Despite a few mis-spellings (such as “Middle Earth” for “Middle-earth”), Warren Lawless wrote a series of well-considered but speculative articles on Middle-earth in the late 1990s. His essays won’t break much new ground for people who have been browsing the Web today, but they are characteristic of the detailed research that online Tolkien enthusiasts shared when the Web was young.
Each essay begins with a summation of citations and relevant facts. The reader is thus provided a solid groundwork for Mr. Lawless’ arguments and conclusions. He is careful to avoid the pitfall of inserting assumptions into the facts.
The main page provides an index of articles and a bibliography so the reader knows in advance which resources have been used and how they are referred to throughout the essays.
The site’s presentation is simple and informal yet effective.
The most speculative essay may be “Harondor”. The “History of Middle-earth” essay looks at possible sources of information as enumerated within the stories. The “Magic in Middle-earth” essay examines the evidences for use of magic from within the stories themselves.