J.R.R. Tolkien's mythology of Middle-earth tells of the world's creation, the theft of the Silmarils, and the wars against Morgoth that preceded the Lord of the Rings by thousands of years. Tolkien worked on this material throughout his life, never completing a final version before his death in 1973. His son Christopher edited the manuscripts into this coherent narrative. The book begins with the Ainulindale, a creation myth in which the world is sung into being, then proceeds through the awakening of Elves and their journey to the Blessed Realm, the making of the Silmarils by Feanor, and Morgoth's theft of those jewels that sets in motion the wars of the First Age. The narrative follows multiple threads: the doomed love of Beren and Luthien, the tragedy of Turin Turambar, the founding and fall of hidden kingdoms. Tolkien drew on Norse, Finnish, and Celtic mythology while creating something distinctively his own. The prose style is deliberately archaic, evoking medieval chronicle and saga. The Silmarillion provides essential background for understanding the Lord of the Rings--the rings of power themselves are a footnote in this larger history. Readers seeking the intimate characterization of the novels will find instead a sweeping epic that rewards those willing to engage its demanding grandeur.