:But I'm afraid I do not share your enthusiasm for reading the
:evolution of various drafts of LOTR. I believe they are
:important for sholarly study into how Tolkien wrote, but my main
:interest is in the final draft as it stands today.

I'm not sure of how often I've read through the drafts for LOTR and THE SILMARILLION, but my primary interest in HOME is the previously unpublished material, of which there is a great deal to be found. There is much you can learn about Middle-earth if you have the patience to sift through all the volumes for the interesting stuff (and what is "interesting" is a matter of personal choice).

Much of what I know about the Elves and Edain comes from HOME and not from THE SILMARILLION, THE HOBBIT, or LOTR at all. There is simply THAT MUCH new material there waiting to be read.

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Parma Endorion: Essays on Middle-earth, Revised Edition