The Silmarillion Paperback – 1 July 2013

I for one am fond of the dated, courtly prose that graces the pages of "The Lord of the Rings", the three books of which I read in a week flat. Coming across online discussions by fans of Tolkien's works, I gathered that "The Silmarillion" was a tough read, or at least not so thrilling in its prose as "The Hobbit" and "The Lord of the Rings". Allured by such prose as I am, I bought this book and commenced reading it in order to challenge my comprehension; not so much to learn about the history of Arda. And I found myself reading six chapters daily (the first day involved reading Ainulindalë, Valaquenta and following six chapters). In this way, I finished the book in five days (24 chapters and subsequent additions).It would be an understatement to say that I was enthralled. The prose was to me delightful beyond measure, but the story itself is so gripping and descriptions therein so vivid, that I found myself liking the book more than the Lord of the Rings. I would recommend that this be read by every Tolkien fan. This book is but one of the many testimonies to the tall stature of J.R.R. Tolkien in the literary sphere, but given how vital to his universe it is, I would regard it as more important in terms of content than The Lord of the Rings.

The contents of the book is really great. You would be able to learn a great deal of the history of middle earth and aman that is all of arda, as it tells the story from the begining. You would be able to understand the origins of a lot of your favourite lotr characters such as galdriel, elrond, gandalf and many more. But the book is very concise and as a result its pace is really fast. You may have a bit of a problem to keep up as a lot happens within just a few pages.(Now about the product, the book came in good condition, but could have been better, as the prints on each page is almost near the margins.)

This review is not for the content but the quality which it came in. It has a slight torn on the cover but I didn’t want to go through the process of exchanging so I kept it. The font size is perfect although it has little space on the margins. Pretty okay for a mass market paperback and I waited for the price to drop and got it for ₹332 else it seems pricey for a paperback

I wanted to get a copy of the Silmarillion in the "illustrated by the author edition" to compliment my LOTR edition, but I had put it on the back burner for quite a while given the price range. However I have managed to find a copy of it for a relatively cheap price (2,200 rupees) I honestly did not expect it to be legitimate as I've seen the same edition being sold by a different seller for about 6,000 rupees, but I was wrong. The book comes with two maps, and many illustrations penned by the genius of it's author, J.R.R Tolkien. It also is a hardback as I'm sure you all can tell and it has a dust jacket of quite decent quality, in fact I found it more durable than the one for LOTR. This is definitely a great purchase which I recommend to any other book collecter.

Giving 5 stars for the excellent quality. The book was delivered undamaged.Now talking about the contents, it is a must-read for any Tolkien fan as it basically conveys the beginning of everything in the fantasy land of Arda. The reader gets a thorough knowledge of the Elder days and the available contents of the Second Age (Forging of Rings and Downfall of Numenor). This way, along with LOTR Appendices, 'The Silmarillion' will prepare you to enjoy the Amazon show 'Rings of Power' as you will be more acquainted with the story and characters and their pasts (provided they will not ruin the plot).This is my First purchased Hardcover edition of any Tolkien work and I am not regretting it. The page quality is excellent and durable. For 'The Silmarillion' one must go for the illustrated hardcover edition as the illustrations will be handy and make one immerse in the Elder days (there are no shows or otherwise describing them).The language of the book is quite high as compared to other works (The Hobbit or LOTR) but once you are acquainted with the main characters and storyline the reading goes on.Happy reading.

That's what I'm talking about! That's why it's the MVP! That's why it's the GOAT! The GOAT!

If you are a Tolkien fan and you haven't read The Silmarillion yet then you need to do so right away.Reading this book is almost a religious experience and I am not particularly religious to begin with. I will admit that this is not an easy read, I think that's because people try to read it like they read the Lord of the Rings trilogy or even the Hobbit but you can't read it that way. If you try to then you will give up on reading it. I should know. I did that twice. The third time was the lucky charm for me, though. I don't need to give you guys the rundown of how Tolkien works. He gave us an entire universe to work with in the truest sense possible. The level of detail he put in, the sheer amount of work he did on the legendarium is absolutely astonishing.In the Silmarillion, he gives us the things that were before all the things in LOTR and The Hobbit happened. He gave us everything that happened, from the very start to the point where it properly coincides with the events in the trilogy. If you finish this book then you would have a better understanding of a lot things that seemed odd in the other books of Arda. Why elves were the way they were towards the dwarrows and why Sauron ended up the way he did. It's absolutely fascinating and almost enchanting. His magic with the language and his mastery of details is what makes this book an absolute 'must-have'.

