The Silmarillion: Illustrated by J.R.R. Tolkien (Tolkien Editions) (Tolkien Illustrated Editions) Hardcover – Illustrated, November 8, 2022

I received this book, in addition to The Hobbit and Lord of the Rings from the same series, as a gift from my wife for my birthday. It is a lovely book. The binding is sewn rather than glued, the paper is nice and thick and vibrant white, the printing quality is sharp and nice deep blues and blacks - it is printed in two colors - and there are a number of illustrated plates made by Tolkien himself throughout. Many of these are rough or unfinished, but it's still nice to see how the author visualized the things he was writing about. The Elvish edge painting of the pages looks very nice relative to the color scheme, and the book is very handsome, either with or without its dust jacket. The book also has a ribbon marker, which I quite liked...although it could have been a little thicker (although that is a very minor nitpick.)As for the book itself? Well, this one is pretty polarizing. People tend to either love it or think it overly dry and academic. It is not written in the narrative style of The Hobbit, or even Lord of the Rings. It's more of a historical summary in many sections, or ancient mythology in others, and is often written in a somewhat high style of English, akin to old mythological works (which Tolkien is clearly emulating - and quite successfully at that.)If I had to pigeonhole this book, I'd say it falls somewhere between The Bible / Beowulf and a history book (think Ancient Roman historians or the like). It covers Ainulindalë, the creation myth of Tolkien's Middle-Earth/Arda, and the early days spent in the light of the Two Trees of Valinor (the Middle-Earth conception of Paradise), the coming of the Elves (the firstborn) and then Men (the followers), plus the history of the eponymous Silmarils (three magical jewels - think of them as the First Age version of the One Ring and you'll get the idea) and the ensuing wars of the First Age that were fought over them between the Elves and the Big Bad, who in this book is Morgoth (think of him as Sauron's old boss, a more powerful and meaner version of the Dark Lord). For context in terms of the timeline of Tolkien's mythology - the First Age of Middle-Earth takes place some 7,000 years before the events of Lord of the Rings. The latter portions of the book also discuss the Second Age and the rise and fall of the Dúnedain of the island kingdom of Númenor, the Kings of Men of whom Aragorn, Faramir and Boromir are descendants. This is Tolkien's Middle-Earth version of the Atlantis myth. Some additional topics concerning the creation of the Rings of Power and their effect on the events of the the late Second & Third Ages are covered as well in the final section.With regards to this specific edition, this is in most ways nearly identical to the much more expensive slipcase edition. The printing, paper, and plates are identical. The maps in this version are smaller than in the slipcase edition, but are still quite nice (there are two maps, folded and fitted behind the front and back covers, and they are loose in both editions.) This edition is not quarterbound, and the hardcover is wrapped in paper rather than cloth - which can mean your hand oils could discolor it over time. However, it is worth mentioning that the slipcase edition has some notable QC issues. There are many reports of the silver embossed stamped foil text on the spine rubbing off quickly and easily, even after sparing and careful use. In my opinion, part of the point of getting books like this is to keep them for the long haul. If they're going to degrade in such a basic way, that defeats the purpose, as far as I am concerned. To me this makes this somewhat less expensive edition preferable - and one that is still likely to last for many years given the quality of its construction.Will you like this book? I think the only real way to answer that is to pick it up and give it a try. You will know after a few chapters if it's for you. I personally love it, and read it every couple of years. I consider it to be a treasure trove of lore and world-building that greatly enriches the world that underpins his more famous books, The Hobbit and Lord of the Rings. You will find much information here that is only hinted at or referred to in passing in those books, which will add depth and significance to those references in future readings. As I said, it's written in an older style of English, and some may consider it a tough read. If you stick with it though, it can be incredibly rewarding. There are some fantastic stories in here; love stories, tragic antiheroes, mythical battles, acts of heroism, valor, betrayal and evil.For those that are familiar with the book already, this is an excellent edition, and one that I can happily recommend. I am very glad to have these; I find that they are good for reading, but also look great on my shelf. This would make an excellent gift for the Tolkien enthusiast in your house. You can get this, plus the matching editions of the Hobbit and Lord of the Rings together for a reasonable price here on Amazon. Any fan of Middle-earth is sure to love these!

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.