Reddit mentions of The Book of Lost Tales 1 (History of Middle-Earth) (Pt. 1)

I don't mean this to sound like bluster but when I read You and Me / and the Cottage of Lost Play from The Book of Lost Tales I was under 10 years old and lets just say that life was not wonderful. I had already read The Hobbit and was reading The Lord of the Rings when I first read the poem and it quite literally saved me. I read it constantly and traveled into a world where I was safe and could rest from the abusive world around me. I can't imagine where I might have ended up if not for it and Tolkien's work in general.

I can't give a work higher praise.

>You and me--we know that land

>And often have been there

>In the long old days, old nursery days,

>A dark child and a fair.

>Was it down the paths of firelight dreams

>In winter cold and white,

>Or in the blue-spun twilit hours

>Of little early tucked-up beds

>In drowsy summer night,

>That You and I got lost in Sleep

>And met each other there--

>Your dark hair on your white nightgown,

>And mine was tangled fair?

The full poem can be read HERE or in PAPERBACK.

I've seen some of the volumes for sale in UK Bookshops occasionally but it's a much more niche series than LOTR or The Silmarillion, the easiest way to purchase them would probably be on Amazon.

The books have been published individually in various paperback or hardback editons such as:

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Book-Lost-Tales-History-Middle-earth/dp/0261102222/

Or in hardback compilations such as this:

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Complete-History-Middle-Earth-Part/dp/0007149158/

As for what to read after see my other post in this very thread:

https://www.reddit.com/r/lotr/comments/5kr66r/my_late_christmas_present_was_definitely_worth/dbr12xk/