Muy contento con el libro, llegó rapido y en perfectas condiciones.

This is a review of the editions, with an image, not the text itself. If I'm wrong about anything let me know and I'll correct it.1998 edition:Cover: “Maglor casts a Silmaril …” (male throwing white gem against red background)18 illustrations by Ted NasmithReadable, nice, can be found around $20-$30 used. Crazy that this edition is almost 35 years old.Art:1. The Sea2. The Lamp of the Valar3. At Lake Cuiviénen4. The Light of Valinor on the Western Sea5. Fingolfin Leads the Host across the Helcaraxe6. The First Dawn of the Sun7. Maedhros's Rescue from Thangorodrim8. Eöl Welcomes Aredhel9. Felagund among Beor's Men10. By Moonlight in Neldoreth Forest11. Lúthien Escapes upon Huan12. Morgoth Punishes Húrin13. Túrin and his Band are Led to Amon Radh14. Finduilas is Led past Túrin at the Sack of Nargothrond15. Ulmo Appears before Tor16. Eärendil the Mariner17. The Eagles of Manwe18. The Ships of the FaithfulFront over: Maglor Casts a Silmaril into the SeaBack cover: Beren and Luthien are carried to Safety2004 edition:Cover: “White Ships of Valinor” (white boats sailing in fair weather, island in background)45 illustrations by Ted NasmithGlossy paper, which can be a positive or negative I guessCan be found around $25 new, which is a DEAL. This is mine for reading without fear of damaging a collector’s item.Art:1. The Sea2. The Lamp of the Valar3. Aule Prepares to Destroy His Children4. At Lake Cuiviénen5. The Light of Valinor on the Western Sea6. The Ships of the Teleri Drawn by Swans7. The Kinslaying at Alqualonde8. Fingolfin Leads the Host across the Helcaraxe9. The First Dawn of the Sun10. The Burning of the Ships11. Maedhros' Rescue from Thangorodrim12. The Gates of Sirion13. Eöl Welcomes Aredhel14. Eöl is Led to the Walls15. Felagund among Beor's Men16. Fingolfin's Wrath17. The Orc-Host is Ambushed in Brethil18. Tarn Aeluin19. By Moonlight in Neldoreth Forest20. Lúthien Escapes upon Huan21. Transformed22. Beren and Lúthien are Carried to Safety23. Huan's Leap24. Morgoth Punishes Húrin25. The Hill of Slain26. Saeros' Fatal Leap27. Túrin and his Band are Led to Amon Rûdh28. Beleg is Slain29. Túrin Bears Gwindor to Safety30. Finduilas is Led past Túrin at the Sack of Nargothrond31. Túrin Reaches the Abandoned Homestead32. Up the Rainy Stair33. Húrin Finds Morwen34. Tuor Follows the Swans to Vinyamar35. Ulmo Appears before Tuor36. Tuor and Voronwe see Turin at the Pools of Ivrin37. The Escape from Gondolin38. Maglor Casts a Silmaril into the Sea39. Earendil the Mariner40. White Ships from Valinor41. The Eagles of Manwe42. Tar-Miriel and the Great Wave43. The Ships of the Faithful44. The Forging of the One45. The White Tree2021 edition:Cover: “Ships of the Faithful” ship sailing amidst storm/red sky49 illustrations by Ted NasmithCan be found closer to $40Regular flat paper, not glossy. More standard book-shaped, whereas the 2004 version is more square, like a coffee table book. Mine was used and did NOT include a fold-out map, but the colorized Christopher Tolkien Beleriand map is in the front plate and endplate (inside the cover, both ends).Art:1. The Sea2. The Lamp of the Valar3. Aule Prepares to Destroy His Children4. At Lake Cuiviénen5. The Light of Valinor on the Western Sea6. The Ships of the Teleri Drawn by Swans7. The Kinslaying at Alqualonde8. Fingolfin Leads the Host across the Helcaraxe9. The First Dawn of the Sun10. The Burning of the Ships11. Maedhros' Rescue from Thangorodrim12. The Gates of Sirion13. Eöl Welcomes Aredhel14. Eöl is Led to the Walls15. Felagund among Beor's Men16. Fingolfin's Wrath17. Turgon at Fingolfin's Cairn18. The Orc-Host is Ambushed in Brethil19. At Tarn Aeluin20. By Moonlight in Neldoreth Forest21. Lúthien Escapes upon Huan22. Transformed23. Beren and Lúthien are Carried to Safety24. Huan's Leap25. Lúthien at Tol Galen26. Morgoth Punishes Húrin27. The Hill of Slain28. Saeros' Fatal Leap29. Túrin and his Band are Led to Amon Rûdh30. Beleg is Slain31. Túrin Bears Gwindor to Safety32. Finduilas is Led past Túrin at the Sack of Nargothrond33. Túrin Reaches the Abandoned Homestead34. Up the Rainy Stair35. The Slaying of Glaurung36. Húrin Finds Morwen37. Tuor Follows the Swans to Vinyamar38. Ulmo Appears before Tuor39. Tuor and Voronwe see Türin at the Pools of Ivrin40. The Escape from Gondolin41. Eärendil Searches Tirion42. Maglor Casts a Silmaril into the Sea43. Eärendil the Mariner44. White Ships from Valinor45. The Eagles of Manwe46. Tar-Miriel and the Great Wave47. The Ships of the Faithful48. The Forging of the One49. The White Tree2022 edition:Blue cover with circular design59 illustrations by Tolkien himself – BUT more than half of these are “devices,” neat little square symbols at the start of a chapter and so on—not big full color paintings or drawings.Around $40. Be aware, Tolkien’s artwork consists more of drawings and sketches with limited color. They are not the epic Ted Nasmith paintings you see in others. If you value his quaint older sketches, these are great. Personally, Nasmith’s objectively better work is more inspiring and helps me engage in the story. Tolkien is a GREAT writer, and a pretty good artist. Nasmith is a GREAT artist.I like them all. If I was only going to get one, I’d get the 2004 version because you get a ton of great Nasmith artwork for an insanely cheap twenty-five bucks (today). Tolkien’s own art is neat, but if you want to be encouraged through a dense book, Nasmith’s art helps pull you in and pull you along.

