The Silmarillion was first published in 1977 as a posthumous account of J.R.R. Tolkien’s Middle-earth mythology.
Christopher Tolkien edited and arranged the book after his father’s death. It gathers stories about the creation of the world, the Valar, the Elves, the wars over the Silmarils, the downfall of Númenor and the history of the Rings of Power.
Unlike The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings, The Silmarillion was not completed and published by Tolkien during his lifetime. Its materials were written and revised across many decades, which explains the book’s compressed style and occasional variations in names or details. Unfinished Tales, published in 1980, is a separate collection of narratives and notes that expands several episodes from Tolkien’s mythology.