The Silmarillion by J. R. R. Tolkien

Experience Middle-earth like never before in this special edition of the forerunner to The Lord of the Rings, illustrated throughout in color by J.R.R. Tolkien himself. The Silmarillion is a doorway to the history, mythology, key characters, and defining tales of the early ages of Middle-earth—an essential volume for any Tolkien reader eager for a deeper journey.   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 Ringslook back,