The first complete version of the silmarillion was the sketch of the mythology written in 1926 later published in volume iv of the history of middleearth. A numberone new york times bestseller when it was originally published, the silmarillion is the core of j. Aug 01, 20 the silmarillion is a collection of mythopoeic works by english writer j. However, tolkien never completed the book of lost tales. The map is attached to the rear of the book and the top of the pages are dyed blue. Tolkien, edited and published posthumously by his son, christopher tolkien, in 1977, with assistance from guy gavriel kay. My wife says that im all grown up now and can even drink out of a big glass unless its grape juice then i still have to use a sipper cup, so i ordered the silmarillion and tried again. Within them was imprisoned the light of the two trees of valinor. Tolkien, it is the story of the creation of the world and of the first age, this is the ancient drama to which the. His books have been translated into more than fifty languages and have sold many millions of copies worldwide. Since just comparing the number of unique words in a book does not take its length into account i decided to calculate the percentage of unique words of the whole text. According to information supplied by harpercollins. For the uninitiated, the silmarillion is a history book of tolkiens middleearth, the land in which the hobbit and the lord of the rings take place as well as many other works by. Tolkien the silmarillion is a collection of mythopoeic works by english writer j.
As discussed in previous posts, one of the reasons that people collect first editions is because the author often has a hand in the design of the book, and tolkien is an excellent. The silmarillion hardcover and paperback tolkienbooks. For some reason copying the annotated bibliography to the webpage did not preserve the double spacing or indentation of the second line or the indentation of the annotations themselves. Along the way, the valar and the children of iluvatar battle evil in the form of melkor in order to survive and maintain good in ea.
Tolkien 18921973 is the creator of middleearth and author of such classic and extraordinary works of fiction as the hobbit, the lord of the rings, and the. The silmarillion, simply put, is a tragic book, beautiful, with one flaw that nearly kills it. Tolkiens the fall of gondolin is one of the stories in the book of lost tales which formed the basis for a section in his later work, the silmarillion. I do not intend for it to be complete, but i do try to cite most of the major book length sources available. Tolkien died before he finished revising the various legends, christopher gathered material from his fathers older writings to fill out the book. Tanned pages and age spots, however, this will not interfere with reading. The silmarillion is a book written by j r tolkien who is an. The dresden files is a series of contemporary fantasymystery novels written by american author jim butcher. He mirrors the tone of the book while also adding his considerable voiceacting skills. Tolkien book list because the goal of this blog is to promote learningboth my own and othersi want to make sure that everything is properly cited. The tales of the silmarillion are set in an age when morgoth, the first dark lord, dwelt in middleearth, and the high elves made war upon him for the recovery of the silmarils, the jewels. Is there a definitive edition or printing of the silmarillion.
Is the silmarillion actually a good book or is it one of those things that only big tolkien fantasy fans like. Ballantine, 1979 and the father christmas letters, ed. It is in these lands that the stories of the hobbit and lord of the rings take place. From the publisher this is the first descriptive bibliography of j. I loved the hobbit as a boy, but i couldnt handle the lord of the rings until i got a little older, in my early teens. In origin it precedes even the hobbit, and is the story of the first.
Tolkien worked on it, changed it, and enlarged it throughout. Assumed by many to be a limited edition of 1,000 copies, this is not actually stated in the book. This is somewhat tricky, because there are a lot of characters in the silmarillion, which essentially tells the entire history of middle earth, from its creation through to the events of the lord. Many of lotrs references to past events, which contribute greatly to the. Baillie tolkien houghton mifflin, 1976, a bibliography of tolkiens own.
Tolkien, edited and published posthumously by his son, christopher tolkien, in 1977 with assistance from guy gavriel kay. Because the previous deluxe editions had sold well, the 2002 black deluxe silmarillion had a projected print run of 2,500, though the delivered print run was a little short at 2,329 copies. The silmarillion is the history of the rebellion of feanor and his kindred against the gods, their exile from valinor and return to middleearth, and their war, hopeless despite all their heroism, against the great enemy. Win 1978 gandalf the silmarillion booklength fantasy finalists 1978 hugo, the hobbit, best dramatic presentation 1 1978 locus the silmarillion. Of special interest to chla members is tolkiens oftencited critical essay, on fairy. Tolkien, one of the most popular writers of the 20th century. Tolkien edited by christopher tolkien bca edition 1994 book club associates london cn 47 hardback in dustwrapper cover illustration by john howe. The silmarillion hardcover and paperback the silmarillion 1977 the silmarillion 1978 the silmarillion 1979 the silmarillion 1982. This is why both the silmarillion and the return of the king may appear shorter than expected. A standalone, book length version of the story was published on 30 august 2018.
If this book is over 5 years old, then please expect the pages to be yellowing or to have age spots. Due to the sheer scope and length of the book, the publishers allen and unwin were wary of publication. I remember two decades ago or more, hard to remember now i read the lord of the rings and the hobbit and loved them all. Tolkien which was recently published in the last decade, i wanted to prepare myself by reading the silmarillion where tolkien first introduces the tale of hurin. Tolkien includes detailed chapter summaries and analysis covering 28 chapters, as well as several more indepth sections of expertwritten literary analysis. Jan 09, 2012 i have a version of the the silmarillion which i think is the fourth impression from 1977. Tolkien, it is the story of the creation of the world and of the first age, this is the ancient drama. In origin it precedes even the hobbit, and is the story of the first age of tolkiens middle earth. The best and worst books for tolkien biography luke. To me, the silmarillion is tolkiens truly great book. Tolkien, it is the story of the creation of the world and of the first age, this is the ancient drama to which the characters in the lord of the rings look back and in whose events some of them, such as elrond and galadriel, took part. This ensures that people can go to the source material and see for themselves. His childrens book the hobbit, his epic the lord of the rings, and his last triumph, the silmarillion, have been read by millions and are at the core of modern fantasy fiction.
