Which of J.R.R. Tolkien’s sons edited and published many of his unfinished Middle-earth writings?

Christopher Tolkien edited and published many of J.R.R. Tolkien’s unfinished Middle-earth writings.

After his father’s death in 1973, Christopher Tolkien became the principal editor of Tolkien’s literary papers. He prepared The Silmarillion for publication in 1977 and later edited Unfinished Tales, published in 1980. These works made a large amount of Tolkien’s posthumous mythology available to readers.

Christopher’s most extensive editorial project was The History of Middle-earth, published in twelve volumes between 1983 and 1996. The series presents drafts, abandoned ideas, revisions, poems, commentary, and editorial explanations, allowing readers to follow the development of Tolkien’s legendarium over many decades.

Christopher Tolkien was Tolkien’s third child and shared his father’s interest in languages and literature. He also produced a map of Middle-earth for The Lord of the Rings with assistance from his father. His editorial work is essential, but these posthumous books often preserve variant versions rather than one final canonical narrative.