From the Scrolls
I have read a many a great Tolkien tale, what he meant to be published, and... what he did not. Here I have written for you brief synopses of several, in order of my reading them.

The Hobbit

When respectable Mr. Bilbo Baggins invites the wizard Gandalf the Grey to tea, he little expects to be pulled -- without his handkerchief and cane! -- into a unexpected adventure with 13 dwarves. The dwarves wish to hire Bilbo as their "lucky number" on a quest to recover their lost gold from the terrible Dragon Smaug. Bilbo is not too keen on this prospect, but has little choice in the matter. However, as time and again he proves himself "lucky" the hobbit begins to... enjoy the adventure. He befriends Elves, deals with goblins and giant spiders, shows is wit in a riddle game, and even finds a mysterious, magical ring that makes him invisible! This comes in handy in saving the dwarves and when at last he confronts... the Dragon.

The Lord of the Rings

Following the adventure of Bilbo Baggins, his nephew Frodo Baggins has inherited Bilbo's property. Yes, the Ring too. It is found that this is indeed the Ring of Sauron, the Dark Lord, and that it must be destroyed in order to save Middle-earth from being covered in darkness.
This intricately-laced trilogy takes Frodo and his faithful Sam directly into the heart of Mordor where the Ring was created, to Mt. Doom. He must avoid the Black Riders who search everywhere for it, to return it to their Master. The task becomes increasingly difficult as the Ring's terrible power continues to tempt him.
Meanwhile, Aragorn, heir of Gondor, must face his destiny and raise an army against the dark forces mustering around the region. Gandalf also faces his last task in Middle-earth. I wrote an epic poem-song of LOTR from Frodo's and Sams's POV, which is in the LOTR Network

The Silmarrilion

The Silmarrilion is a collection of cut tales of Beleriand (aka Ea, earth), the final version: the forming of the world and coming of Elves, Men, and Dwarves, their deeds, battles, ending with the fall of Melkor (Morgoth). It reads a bit slowly in the beginning, but picks up as we center around individual characters. Following the actual Silmarrilion stories in the book are "The War of the Rings", about the making of the Three, the Seven, the Nine, and the One; and "Akalabeth" (downfall), which tells of Eru, the One, separating Valinor from the rest of the world. Truly fascinating, the imagination and creation of myth here!

The Making of Middle-earth

This is a 12-volume set of the first, more detailed, versions of the tales of Beleriand. I only read most of the first 2 volumes, Book of Lost Tales I and Book of Lost Tales II. As these were his first attempts (and it shows), Tolkien never intended these to be published. Nevertheless, I much prefer these to The Silmarrilion, simply because I love the detail. In many tales, there are minor changes in plot, and also in names, between The Lost Tales and The Silmarrilion. So. If you want to full, incredible, beautifully laced tapestry of Tolkien's tales, read these, not the Sil (read that if you just want a summary).

The Unfinished Tales

This book consists of two longer stories, mostly of Men of Beleriand, some Elves, which are unfinished. There is Turin of Turumbar, a sort of prophet sent by Ulmo Lord of Waters to the Elf-King of Gondolin to warn him of war.
The other major tale is that of an island prince Aldarion, who diverts from tradition of properly maintaining a country and becomes a sailor. Thus, clear-cutting trees for ship timber he creates an environmental problem. Eventually he spends so much time at sea that he neglects his wife, Erendis. Then, he joins the army of a friend-King on the mainland.

The Lays of Beleriand

One of the above 12-volume set, this book contains long, poetry versions of two tales. First is the "Tale of Húrin" (which I have not yet read).
Second is "The Lay of Leithian", the tale of Beren and Luthien (and second version of the tale). Of all the tales, this one is my favorite. I COULD NOT PUT THIS DOWN!!! The poetry is so natural, it sounds almost like conversation that just happens to rhyme. The imagery and diction give almost a tangible picture. This, more than any other version, inspired to have a go at drawing Lúthien. I still haven't finished it but someday....

Tolkien's Poetry

The Realm

Elfwood
Be whisked away in a spiral of gold and lights to my online art gallery. You will find some Elves and Valar there.

Books by JRR Tolkien Another list

LOTR Network

Zzickle's Lord of the Rings Page A well organized site of characters, history, and things of Middle-earth

A Tolkien Fan Chronologies, histories, also quite good

Ardalambion A wonderful archive of articles on all of Tolkien's invented languages.

Tolkien Trail Jump down this rabbit hole, for fan poetry, art, fiction, music, and fun games!

Wizard's World Download FANtastic fonts!

TLOTR Here are some beautiful sculptures of LOTR scenes and characters.

Memories of Middle-Earth An ablum of beautiful music by the Brobdingnagian Bards dedicated to Tolkien's Lord of the Rings trilogy. Includes several more links to great Tolkien stuff.

The Starlit Jewel Poetry from The Hobbit and LOTR put to sweeping music by Broceliande