The Silmarillion: Illustrated by J.R.R. Tolkien (Tolkien Editions)

The "Tolkien illustrated editions" are editions that incorporate J.R.R. Tolkien's own illustrations and drawings. If what you're looking for is a big, fancy book with professionally-painted illustrations throughout, then what you're looking for is probably the 2004 hardcover edition with illustrations by Ted Nasmith, a fantastic edition on its own merits. However, this edition will probably be of more interest to those hardcore Tolkien enthusiasts who are more interested in J.R.R. Tolkien's creative process than they are in having illustrations for the sake of having illustrations... so, your mileage may vary on that. As to the quality of this hardcover edition, it's fantastic. Aesthetically pleasing as a tome on one's shelf, and particularly nice-looking when set beside the matching Tolkien Illustrated "Lord of the Rings" and "Hobbit," this edition is both a fantastic collector's book and a fantastic way to READ the book. And as a bonus, it comes with two printed color maps of the Beleriand region of Middle-earth: one that is more fully colored and the other which is a simple "parchment brown." This is a step up from the maps included with the similar edition of The Lord of the Rings, which while they incorporate red text are otherwise merely black-and-white. The maps are still small-size print-outs on otherwise ordinary paper, however, so treat them with care. It should be stated that "The Silmarillion" is not a book to dive into lightly and is best approached by one who has already developed a strong interest in Middle-earth's history through "The Lord of the Rings," or else by a fantasy-literature veteran with a number of relatively dense novels under their belt. While not especially long, it is not written or structured as a traditional fantasy novel would be, but rather as a mythological history—reading "The Silmarillion" is a bit like reading translations of old mythology, or like reading the Bible (except for the long portions of the Bible dedicated to laying down religious law, of course). Rather than telling just one ongoing narrative as "The Hobbit" and "The Lord of the Rings" do, it lays out the history of Arda, Tolkien's world, from creation up to and including the background lore for the events before and (somewhat) during The Lord of the Rings, with different parts of the book being more or less detailed than others—many portions of the story being told in a distant historical/mythological mode rather than the scene-by-scene, in-the-character's-head mode novels favor. It is best to view "The Silmarillion" as Tolkien intended it to be viewed, as his narrative-framing conceit for all of his Middle-earth writings characterized them: as translated and assembled documents of the long-past history of Middle-earth itself. Indeed, because of the way "The Silmarillion" was posthumously assembled and edited together by Tolkien's son Christopher from the disparate parts and pieces of evolving, unfinished work he left behind, that characterization bears a kind of incidental authenticity in the structure and styles within the book itself. If "The Lord of the Rings" is a classic trailblazer of fantasy literature, then "The Silmarillion" is the gateway that separates Lord of the Rings fans from "Tolkien scholars..." those dedicated fans of Middle-earth who enjoy delving into all of the writings Tolkien left behind to glean as much as they can about his world beyond what is merely included in the main three books.

J.R.R. Tolkien worked on the tales which eventually became known as The Silmarillion for most of his life, beginning as a young schoolboy in the early 1900s and continuing through his years as a student at Oxford, his wartime service, and his long career as a scholar and professor. The Silmarillion is a prologue of sorts to Tolkien's better known books The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings, both of which contain numerous references to characters and events found therein. Tolkien never finished working on The Silmarillion, and after his death in 1973 his youngest son Christopher took on the task of editing and preparing the work for publication in 1977. The Silmarillion's appearance in print was a joyous moment in the lives of everyone who had fallen in love with Tolkien's world, and it continues to amaze and delight new readers. To summarize the plot briefly, The Silmarillion is the history of the creation of the three magnificent gems called the Silmarils or Silmarilli by Feanor, greatest of all the Elves. Morgoth, the Great Enemy, stole the Silmarils, and Feanor and his fellow Elves waged a long and destructive war to regain them. That's an extremely brief recapitulation of a tale that involves hundreds of characters and many, many, chapters in the finished work. Besides The Silmarillion itself the book also contains the Ainulindalie or Creation Story, the Valaquenta, detailing the history of the Valar, the Akallabeth on the history of Numenor in the Second Age, and Of The Rings Of Power And The Third Age, a summation of the later years of Middle-earth and the fall of Morgoth's chief servant Sauron. This edition of The Silmarillion is absolutely beautiful. It is elegantly produced with sewn bindings, a ribbon bookmark, runic writing on the foredge, and magnificent designs on the cover. The dust jacket is beautifully detailed as well. But the greatest treasure of this edition are the illustrations by Tolkien himself. Tolkien was a talented artist who created many illustrations and drawings throughout his life. This edition contains many of these designs, heading each chapter and including several full page paintings. Not all of them have direct relationships with the text of The Silmarillion, but all of them enhance the beauty of the book. There are also two maps of Beleriand included (but not attached to) with the book. A foreword written by Christopher Tolkien for the original 1977 edition is included, along with a preface to the Second Edition written later, an excerpt from a lengthy letter by J.R.R. Tolkien providing a synopsis of his creation, and a Note on the Illustrations by the notable Tolkien scholars Wayne Hammond and Christina Scull. This sumptuous edition of The Silmarillion will give pleasure to its readers for many years. It is worthy of being shelved in a library in Rivendell, Minas Tirith, Lothlorien, or even Bag End, and, frankly, it is worthy of its author.

This is such a beautiful book with gorgeous art. This is really something you should own as a Tolkien fan!

A treasure for every fan of Tolkien

Urun zamaninda ve saglam teslim edildi

Ok

High quality book beautifully illustrated and bound.