This is a new hardback edition with a cover design by Tolkien himself tocomplement the popular Hobbit and Lord of the Rings hardbacks. It includesnew preface by... » 

This is a new hardback edition with a cover design by Tolkien himself tocomplement the popular Hobbit and Lord of the Rings hardbacks. It includesnew preface by J.R.R. Tolkien unique to this edition. The Silmarillion is anaccount of the Elder Days of the First Age of Tolkiens World. It is theancient drama to which the characters in The Lord of the Rings look back andin whose events some of them such as Elrond and Galadriel took part. The talesof The Silmarillion are set in an age when Morgoth the first Dark Lorddwelt in MiddleEarth and the High Elves made war upon him for the recovery ofthe Silmarils the jewels containing the pure light of Valinor. Included in thebook are several shorter works. The Ainulindale is a myth of the Creation andin the Valaquenta the nature and powers of each of the gods is described.The Akallabeth recounts the downfall of the great island kingdom of Numenorat the end of the Second Age and Of the Rings of Power tells of the greatevents at the end of the Third Age as narrated in The Lord of the Rings. «