The Silmarillion Gift Set

(, Unabridged edition)

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Description

The forerunner to The Lord of the Rings, The Silmarillion fills in the background which lies behind the more popular work, and gives the earlier history of Middle-earth, introducing some of the key characters.
The tales of The Silmarillion are set in an age when Morgoth, the first Dark Lord, dwelt in Middle-Earth, and the High Elves made war upon him for the recovery of the Silmarils, the jewels containing the pure light of Valinor.

Included on the recording are several shorter works. The Ainulindale is a myth of the Creation and in the Valaquenta the nature and powers of each of the gods is described. The Akallabeth recounts the downfall of the great island kingdom of Nmenor at the end of the Second Age and Of the Rings of Power tells of the great events at the end of the Third Age, as narrated in The Lord of the Rings.

Reviews

How, given little over half a century of work, did one man become the creative equivalent of a people
The Guardian

Demanding to be compared with English mythologies at times rises to the greatness of true myth
Financial Times

A creation of singular beauty magnificent in its best moments
Washington Post

A grim, tragic, brooding and beautiful book, shot through with heroism and hope its power is almost that of mysticism
Toronto Globe & Mail

Author Bio

J.R.R.Tolkien (1892-1973) was a distinguished academic, though he is best known for writing The Hobbit, The Lord of the Rings and The Silmarillion, plus other stories and essays. His books have been translated into over 60 languages and have sold many millions of copies worldwide.