Which of J.R.R. Tolkien’s sons edited The Silmarillion for publication?

Christopher Tolkien edited The Silmarillion for publication. The book appeared in 1977, four years after the death of his father, J.R.R. Tolkien.

Christopher had worked closely with his father’s manuscripts and understood the many versions of the legends that eventually formed Tolkien’s mythology. He arranged material from those papers into a publishable account covering creation, the First Age, and the history of the Elves and Men.

His editorial role continued for decades. Christopher published further collections and studies of his father’s writings, including The Unfinished Tales and the multi-volume History of Middle-earth. These works revealed how Tolkien continually revised his invented history and languages.

Christopher was Tolkien’s third son. John Tolkien became a Catholic priest, Michael Tolkien served in education, and Priscilla Tolkien was the family’s youngest child. Simon Tolkien, sometimes confused with Christopher, is Christopher’s son and a writer, not one of J.R.R. Tolkien’s sons.