The Silmarillion

Tolkien, J.R.R.; Tolkien, Christopher (ed.)

ISBN 10: 0395257301 / ISBN 13: 9780395257302

Published by Hougton Mifflin Company, Boston, 1977

First American edition, first printing. Green cloth boards with silver title and gilt decorative emblems to spine. Inc. fold-out map to back. Dust jacket has shelf wear inc. small closed tears and chips as well as discoloration. Top text block stained red. Light foxing to outer edges of text block but contents remain clean and bright. A really lovely copy. Jacket now protected in proprietary removable plastic sleeve. OVERSEAS ORDERS MAY INCUR EXTRA SHIPPING. Seller Inventory # 118892

Synopsis:

The Silmarillion is a collection of J. R. R. Tolkien's mythopoeic works, edited and published posthumously by his son Christopher Tolkien in 1977, with assistance from Guy Gavriel Kay, who later became a noted fantasy writer. The Silmarillion, along with J. R. R. Tolkien's other works, forms a comprehensive, yet incomplete, narrative that describes the universe of Middle-earth within which The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings take place. After the success of The Hobbit, and prior to the publication of The Lord of the Rings, Tolkien's publisher requested a sequel to The Hobbit, and Tolkien sent them an early draft of The Silmarillion. But through a misunderstanding, the publisher rejected the draft without fully reading it, with the result that Tolkien began work on "A Long Expected Party", the first chapter of what he described at the time as "a new story about Hobbits", which became The Lord of the Rings. The Silmarillion comprises five parts.

Review: The Silmarillion is J.R.R. Tolkien's tragic, operatic history of the First Age of Middle-Earth, essential background material for serious readers of the classic Lord of the Rings saga. Tolkien's work sets the standard for fantasy, and this audio version of the "Bible of Middle-Earth" does The Silmarillion justice. Martin Shaw's reading is grave and resonant, conveying all the powerful events and emotions that shaped elven and human history long before Bilbo, Frodo, Gandalf and all the rest embarked on their quests. Beginning with the Music of the Ainur, The Silmarillion tells a tale of the Elder Days, when Elves and Men became estranged by the Dark Lord Morgoth's lust for the Silmarils, pure and powerful magic jewels. Even the love between a human warrior and the daughter of the Elven king cannot defeat Morgoth, but the War of Wrath finally brings down the Dark Lord. Peace reigns until the evil Sauron recovers the Rings of Power and sets the stage for the events told in the Lord of the Rings. This is epic fantasy at its finest, thrillingly read and gloriously unabridged. (Running time: 14 hours, 6 CDs)

Bibliographic Details

Title: The Silmarillion
Publisher: Hougton Mifflin Company, Boston
Publication Date: 1977
Binding: Hardcover
Condition: Very Good
Dust Jacket Condition: Good
Edition: 1st Edition