J.R.R. Tolkien’s 1977 posthumous mythology collection edited by Christopher Tolkien is The Silmarillion. It was published four years after Tolkien’s death and assembled from a vast body of unfinished and revised writings.
The book presents the history of Tolkien’s imagined world from its creation through major events of the First Age. Its sections include the Ainulindalë, Valaquenta, Quenta Silmarillion, Akallabêth, and Of the Rings of Power and the Third Age. The central section follows the wars over the Silmarils, three jewels made by Fëanor.
Christopher Tolkien organized and edited materials that often existed in conflicting versions. As a result, The Silmarillion is not a straightforward manuscript Tolkien had completed for publication. It also differs in style from The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings, using a more elevated, mythic narrative. The volume is essential for understanding figures such as Morgoth, Beren, Lúthien, and Eärendil.