The Silmarillion

The Silmarillion is a collection of J.R.R. Tolkien’s interconnected narratives, edited by Christopher Tolkien and published in 1977. It begins with the creation of Tolkien’s imagined world and gives particular attention to the Silmarils, the struggles of Elves and Men, and the long conflict with Morgoth. Its elevated, compressed narrative differs from the closer viewpoint of The Hobbit. Oaths, pride, loyalty, and the preservation of beauty drive events across generations, while tales such as Beren and Lúthien give individual lives a place within the larger history. The collection supplies much of the ancient background remembered in The Lord of the Rings.