The word count of the silmarillion is just over k words, but i wouldnt worry too much about that. Tolkien 18921973 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. Time the story of the creation of the world and of the first age, this is the ancient drama to which the characters in the lord of the rings. Morgoth appears throughout the entire book, making him the closest thing the silmarillion has to a main character. It is a treasure of words, myths, legends, sorrows, and beauty. The silmarillion is a collection of mythopoeic works by english writer j. Buy the silmarillion by j r r tolkien online at alibris. Tolkien which was recently published in the last decade, i wanted to prepare myself by reading the silmarillion where tolkien first introduces the tale of hurin. Tolkien tried to have it published in his lifetime, alongside lotr, and. Tolkien, it is the story of the creation of the world and of the first age, this is the ancient drama to which the characters in the lord of the rings look back and in whose events some of them, such as elrond and galadriel, took part. Along the way, the valar and the children of iluvatar battle evil in the form of melkor in order to survive and maintain good in ea. The silmarillion j r r tolkien, christopher tolkien.
Over 300,000 authors trust the professionals on reedsy, come meet them. I first came across the silmarillion in a bookstore after i had read the lord of the rings. There have been several publications of the silmarillion over the years, in a first and second edition. Why isnt the silmarillion as widely read as the hobbit or. This second edition features a letter written by j. Winner of the 1978 ditmar prize for best international long fiction, the 1978 gandalf prize for book length fantasy, and the 1978 locus poll award for best fantasy novel. Pages in category characters in the silmarillion the following 200 pages are in this category, out of 215 total. How to read the silmarillion and why observation deck. His books have been translated into over 30 languages and have sold many millions of copies worldwide. Tolkien, is a work in five parts that serves as a mythological creation story and history of the middle earth, the fictional universe created by tolkien that served as. It is the ancient drama to which the characters in the lord of the rings look back, and in whose events some of them such as elrond and. The sindarin title is pennas silevril meaning the same quenta silmarillion is the longest part in the book, consisting of more than twenty chapters.
It is in these lands that the stories of the hobbit and lord of the rings take place. The silmarillion is the history of the rebellion of feanor and his kindred against the gods, their exile from valinor and return to middleearth, and their war, hopeless despite all their heroism, against the great enemy. In any case, to see how authors use this tactic to set their pacing, we also mapped out the word count of every chapter in four famous books. The silmarillion by j r r tolkien 9780261102736 booktopia. Quenta silmarillion is the third part of the silmarillion by j. Paolo gulisano bindingcopertina flessibile ean9788818121896 ean listean list element. The work that illustrates the cores of tolkiens fantasy world, it is the last and posthumously published the silmarillion that he considered his most important work. And are there books with chapters that consistently score above 5,000 words. This book is sold subject to the condition that it shall not, by way of trade or otherwise, be lent, resold, hired out or otherwise circulated without the publishers prior consent in any form of binding or cover other than that in which it is published and without a similar condition including this. Tolkien, edited and published posthumously by his son, christopher tolkien, in 1977, with assistance from guy gavriel kay. Oct 18, 2017 find the perfect editor for your book.
It is in these lands that the stories of the hobbit and lord of the. I remember two decades ago or more, hard to remember now i read the lord of the rings and the hobbit and loved them all. Tolkien died before he finished revising the various legends, christopher gathered material from his fathers older writings to fill out the book. This book is sold subject to the condition that it shall not, by way of trade or otherwise, be lent, resold, hired out or otherwise circulated without the publishers prior consent in any form of binding or cover other than that in which it.
First editions of this text are more common than those of of tolkiens earlier books, and fine copies can be obtained for under. I have attempted to read the silmarillion before but it was far to dry for my tastes and i would often get lost among all the similar sounding names and the difference between lotr and this in writing style was far to jarring. The silmarillion is set in tolkiens world middleearth, and is about its early history before the hobbit and the lord of the rings the name silmarillion can mean the published book as in the silmarillion, but it can also mean. Tolkien, edited and published posthumously by his son, christopher tolkien, in 1977 with assistance from guy gavriel kay. Tolkien this study guide consists of approximately 51 pages of chapter summaries, quotes, character analysis, themes, and more everything you need to sharpen your knowledge of the silmarillion. Dec 20, 2017 the silmarillion, a posthumous publication from christopher tolkien in 1977, combines several myths, or five separate parts, written by j. Tolkien, 9780261102736, available at book depository with free delivery worldwide. Designed to take fans of the hobbit and the lord of the rings deeper into the myths and legends of middleearth the silmarillion is an account of the elder days, of the first age of tolkiens world. The silmarillion by tolkien, first edition abebooks. Readers of the hobbit and the lord of the rings will find in the silmarillion a cosmology to call their own, medieval romances, fierce fairy tales, and fiercer wars that ring with heraldic fury. Sibley also gives us insightful information on how the hobbit, the lord of the rings, and the silmarillion came to be. This is somewhat tricky, because there are a lot of characters in the silmarillion, which essentially tells the entire. May 25, 2010 pages in category characters in the silmarillion the following 200 pages are in this category, out of 215 total.