The Silmarillion is a timeless masterpiece that transports readers to a world of myth, magic, and epic storytelling.Crafted by the legendary J.R.R. Tolkien, The Silmarillion is a work of unparalleled depth and imagination. From the creation of the universe to the struggles of heroes and villains across countless ages, Tolkien weaves together a tapestry of interconnected tales that span the history of Middle-earth.What sets The Silmarillion apart is its richly detailed lore and captivating storytelling. Each chapter offers a glimpse into a different era or aspect of Tolkien's vast mythology, from the epic battles of the First Age to the tragic romance of Beren and Lúthien. The prose is poetic and evocative, painting vivid images of a world filled with wonder and danger.One of the standout features of The Silmarillion is its exploration of themes such as fate, free will, and the nature of evil. Through the struggles of its characters, Tolkien delves into complex moral and philosophical questions, inviting readers to ponder the deeper meanings behind the tales.In terms of quality, The Silmarillion is a work of unparalleled craftsmanship. The prose is elegant and lyrical, and the world-building is meticulous and immersive. Whether you're a longtime fan of Tolkien's work or new to his mythology, The Silmarillion offers a rich and rewarding reading experience that is sure to leave a lasting impression.Furthermore, I was impressed by the fast delivery time and overall great service provided by the seller. The book arrived promptly and in perfect condition, allowing me to dive into Tolkien's world without delay.The Silmarillion is a masterpiece of fantasy literature that deserves a place on the bookshelf of every reader. Its timeless tales of heroism, sacrifice, and redemption continue to inspire and captivate audiences around the world, making it a must-read for fans of epic storytelling everywhere.

I love the art

It looks good but there are some parts that are a bit damaged, probably because of the transit but maybe the seller could use some better packaging to not let that happen