Which editor prepared J.R.R. Tolkien’s posthumous book The Silmarillion for publication?

Christopher Tolkien prepared J.R.R. Tolkien’s posthumous book The Silmarillion for publication.

After J.R.R. Tolkien died in 1973, his son Christopher Tolkien edited a large body of unfinished and variant writings into The Silmarillion. The book was published in 1977 by George Allen & Unwin. It presents myths and histories of Arda, including the creation of the world, the rebellion of the Ñoldor, and the wars against Morgoth.

The Silmarillion was not a completed manuscript arranged by Tolkien in its final published form. Christopher had to compare drafts, choose between alternatives, and connect material from different periods of his father’s writing. He also worked with Guy Gavriel Kay during part of the editorial process.

The book is therefore both Tolkien’s mythology and a posthumous editorial construction. Christopher later published additional volumes, including The History of Middle-earth, documenting how the mythology evolved.