The Complete Ruins of Osgiliath, Signed Limited Numbered Edition, nr 9 of 12.

The Complete Ruins of Osgiliath was assembled and revised by Alexander Lewis in 1992. Limited to 12 copies, The Complete Ruins of Osgiliath is Number 9 of 12 signed by the editor Alexander Lewis

Limited to 12 copies (of which 10 were sold and 2 kept by the author), this is Number 9 of 12 signed by the editor Alexander Lewis

The first edition of Ruins of Osgiliath was published in three volumes, this edition is a renewed version, bringing all three volumes together in one revised volume and adds more stories and tales than the first release. They were sealed and auctioned off at the centenary conference of the Tolkien Society in 1992. Very rare to find, nearly ever seen online for sale. Only 10 copies were sold. 2 were kept by the author (probably used as a gift to the Tolkien family).
This is a collection of short tales which are all based within the historical framework and subcreative environment of Middle-earth. Some of them are based upon and expand certain known events, whilst others use the framework of Middle-earth as a vehicle to tell a story that simply wished to be told.

Because of this, these short tales do not lay any claim to be in any way "definitive". They are merely the authors' extrapolations and art at work seeking to uncover or pull into sharper focus events within Middle-earth.

There probably have been and will be other thoughts and approaches to some of the events highlighted herein, and they would be as valid as that which is found in the pages of this collection. It is hoped that these short tales entertain - beyond that, there is no intention of the author.

The vehicle of this collection is Osgiliath, first city of Condor and its long history from the days of its founding in the Second Age to the time of the War of the Ring, and this thread connects all the tales in this collection.

Tales from volume 1 such as The Road Beyond and The Inheritance are stories which do not tell of any specific event in detail - they merely “are” - as Bombadil might have said. The rest; Conspiracy to Rule, The Wringing Bells and The Dark Shadow relate to events within the Tale of the Years. Since the history of Osgiliath is dark and tragic, so these tales are also caught up in that tragedy, and some may find the tales distressing, particularly The Wringing Bells. It is not a tale for the faint-hearted! It is of course fictional and based upon historical events which concern the city of London.

The tales of Volume 2 are also sequels or connectants to those of Volume 1, so those of you who have not as yet read Volume 1: Beg, Borrow, or Steal (or as Professor Tolkien suggested to one young admirer of the Lord of the Rings by mail; prefferably buy) the first volume and thereby transform the enjoyment of Volume 2 into something far greater. The tales of Volume 2 do stand on their own however - if it is necessary for them to be read in that fashion. These are yet more short tales based around the long history of Osgiliath, first city of Gondor.

The Road to Peril introduces the stalking figure felt by Mareth on the banks of the Anduin. To See in Time is the companion tale to The Inheritance from Volume 1. When the Crescendo Dies Away is an indulgence in music and is somewhat connected to the Kinstrife as is Mosquito the last of the tales, which borrows heavily from the times of the French Revolution for its inspiration.

In volume 3, For one who wandered alone takes the reader back to a footnote from one of the tales of volume 1 which at the time seemed to me insufficient. This tale attempts to piece together the strands that were left hanging loose at that juncture and there is a longer note at the end by way of further explanation. Armindil's Lament is a departure for these collections in that it is a poem which was quoted from on the cover of volume 2. It is connected to a character from one of the tales in volume 2. The next three tales are connected to the Great River Anduin, seen as friend, as foe, as lifeline - an inevitable component of tales about a city straddling the longest waterway in Middle earth. The Song of the Water maid is completely independent of previous tales, but was in conception one which was in my mind right from the outset as a powerful image. Raising of the Western Sea is a tale that encompasses the entire chronology within its framework although it is the first tale in the collection that occurs in the years after the War of the Ring. It is probably the most hopeful and positive of all the tales written about Osgiliath. Fledgeling's rest is a tale of adventure that comes just at the end of the War of the Ring. The Last of Osgiliath is a tale by Susanne Stopfel also the cover artist, whose encouragement inspiration and impetus helped to get this project off the ground. Finally A Carriage Awaits was my little surprise at the end, rounding off a tale that has now carried through all three volumes. This is not an official publication of the Tolkien Society, and as such does not express the opinions views or thoughts of the membership at large or the committee in particular.

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