The Silmarillion, 1st Edition [Hardcover]

J. R. R.; Tolkien, Christopher (editor) Tolkien (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: 1977

1st edition hardcover,great book!!!!

Product Details

• Hardcover: 365 pages
• Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Company; 1st edition (1977)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1131665457
• ISBN-13: 978-1131665450
• ASIN: B000Q0UMB6
• Product Dimensions: 8.8 x 6.2 x 1.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.6 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #227,096 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An incredible story, August 15, 2011

By 

Enjolras (Springfield, MA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Silmarillion, 1st Edition (Hardcover)

The Silmarillion is a compilation of Tolkien's mythology of Middle-Earth. Tolkien had worked on this mythology for much of his life, long before he even considered writing the Hobbit and Lord of the Rings. Many readers get turned off from the Silmarillion because of Tolkien's archaic style and the sheer number of names. My advice is not to worry about all of the names the first time you read through. Just try to remember a few of the main characters. There is a helpful appendix in the back of the book with the names of all of the characters and places. Moreover, Prof. Corey Olsen has a podcast on iTunes that explains the Silmarillion, which is worth listening to if you really want to appreciate the book.

But make no mistake - the effort you put in will pay off. First, it will it enhance your understanding of the Hobbit and Lord of the Rings trilogy, as the Silmarillion stories form the history for those novels. The Silmarillion goes from the creation of the universe right up to the war of the rings. In the First Age of the world, Men and Elves battle an evil lord that make Sauron look like a clown. Some of the stories, such as the defection of Feanor and the Noldor Elves, are stunning in their emotional power. It's some of the most gripping fantasy fiction ever. My one regret is that Tolkien didn't live long enough to publish this work himself.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Requires repeated reading, January 20, 2010

By 

bernie "webviator" (Arlington, Texas) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (COMMUNITY FORUM 04)    (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)   

This review is from: The Silmarillion, 1st Edition (Hardcover)

This collection of loose knit tales of the history of Middle Earth and those beings that lived there. We learn many previously unknown things as what different names such as the meanings of beings and places. This helps add a dimension to the stories that take place in Middle Earth.

It would help to read Lord of the Rings first as it give us a synopsis of the lay of the land and the beings that live/lived there. Then we can read the Silmarillion to get an in-depth history as to where their history; relationships are better understood.

Much of "The Silmarillion" can be absorbed in small bits. Then we can sit back and contemplate how it could have been.

One does not just cut through any cultural history book for light reading and just shelving it. This is a cultural history book and will require rereading.

When the characters in "The Lord of the Rings" talk about "the war", I can refer to which one they are talking about after reading about that particular war in detail. Or are they just referring to one of the many orc skirmishes.

You do not have to be a Tolkien fan to find interest in this collection.

Unfinished Tales of Numenor and Middle-Earth

3 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars his best, November 18, 2010

By 

king wolf (Jotunheim) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Silmarillion, 1st Edition (Hardcover)

What makes Tolkien great is that he understands that modernity is a lie; that there was a better world inside of man long ago, and if there wasn't, well then there should have been.

It is this that gives his books their haunting, mystic quality.

But where Lord of the Rings has a little too much of children's literature in it, this one - despite the presence of "elves" and such - is for grownups alone. Its intellectual level, and the quality and density of the prose, are too high for children. And for dummies, or the spiritually bankrupt. This is Tolkien's best and most elite statement, a true classic of 20th century literature.

I'll pay this book the best compliment I know and say that it is the single best Lord Dunsany imitation I have ever seen, but it is also much more than that. Tolkien's prose soars to the majestic heights that his inventions warrant. Nothing against his other books, but many elements of them are a matter of taste whereas the greatness of the Silmarillion cannot be seriously denied by anyone with a brain or a soul. Not to be missed.