I would highly recommend reading it with the family trees of the major houses pulled up on a computer in front of you while you read. Likewise the maps. One of the initial things that can be baffling is the ever shifting geography of Middle-Earth - especially over the course of the creation stage and through the First Age. Tolkien is constantly dropping names of rivers, hills, mountains, forests, regions, etc. Having a good map is vital. If you're going all in for a thesis, it's well worth the investment to get a copy of "The Atlas of Middle-Earth"by Karen Wynn Fonstad.
Dont do abridged. You want cliff notes or spark notes, theyre the ones who do study guides for Shakespeare etc, you find one for Dune here
https://www.amazon.com/Spark-Notes-Dune-Frank-Herbert/dp/1586635107
I think you need this book The Steampunk User's Manual: An Illustrated Practical and Whimsical Guide to Creating Retro-futurist Dreams https://www.amazon.com/dp/1419708988/ref=cm_sw_r_other_apa_i_eHtuFb43Q88NP. On my list for 15 bucks I would love the Harry and Megan Funkos. She is a history maker!!
Corn Moon is when the Algonquin Tribes gathered in their main crops😊