"The Silmarillion" Turns 40
Today is a special Tolkien-related day: The Silmrillion is celebrating its 40th anniversary. As of this writing, there doesn't appear to be any celebratory editions, related publications or events; however, I wished to make note of the occasion. The Silmarillion is the myths and legends of Middle-earth, and includes the epic history of the elves. It is a book, yes, but not neccessarily a "novel" in the sense that it has a narrative. The books reads more like a historic account, or more akin to mythic fantasy; much like The Bible , and other religious texts. Because of this, it is a slightly more difficult read than The Lord of the Rings , because of this (as well as the fact that it also covers the events from The Lord of the Rings ) it is recommended to read The Silmarillion after The Lord of the Rings ; including the Appendices and post-story material. Other the years, there have been a few editions of The Silmarillion (thought not as many as The Hobbit ...