Which 1977 book, edited by Christopher Tolkien, presents J.R.R. Tolkien’s mythology of Arda?

The Silmarillion, published in 1977 and edited by Christopher Tolkien, presents J.R.R. Tolkien’s mythology of Arda.

The book was assembled from Tolkien’s extensive posthumous writings and covers the creation of the world, the history of the Valar, the awakening of the Elves, and the great conflicts of the First Age. Its central jewels are the Silmarils, created by the Elf Fëanor.

Christopher Tolkien shaped the publication from drafts that Tolkien had revised repeatedly over many decades. Because the manuscripts were unfinished and sometimes contradictory, the 1977 book is an editorial construction rather than a completed novel prepared for publication by Tolkien himself.

The Silmarillion is often confused with The Lord of the Rings because both concern Middle-earth. Its scope is much broader and reaches far earlier in the history of Arda.