The Black Company vs The History of Middle-earth
Two high fantasy series side by side, straight from the catalog data: The Black Company is the longer series (26 books vs 13 books); The Black Company is the more recent one, starting in 1984. There's no wrong answer — pick the shape that fits your reading appetite, and Shelfmark will keep your place in either (no account needed).
| Statistic | The Black Company | The History of Middle-earth |
|---|---|---|
| Author | Glen Cook | J. R. R. Tolkien |
| Books | 26 | 13 |
| Published | 1984–2025 | 1983–1996 |
| Books per year | 0.6 | 1.0 |
| Start with | The Black Company (1984) | The Book of Lost Tales (1983) |
| Reading order | Full The Black Company order → | Full The History of Middle-earth order → |
Numbers come from the Shelfmark catalog (Wikidata + Open Library). "Books per year" is catalogued books divided by the publication span — a rough cadence, not a quality score.