Is this 'ere pub, in the (to him) nearby village of Wymondham. I might be telling you something you already know, but I stumbled upon it quite by chance and thought it relevant to your interests. =]

... is that several of the articles claim the book will mostly consist of the 'original version' of the story.

I... find that unlikely. The Tale of Tinuviel is very different from the story as presented in the Silmarillion - it takes place in a wildly different (simpler) Beleriand, and notably has Beren as a Noldo(!). And that's not even mentioning the giant cat which makes Beren its slave...

So while the idea of a Readers' Version of the Book of Lost Tales is one I've liked for a while, I think it far more likely we'll get the version found in the Quenta Silmarillion draft - ie, something slightly longer than the version that made its way into the published Silm.

What I would like - and find it unlikely I'll get - is a triple combination version which presents, in reverse order of writing, the Quenta version, the Lay of Leithian (combined from the rewrite and the original), and the Tale of Tinuviel, all in 'reader' versions. Then the latter part of the book could be the analysis. That would be a gorgeous book... but it won't happen. ;)

hS

All on-board the hype train!