{"product_id":"the-silmarillion-illustrated-by-the-author-illustrated-by-j-r-r-tolkien","title":"The Silmarillion Illustrated by the Author: Illustrated by J.R.R. Tolkien","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eExperience Middle-earth like never before in this special edition of the forerunner to \u003ci\u003eThe Lord of the Rings\u003c\/i\u003e, illustrated throughout in color by J.R.R. Tolkien himself. \u003ci\u003eThe Silmarillion\u003c\/i\u003e is a doorway to the history, mythology, key characters, and defining tales of the early ages of Middle-earth—an essential volume for any Tolkien reader eager for a deeper journey.\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe Silmarilli were three perfect jewels, fashioned by Fëanor, most gifted of the Elves, and within them was imprisoned the last Light of the Two Trees of Valinor. But the first Dark Lord, Morgoth, stole the jewels and set them within his iron crown, guarded in the impenetrable fortress of Angband in the north of Middle-earth.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThis high fantasy saga is the history of the rebellion of Fëanor and his kindred against the gods, their exile from Valinor and return to Middle-earth, and their war, hopeless despite all the heroism, against the great Enemy. \u003ci\u003eThe Silmarillion\u003c\/i\u003e is the ancient drama to which the characters in \u003ci\u003eThe Lord of the Rings\u003c\/i\u003e look back, and in whose events some of them such as Elrond and Galadriel took part.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe book also includes several shorter works that expand on Tolkien's world-building: the \u003ci\u003eAinulindalë\u003c\/i\u003e, a myth of the Creation, and the \u003ci\u003eValaquenta\u003c\/i\u003e, in which the nature and powers of each of the gods is described. The \u003ci\u003eAkallabêth\u003c\/i\u003e recounts the downfall of the great island kingdom of Númenor at the end of the Second Age, and \u003ci\u003eOf the Rings of Power\u003c\/i\u003e tells of the great events at the end of the Third Age, as narrated in \u003ci\u003eThe Lord of the Rings.\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eTolkien could not publish \u003ci\u003eThe Silmarillion\u003c\/i\u003e in his lifetime, as it grew with him, so he would leave it to his son, Christopher Tolkien, to edit the work from many manuscripts and bring his father’s great vision to publishable form, so completing this epic fantasy masterpiece and the literary achievement of a lifetime. This special edition presents anew this seminal first step towards mapping out the posthumous publishing of Middle-earth, and the beginning of an illustrious forty years and more than twenty books celebrating his father’s legacy.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThis definitive new edition includes, by way of an introduction, a letter written by Tolkien in 1951 which provides a brilliant exposition of the earlier Ages, and for the first time in its history is presented with Tolkien’s own paintings and drawings, which reveal the breathtaking grandeur and beauty of his vision of the First Age of Middle-earth, the foundation of his complete legendarium.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThis foundational history of the Elder Days is the bedrock of Tolkien’s entire legendarium, featuring:\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cb\u003eThe Music of Creation:\u003c\/b\u003e From the Music of the Ainur that sang the world into being to the forging of the Silmarils—three perfect jewels that held the last Light of the Two Trees of Valinor.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cb\u003eThe First Dark Lord:\u003c\/b\u003e Witness the rise of Morgoth, the great Enemy, and his theft of the Silmarils, setting in motion a hopeless, heroic war that defines an age for all of Middle-earth.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cb\u003eThe Exile of the Noldor:\u003c\/b\u003e Discover the history of Fëanor’s rebellion and the flight of the Elves from Valinor, an ancient drama that characters like Elrond and Galadriel look back on with sorrow.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cb\u003eIllustrations by the Author:\u003c\/b\u003e For the first time in its history, experience Tolkien’s vision in his own breathtaking paintings and drawings, revealing the grandeur and beauty of the First Age.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cb\u003eLost Tales of the Elder Days:\u003c\/b\u003e Explore shorter works covering the myth of Creation, the nature of the gods, the catastrophic downfall of the island kingdom of Númenor, and the history of the Rings of Power.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e","brand":"J. R. Tolkien","offers":[{"title":"Hardcover","offer_id":53149541695779,"sku":"9780063280779","price":52.5,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0930\/2258\/5123\/files\/9780063280779.jpg?v=1741146102","url":"https:\/\/epicreads.com\/products\/the-silmarillion-illustrated-by-the-author-illustrated-by-j-r-r-tolkien","provider":"Epic Reads","version":"1.0","type":"link"}