The Silmarillion was edited by Christopher Tolkien and published in 1977, four years after J.R.R. Tolkien died.
J.R.R. Tolkien died in 1973, leaving a vast body of writings about the mythology and history of Middle-earth. His son Christopher organized, edited, and sometimes selected material from those papers to create The Silmarillion. The book presents stories beginning with the creation of the world and continuing through the First Age.
Unlike The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings, The Silmarillion was not published as a completed novel by Tolkien during his lifetime. Its posthumous editorial history explains differences in style, structure, and level of completion across its sections.
The book includes the creation account “Ainulindalë,” the tale of the Valar, and narratives involving figures such as Fëanor, Beren, and Lúthien. It is often mistaken for a straightforward sequel, but it is better understood as a mythological history of Tolkien’s invented world.