What was the title of J.R.R. Tolkien’s first published book, issued in 1922?

J.R.R. Tolkien’s first published book, issued in 1922, was A Middle English Vocabulary.

A Middle English Vocabulary was published in 1922 and was written with E.V. Gordon. It was designed as a companion to their scholarly work on Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, helping readers understand vocabulary found in the Middle English poem. The book belongs to Tolkien’s academic career rather than his later reputation as a fantasy novelist.

The publication shows that Tolkien’s first book-length appearance in print was connected to medieval language and literature. His expertise in Middle English, Old English, and related languages later influenced the texture of his invented names and the historical depth of his fictional cultures.

The Hobbit was Tolkien’s first major work of prose fiction to become widely known, but it was not his first published book. The Book of Lost Tales was an early collection of mythology that was published posthumously, while Sir Gawain and the Green Knight was a later scholarly edition.