'New' J.R.R. Tolkien book to be published

LONDON, Feb. 18 (UPI) -- "The Legend of Sigurd and Gudrun," a book penned by late British author J.R.R. Tolkien at least 80 years ago, is to be published for the first time in May.

Houghton Mifflin Harcourt told the BBC the volume of Tolkien's reworking in verse of old Norse epics will feature an introduction by the author, who died in 1973, and notes by his son, Christopher.

The soon-to-be-published work predated the elder Tolkien's classic fantasy novels "The Hobbit" and "The Lord of the Rings" trilogy, and was penned while he was teaching at Oxford University, the BBC said.