Tolkien Library (and found via the Westeros Forums) is reporting that a new novel by the author of The Lord of the Rings will be published in May of this year.

HarperCollins is to publish a new book by the late Lord of the Rings author J R R Tolkien. The Legend of Sigurd and Gudrún, edited and introduced by Tolkien’s son Christopher, will be published in hardback in May 2009.

The previously unpublished work was written while Tolkien was professor of Anglo-Saxon at Oxford University during the 1920s and ’30s, before he wrote The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings. The publication will make available for the first time Tolkien’s extensive retelling in English narrative verse of the epic Norse tales of Sigurd the Völsung and the Fall of the Niflungs.

David Brawn, the publishing director of HarperCollins UK, said: “It is an entirely unpublished work, dates from around the early 1930s, and will be published – all being well – in May this year. Otherwise the clue as to what the book will contain is in the title – THE LEGEND OF SIGURD AND GUDRUN. You will surmise from this that it is not a Middle-earth book, but we are confident that Tolkien fans will be fascinated by it.”For those who are wondering about it, I can already tell that this new edition will not be illustrated by Alan Lee; but have not been confirmed who will be the illustrator.

Christopher Tolkien edited Tolkien’s most recent title The Children of Húrin in 2007.

Further details about the contents of the book will be revealed closer to publication.

As someone who grew up on The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings, but loves the world and characters a lot more than Tolkien’s actual writing, I can’t say that this is a novel I’m going to jump on. Still, it’s an interesting look at Tolkien and the influences that led to The Lord of the Rings.

It will also be interesting to see how this is marketing, considering it’s not a traditional prose novel and, likely, won’t appeal to many of the fans of Tolkien’s most famous works.

Much more information about the novel can be found HERE.