By: J.R.R. Tolkien Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Average Rating: Binding: Hardcover Label: Houghton Mifflin Number of Items: 1 Number of Pages: 416 Publication Date: November 15, 2004
Product Description: 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 the revised 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.
Great version of Silmarillion! though I've already have a paperback version of this book, I can't resist purchasing again this hardcover version with Nasimth' great illustrations! Really a joy to read accompanyed by those pictures!
Amazing I bought this book with the illustrated edition of Lord of the Rings (box set). The covers are a bit the same so they go together really well.
I just love this edition of "The Silmarillion". There are many bright illustrations (by Ted Nasmith) and they are very beautiful. It's difficult to illustrate a book like "The Silmarillion", but Ted Nasmith has done a great job. Under the dust cover there is a blue fabric cover, it makes the book very sturdy.
I recommend anyone this book. It's a great addition to any bookcase, and it comes for a great price!
A fascinating, rich history of Middle-earth For those who have read The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings and want more information and backstory from the earlier Ages of Middle-earth, this is where to look.
Tolkien's first foray into Middle-earth was actually one of the stories in The Silmarillion, which he began during his service in World War I. Later, after completing both The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings, he went back and added in more and more history for the world he'd created - too much, in fact, to finish. The Silmarillion was first published in 1977, 4 years after Tolkien's death, and even then it did not include all that he hoped to write about his world. Fortunately, some of his most beautiful and tragic tales are contained in it, including: -The creation of Middle-earth by Illuvatar and the fall of Melkor -Tales of the Vala and the Firstborn (Elves) -The Tale of Beren and Luthien, the love story to end all love stories -The Children of Hurin, the dark and tragic tale of Turin Turumbar and his sister Nienor Niniel -The fall of Numenor
It's also worth buying this particular edition, especially if you're a Tolkien enthusiast, because Ted Nasmith's gorgeous paintings pop off the page and bring the story to life. What more could you ask for?
Great Book!!! After recently converting to the Catholic Church and knowing that J.R.R. Tolkien was a very respected Catholic. I wanted to read some of his works. I have watched all three Lord of The Rings movies and absolutely loved them. I read the Hobbit years ago and thought it was a wonderful book as well, so I decided that I would purchase the Silmarillion, The Children of Hurin, The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings and read them all. After reading some of the reviews regarding the Silmarillion and noticing that alot of people were complaining that it was either boring, or difficult to read. I hesitated and almost didn't purchase it. What a mistake that would have been! I loved the book and didn't want to put it down. It is truly a page turner and even if your new to reading Tolkien like I am, you will still love it. I have read the Holy Bible many times and unlike what some of the reviews said, this book "does not" read like the Old Testament. I just finished reading the Ilyad and the Odyssy by Homer and I found them to be alot more difficult to read then this book. Overall I would recommend that you don't take some of the negative reviews to heart and just purchase the book. I think you will be happy you did.
the greatest book I have ever read The sheer scope of this book is staggering. The writing of this book is a feat unmatched in the known history of the world that any one man could create an entire mythology over his lifetime and mostly in secret! I was one of the few people who read The Silmarillion before reading either The Hobbit or The Lord of the Rings. As such, I was blown away, even more so than when I read the latter books, by how grand this story is. It is a dark and somber tale that doesn't revel in trite victories against the forces of darkness like Lord of the Rings. Rather, it is a tragic tale of endurance in the face of unyielding evil. The Silmarillion is much longer and challenging to read than The Lord of the Rings. However, for those who persevere throughout the many thousands of characters and lengthy history of Middle Earth, a jewel of a book is to be found. I would recommend The Silmarillion for all true J.R.R. Tolkien fans and fans of mythology as well. Some fifteen years have passed since I first read The Silmmarillion, but time has not stopped it from being my favorite book.
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