An amazing collection of stories from the First Age of Middle Earth. It takes a bit of getting into, being written in the formal style of the Eldar. At points this makes it hard to follow. For example;

And it is said indeed that, even as the Valar made war upon Melkor for the sake of the Quendi, so now for that time they forbore for the sake of the Hildor, the Aftercomers, the younger children of Iluvatar...

I also got a bit frustrated with the map and eventually tore it out of the back of the book so I could refer to it properly. Unfortunately it doesn't cover all the places mentioned, and there are points when I would have appreciated more detailed maps of specific places. Sometimes things are referred to that are not marked and a lot of place names have more than one name, which is also confusing. Akallabeth (the second book in this volume) needs its own maps, as does the account Of the Rings of Power and the Third Age (although the maps from The Lord of the Rings would suffice in the latter case).

All these criticisms aside, The Silmarillion is an extraordinary achievement, tracing the sweep of Middle Earth's history from it's origins in the mists of myth and legend until the departing of the Elves at the end of the age.

On the coffee table by the windows in the Main Entrance/Reception area.

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