Synopses & Reviews
The tales of The Silmarillion were the underlying inspiration and source of J.R.R. Tolkien's imaginative writing; he worked on the book throughout his life but never brought it to a final form. Long preceding in its origins
The Lord of the Rings, it is the story of the First Age of Tolkien's world, the ancient drama to which characters in
The Lord of the Rings look back and in which some of them, such as Elrond and Galadriel, took part.
The title Silmarillion is shortened from Quenta Silmarillion, The History of the Silmarils, the three great jewels created by Feanor, most gifted of the Elves, in which he imprisoned the light of the Two Trees that illumined Valinor, the land of the gods. When Morgoth, the first Dark Lord, destroyed the Trees, that light lived on only in the Silmarils; Morgoth seized them and set them in his crown, guarded in the impenetrable fortress of Angband in the north of Middle-earth. The Silmarillion is the history of the rebellion of Feanor and his people against the gods, their exile in Middle-earth, and their war, hopeless despite all the heroisim of Elves and Men, against the great Enemy.
The book includes several other, shorter works beside The Silmarillion proper. Preceding it are Ainulindale, the myth of Creation, and Valaquenta, in which the nature and powers of each of the gods is set forth. After The Silmarillion is Akallabeth, the story of the downfall of the great island kingdom of Numenor at the end of the Second Age; completing the volume is Of the Rings of Power and the Third Age, in which the events of The Lord of the Rings are treated in the manner of The Silmarillion.
This new edition of The Silmarillion contains therevised and corrected second edition text and, by way of introduction, a letter written by J.R.R. Tolkien in 1951, which provides a brilliant exposition of his conception of the earlier Ages. It also contains almost fifty full-color illustrations by the artist Ted Nasmith, many of which appear for the first time.
Review
"A creation of singular beauty... magnificent in its best moments"
Review
"Heart-lifting... a work of power, eloquence, and noble vision.... Superb!"
Review
"A creation of singular beauty... magnificent in its best moments" The Washington Post
"A great and transcending romance of love and war and adventures." Los Angeles Times
"Heart-lifting... a work of power, eloquence, and noble vision.... Superb!" The Wall Street Journal
Synopsis
This revised and expanded volume tells the oldest tales of Middle-earth: of its creation, of the ancient histories of the Elves, and of the coming of Men into the world. It also chronicles the early battles between good and evil which foreshadow the great conflict in The Lord of the Rings.
Tolkien worked on The Silmarillion published posthumously in 1977 to international acclaim for most of his life, beginning long before The Hobbit or The Lord of the Rings. With Christopher Tolkien"s close collaboration, The Silmarillion has now been completely reset, using the Second Edition text.
Acclaimed artist Ted Nasmith has been commissioned to provide twenty-six breathtaking new paintings for this edition, bringing the total of full-color paintings to forty-eight, making this new illustrated edition of The Silmarillion the most sumptuous and desirable ever published.
About the Author
CHRISTOPHER TOLKIEN is the third son of J.R.R. Tolkien. Appointed by Tolkien to be his literary executor, he has devoted himself to the editing and publication of unpublished writings, notably The Silmarillion, Unfinished Tales, and The History of Middle-earth.J.R.R. TOLKIENandnbsp;(1892andndash;1973) is the creator of Middle-earth and author of such classic and extraordinary works of fiction as The Hobbit, The Lord of the Rings, and The Silmarillion. His books have been translated into more than fifty languages and have sold many millions of copies worldwide.