From there, tolkien describes the valar, the maiar, and the fall of morgoth before he moves onto the history of numenor, the two trees, the silmarils, and melkor morgoths war for the silmarils. You need to read the entire silmarillion to understand how the full mythic cycle is locked together in a vast woven fabric, but you dont need to read each story in chronological order to understand them. This sumptuous, oversized hardback beautifully presents a revised and reset edition of the silmarillion, illustrated by way of almost 50 fullcolour paintings by celebrated tolkien artist ted nasmith designed to match and complement the illustrated hobbit and lord of the rings. Is the silmarillion actually a good book or is it one of. The book is a collection of narratives which talks about the universe of ea in which different lands exist. Quenta silmarillion is quenya translated as the tale of the silmarils. The sindarin title is pennas silevril meaning the same. Jul 04, 2018 the silmarillion is a book written by j r tolkien who is an. Jan 05, 2020 quenta silmarillion is the third part of the silmarillion by j. Oct 15, 2011 tolkien deliberately used an old fashioned style, so the book would read like an ancient arthurian romance. Jan 01, 2002 the silmarillion is a collection of mythopoeic works by english writer j.
It was first published posthumously after tolkien was dead in 1977, edited by his son christopher tolkien. The best way to experience tolkiens work is to read them as they came out. In origin it precedes even the hobbit, and is the story of the first age of tolkiens middle earth. A remarkable tale of legend and myth, this is tolkiens retelling of the creation of the world and the happenings of the first age, the drama to which the lordof the rings characters look back. That price ratio is typical of hardcover vs paperback books in.
Quenta silmarillion is the longest part in the book, consisting of more than. Since just comparing the number of unique words in a book does not take its length into account i decided to calculate the percentage of unique words of the whole text. Tolkiens tragic, operatic history of the first age of middleearth, essential background material for serious readers of the classic lord of the rings saga. Tolkien the silmarillion is a collection of mythopoeic works by english writer j. The price difference is because of the different binding and size, and perhaps the quality of illustrations.
Tolkiens the silmarillion tells the story of the first and second ages of middleearth, beginning with iluvatars creation of ea, the world that is. Tolkien considered the silmarillion his most important work, and, though it was published last and posthumously, this great collection of tales and legends clearly sets the stage for all. Buy a discounted paperback of the silmarillion online from australias. If youre asking this because youre wondering how long it is, i would tell you that if you worry about its length, youll never get through it. The more expensive one is a sumptuous, oversized hardback beautifully presents a revised and reset edition of the silmarillion, illustrated by way of almost 50 fullcolour paintings by celebrated tolkien artist ted nasmith, according to the book description. Aug 01, 20 the silmarillion is a collection of mythopoeic works by english writer j. And i hated the silm the first time i read it because i wanted another lotr, and that it is not. Winner of the 1978 ditmar prize for best international long fiction, the 1978 gandalf prize for booklength fantasy, and the 1978 locus poll award for best fantasy novel. Ea, the world that is, is created, and the valar prepare the way for the children of iluvatar. The ainulindale is a myth of the creation and in the valaquenta the.
Is the silmarillion actually a good book or is it one of those things that only big tolkien fantasy fans like. Tolkien describing his intentions for the book, which serves as a. It was a joy to find another book by tolkien, since i had enjoyed lotr so much. Martin shaws reading is grave and resonant, conveying all the powerful events. The silmarillion is set in tolkiens world middleearth, and is about its early history before the hobbit and the lord of the rings. Pages in category characters in the silmarillion the following 21 pages are in this category, out of 21 total. Tolkiens work sets the standard for fantasy, and this audio version of the bible of middleearth does the silmarillion justice. Tolkien 1998, hardcover at the best online prices at ebay. The silmarillion, a posthumous publication from christopher tolkien in 1977, combines several myths, or five separate parts, written by j. The stories take place in a time preceding the hobbit and the lord of the rings of middleearth.
The silmarillion is actually tolkiens first book and also his last. For me, the silmarillion is one of the most beautiful books ever written. Tolkien deliberately used an old fashioned style, so the book would read like an ancient arthurian romance. It shows us the ancient history to which characters in the lord of the rings look back, talk, rhyme and sing about. Tolkien 1999, hardcover at the best online prices at ebay. Im admittedly a silmarillion geek to the point of running a website about it. Tolkiens imaginative writing, a work whose origins stretch back to a time long before the hobbit. The silmarillion simple english wikipedia, the free. The silmarillion, now published four years after the death of its author, is an account of the elder days, or the first age of the world. The silmarillion by jrr tolkien, christopher tolkien dymocks. Tolkiens other works, forms an extensive, though incomplete, narrative that describes the universe of ea in which are found. Both of those appear to be the second edition from what i can tell. Tolkien worked on it, changed it, and enlarged it throughout his entire life. The silmarillion is a book written by j r tolkien who is an.
The great tales at the heart of the mythic cycle beren and luthien, turin turambar, and the fall of gondolin do not begin until around page 150 pagination is usually pretty standard across editions. The tales of the silmarillion are set in an age when morgoth, the first dark lord, dwelt in middleearth, and the high elves made war upon him for the recovery of the silmarils, the jewels containing the pure light of valinor. But its safe to say that 1,5005,000 is the normal range for most books. The work was finished by the son of tolkien after tolkien initially started it. In the lord of the rings were narrated the great events at the end of the third age. I opened it up to the first chapter, read ainulindale, and. But its a special book and the stories in it are worth learning to read the style. The majority of his story is wrapped up in his attempts to acquire three magic jewels called silmarils, and the wars he waged against elves, men, and the valar higher beings of great power who collectively created earth for. This is why both the silmarillion and the return of the king may appear shorter than expected. The books greatest hero is probably hurin, a legendary champion of men whose story christopher tolkien would later expand upon in the standalone novel, the children of hurin and the curse placed on his family by morgoth after hurins many exploits. A numberone new york times bestseller when it was originally published, the silmarillion is the core of j. Tolkiens other works, forms an extensive, though incomplete, narrative. The saga deals with the history of arda following the entrance of the ainur as the valar see. There are wonderful full color and black and white illustrations by john howe to go along with descriptive accounts of each name that appears on the maps.
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