The silmarillion and millions of other books are available for instant access. The silmarillion, now published four years after the death of its author, is an account of the elder days, or the first age of the world. The silmarillion is a collection of mythopoeic works by english writer j. I do not intend for it to be complete, but i do try to cite most of the major book length. The booklength edition also adds five facsimiles from tolkiens manuscripts as well. This is not a work to be taken lightly, for here we at last uncover the great truths of middleearth, and hear of its creation. Tolkien 18921973 is the creator of middleearth and author of such classic and extraordinary works of fiction as the hobbit, the lord of the rings, and the silmarillion. Tolkiens mythopoeic works, edited and published posthumously by his son christopher tolkien in 1977, with assistance from guy.
Notes the realms of the noldor and the sindar map is not included. If you create a free account and sign in, you will be able to customize what is displayed. The reader who submitted this question has spent time and money collecting the best possible editions he can find of the lord of the rings but is not certain if any effort should be made to collect a specific edition or printing of the silmarillion. Tolkiens silmarillion is the prequel to the lord of the rings trilogy and is an extremely well written novel, with his language painting a vivid picture in the mind of a brand new world with. Viewpoints, audiences, and lost texts in the silmarillion. Compiled from tolkiens works left over after the publication of the silmarillion.
A quest of one year in length uses symbolism of the seasons. A chronological bibliography of books about tolkien. Tolkien edited by christopher tolkien bca edition 1994 book club associates london cn 47 hardback in dustwrapper cover illustration by john howe hammond page ref none. Jul 04, 2018 the silmarillion is a book written by j r tolkien who is an. I love this book, and rank it right up there with real mythologies from the greeks, the bible, etc. The bibliography below is an attempt to list the books that have been published. Tolkiens 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 map of beleriand and the lands to the north appears spread over the final pages. Tolkiens tragic, operatic history of the first age of. Tolkien which was recently published in the last decade, i. A numberone new york times bestseller when it was originally p.
With the exception of the silmarillion houghton mifflin, 1977. Ea, the world that is, is created, and the valar prepare the way for the children of iluvatar. It also contains a slightly shorter version of the tale. I remember two decades ago or more, hard to remember now i read. Baillie tolkien houghton mifflin, 1976, a bibliography of tolkiens own writings can be found in richard wests checklist see below. Hark now to the silmarillion, the bible of tolkiens fantasy world. It shows us the ancient history to which characters in the lord of the rings look back, talk, rhyme and sing about.
Includes identification points for editions, changes in the texts, and essays recounting the editing and publishing process for each book. They worried about whether it would be a commercial success. I have attempted to read the silmarillion before but it was far to dry for my tastes and i would often get lost among all the similar sounding names and the difference between lotr and this in writing style was far to jarring. The book is a collection of narratives which talks about the universe of ea in which different lands exist. As of writing this, there are 6 copies of it there and a waiting list of 2. Is the silmarillion actually a good book or is it one of. The books are written as a firstperson narrative from the perspective of the main character, private investigator and wizard harry dresden, as he recounts investigations into supernatural disturbances in modernday chicago. The three silmarils were jewels created by feanor, most gifted of the elves. Tolkiens imaginative writing, a work whose origins stretch. I somehow contracted african sleeping sickness every time i open the book, so i cast it to the four winds and went out for little league instead. Though he often remarked that he had no talent for drawing, his art has charmed his readers and has been exhibited to large and appreciative audiences.
Sentiment analysis, character mentions and much more of silmarillion, the hobbit and the lord of the. Among the books added to this edition is the art of the hobbit edited by. The spine is likely creased and the cover scuffed or slightly torn. In the lord of the rings were narrated the great events at the end of the third age. The silmarillion is actually tolkiens first book and also his last. The fall of gondolin is one of three stories from the first age of middleearth to be published as a standalone book. As we wrap up our 2018 reading challenge, we decided. Supersummary, a modern alternative to sparknotes and cliffsnotes, offers highquality study guides for challenging works of literature.
The following annotated bibliography is meant to represent an introduction to scholarly criticism of tolkiens work. If youre going to buy any edition of the silmarillion i would get an edition illustrated by ted nasmith. I am mostly interested in acquainting students with the best available sources. Textbooks will typically have an amount of underlining andor highlighting, as well as notes. The first novel, storm front, was published in 2000 by roc books. This is not a work to be taken lightly, for here we at last uncover the great truths of middleearth, and hear of. The silmarillion is an essential book to better understand the occurrences surrounding the children of hurin. The work was finished by the son of tolkien after tolkien initially started it. Mar 30, 2020 the silmarillion is a collection of j. Christopher tolkien 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 morgoths lust for the silmarils, pure and powerful magic. Tolkiens mythopoeic works, edited and published posthumously by his son christopher tolkien in 1977, with assistance from guy gavriel kay.
Eventually, they decided to publish the book, but split it up into six sections. It also stated that it was published in great britain at the university press,cambridge. I have looked on page 330 and there is no full stop after feanor. A descriptive bibliography thorough catalog of all tolkiens published work. Jun 02, 2015 from the publisher this is the first descriptive bibliography of j. Tolkien 18921973, renowned author of the hobbit, the lord of the rings, and the silmarillion, was an artist in pictures as well as in words.
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