Who edited J.R.R. Tolkien’s posthumous book Unfinished Tales?

Christopher Tolkien edited J.R.R. Tolkien’s posthumous book Unfinished Tales.

Published in 1980, Unfinished Tales of Númenor and Middle-earth gathers narratives and fragments from Tolkien’s papers. Christopher Tolkien selected, arranged and edited the material, adding commentary and explanations where the surviving texts required context. The book expands stories from different periods of Middle-earth’s history rather than presenting one continuous novel.

The collection includes material about Númenor, the First Age, the Third Age and characters such as Gandalf, Galadriel and Isildur. Some entries are incomplete or exist in multiple versions, which is why the title emphasizes that they are unfinished.

Christopher Tolkien became the principal editor and custodian of his father’s literary papers after J.R.R. Tolkien’s death in 1973. He also edited The Silmarillion and the twelve-volume History of Middle-earth. Rayner Unwin was Tolkien’s publisher, while Humphrey Carpenter wrote a major biography, but neither edited Unfinished Tales.