The Silmarillion: Illustrated by J.R.R. Tolkien (Tolkien Editions) (Tolkien Illustrated Editions)

A lovely book. In some ways, better than the Deluxe slipcase edition
I received this book, in addition to The Hobbit and Lord of the Rings from the same series, as a gift from my wife for my birthday. It is a lovely book. The binding is sewn rather than glued, the paper is nice and thick and vibrant white, the printing quality is sharp and nice deep blues and blacks – it is printed in two colors – and there are a number of illustrated plates made by Tolkien himself throughout. Many of these are rough or unfinished, but it’s still nice to see how the author visualized the things he was writing about. The Elvish edge painting of the pages looks very nice relative to the color scheme, and the book is very handsome, either with or without its dust jacket. The book also has a ribbon marker, which I quite liked…although it could have been a little thicker (although that is a very minor nitpick.)As for the book itself? Well, this one is pretty polarizing. People tend to either love it or think it overly dry and academic. It is not written in the narrative style of The Hobbit, or even Lord of the Rings. It’s more of a historical summary in many sections, or ancient mythology in others, and is often written in a somewhat high style of English, akin to old mythological works (which Tolkien is clearly emulating – and quite successfully at that.)If I had to pigeonhole this book, I’d say it falls somewhere between The Bible / Beowulf and a history book (think Ancient Roman historians or the like). It covers Ainulindalë, the creation myth of Tolkien’s Middle-Earth/Arda, and the early days spent in the light of the Two Trees of Valinor (the Middle-Earth conception of Paradise), the coming of the Elves (the firstborn) and then Men (the followers), plus the history of the eponymous Silmarils (three magical jewels – think of them as the First Age version of the One Ring and you’ll get the idea) and the ensuing wars of the First Age that were fought over them between the Elves and the Big Bad, who in this book is Morgoth (think of him as Sauron’s old boss, a more powerful and meaner version of the Dark Lord). For context in terms of the timeline of Tolkien’s mythology – the First Age of Middle-Earth takes place some 7,000 years before the events of Lord of the Rings. The latter portions of the book also discuss the Second Age and the rise and fall of the Dúnedain of the island kingdom of Númenor, the Kings of Men of whom Aragorn, Faramir and Boromir are descendants. This is Tolkien’s Middle-Earth version of the Atlantis myth. Some additional topics concerning the creation of the Rings of Power and their effect on the events of the the late Second & Third Ages are covered as well in the final section.With regards to this specific edition, this is in most ways nearly identical to the much more expensive slipcase edition. The printing, paper, and plates are identical. The maps in this version are smaller than in the slipcase edition, but are still quite nice (there are two maps, folded and fitted behind the front and back covers, and they are loose in both editions.) This edition is not quarterbound, and the hardcover is wrapped in paper rather than cloth – which can mean your hand oils could discolor it over time. However, it is worth mentioning that the slipcase edition has some notable QC issues. There are many reports of the silver embossed stamped foil text on the spine rubbing off quickly and easily, even after sparing and careful use. In my opinion, part of the point of getting books like this is to keep them for the long haul. If they’re going to degrade in such a basic way, that defeats the purpose, as far as I am concerned. To me this makes this somewhat less expensive edition preferable – and one that is still likely to last for many years given the quality of its construction.Will you like this book? I think the only real way to answer that is to pick it up and give it a try. You will know after a few chapters if it’s for you. I personally love it, and read it every couple of years. I consider it to be a treasure trove of lore and world-building that greatly enriches the world that underpins his more famous books, The Hobbit and Lord of the Rings. You will find much information here that is only hinted at or referred to in passing in those books, which will add depth and significance to those references in future readings. As I said, it’s written in an older style of English, and some may consider it a tough read. If you stick with it though, it can be incredibly rewarding. There are some fantastic stories in here; love stories, tragic antiheroes, mythical battles, acts of heroism, valor, betrayal and evil.For those that are familiar with the book already, this is an excellent edition, and one that I can happily recommend. I am very glad to have these; I find that they are good for reading, but also look great on my shelf. This would make an excellent gift for the Tolkien enthusiast in your house. You can get this, plus the matching editions of the Hobbit and Lord of the Rings together for a reasonable price here on Amazon. Any fan of Middle-earth is sure to love these!

Llegó en buen estado

O livro realmente é maravilhoso como nas imagens. A edição está ótima.Ele é bem grande, então as páginas são com um papel um pouco mais fino, então é preciso tomar um pouco de cuidado com elas.

Ok