arnor and Gondor, including the Chieftains of the Dúnedain and the Ruling Stewards of Gondor.)
    • The Northern Line: Heirs of Isildur
    • The Southern Line: Heirs of Anarion
  • Eriador, Arnor, and the Heirs of Isildur (The history of the Northern Kingdom, through the time of Aragorn II)
  • Gondor and the Heirs of Anarion (The history of Gondor, including a few details of the lives of Denethor II, Boromir, and Faramir.)
    • The Stewards
  • The Tale of Aragorn and Arwen (Traces the love story of that couple, including their deaths.)
• The House of Eorl (The history of Rohan.)
  • The Kings of the Mark
• Durin's Folk (Focuses on the Dwarves of that line. Some of the events leading up to the Quest of Erebor are given. This section contains a family tree of Durin, including some details about Gimli.)

Composition

After finishing the book in 1948, Tolkien expanded further the Appendix A before publication around 1950, even after saying to Milton Waldman (who expressed interest in publishing the book) that he would try to cut the book's length.