The Silmarillion was published posthumously in 1977 under the editorial supervision of Christopher Tolkien.
J.R.R. Tolkien died in 1973, leaving a large and complex body of mythology in many versions, notes, and unfinished drafts. Christopher Tolkien organized this material into a publishable book, working with the writer Guy Gavriel Kay. The result appeared four years after Tolkien’s death.
The Silmarillion presents the creation of Tolkien’s world, the history of the Valar and Elves, and major tales from the First Age. Its central sections include the history of the Silmarils, the downfall of Númenor, and the events leading toward the later history of Middle-earth.
Unlike The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings, the book is not a single conventional novel. It combines mythic narrative, chronicle, genealogy, and shorter forms. Christopher later published more versions and source materials to show how Tolkien’s ideas changed over time.