A new hardback edition with a cover design by Tolkien himself to complement the popular Hobbit and Lord of the Rings hardbacks. Includes new Preface by J.R.R. Tolkien unique to this edition.The Silmarillion is an account of the Elder Days of the First Age of Tolkiens World. 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 tales of The Silmarillion are set in an age when Morgoth the first Dark Lord dwelt in Middle-earth and the High Elves made war upon him for the recovery of the Silmarils the jewels containing the pure light of Valinor.Included in the book are several shorter works. The Ainulindale is a myth of the Creation and in the Valaquenta the nature and powers of each of the gods is described. The Akallabeth recounts the downfall of the great island kingdom of Nuacute;menor 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.