What was the title of J.R.R. Tolkien’s 1977 posthumous collection of First Age mythology?

J.R.R. Tolkien’s 1977 posthumous collection of First Age mythology was titled The Silmarillion.

The book was edited and arranged by Tolkien’s son Christopher Tolkien and published four years after J.R.R. Tolkien’s death. It brings together creation myths, legends of the First Age, the history of Númenor, and events extending into the Third Age. The central jewels, the Silmarils, were made by the Elf Fëanor and became the focus of a devastating oath and war.

Unlike The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings, The Silmarillion is not a single straightforward adventure novel. It presents compressed, mythic narratives in several styles, including the creation account “Ainulindalë” and the downfall story “Akallabêth.”

Christopher Tolkien used numerous drafts and notes to prepare the published volume. This editorial history explains why some passages combine material from different stages of his father’s long, changing mythology.