Who edited J.R.R. Tolkien’s posthumous book The Silmarillion for publication?

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

The Silmarillion was published in 1977, four years after Tolkien’s death. Christopher Tolkien worked through a large and often contradictory body of manuscripts, notes, drafts, and revisions to create a coherent published text. He received assistance from the fantasy writer Guy Gavriel Kay during the editorial process.

The book presents the mythology and early history of Tolkien’s world, beginning with creation and continuing through the First Age. It includes the Valaquenta, the Quenta Silmarillion, the Akallabêth, and “Of the Rings of Power and the Third Age.” The title story concerns the three Silmarils and the wars surrounding them.

Christopher Tolkien did not simply discover a finished manuscript waiting for print. He made editorial choices among many versions, which is why later publications such as The History of Middle-earth are valuable for comparing Tolkien’s changing ideas.