Who completed the editorial work for Tolkien’s The Silmarillion after his death?

Christopher Tolkien completed the editorial work for The Silmarillion after his father’s death.

J.R.R. Tolkien died in 1973, leaving a large and complex body of unfinished and revised writings about the mythology of Middle-earth. Christopher Tolkien selected, arranged, and edited material from those papers for publication. The Silmarillion appeared in 1977, with Christopher Tolkien serving as editor.

The book presents creation myths, the history of the Elves and the Silmarils, the downfall of Númenor, and events leading toward The Lord of the Rings. Because the source manuscripts varied in form and sometimes contradicted one another, the editorial task required substantial judgment.

Christopher Tolkien later published many additional volumes documenting the development of his father’s legends. He was not the author of the original mythology, but his editorial work made a coherent published version available to readers.