For the first time ever a beautiful slipcased edition of the forerunner to The Lord of the
Rings illustrated throughout in colour by J.R.R. Tolkien himself with the complete text
printed in two colours and with many bonus features unique to this edition. The 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. The Silmarillion 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. It 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. The book also includes several shorter works: the
Ainulindalë a myth of the Creation and the Valaquenta in which the nature and powers of
each of the gods is described. The Akallabêth recounts the downfall of the great island kingdom
of Númenor at the end of the Second Age and Of the Rings of Power tells of the great events at
the end of the Third Age as narrated in The Lord of the Rings . This deluxe slipcased edition
contains the complete text which is printed in two colours and features for the very first
time more than 50 colour paintings illustrations and designs drawn by J.R.R. Tolkien himself
as he composed this epic work. Unique to this edition are two poster-size fold-out maps
revealing all the detail of Beleriand as the tales grew an illustrated booklet featuring 'A
Brief Account of The Silmarillion and its Making' by Christopher Tolkien and a printed art
card reproducing 'Taniquetil'. It is additionally quarterbound with raised ribs on the spine
stamped in three foils on black cloth boards and housed in a custom-built clothbound slipcase.
The pages are edged in silver and include a ribbon marker.
