{"product_id":"the-silmarillion-with-fore-edge-painting-by-maisie-matilda","title":"The Silmarillion with Fore Edge Painting by Maisie Matilda","description":"\u003cp\u003e6b J. R. R. Tolkien. Edited by Christopher Tolkien. London: George Allen \u0026amp; Unwin, 1977. \u003cstrong\u003eFirst Edition First Printing. With Fore Edge Paining by Maisie Matilda.\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eNotes\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"n6owBd awi2gc\"\u003e\n\u003cspan class=\"Yjhzub\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003eJ.R.R. Tolkien’s \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cem class=\"eujQNb\"\u003eThe Silmarillion\u003c\/em\u003e, posthumously edited and published in 1977, is a towering, mythological epic that serves as the vast, foundational bedrock for the entire legendarium of Middle-earth.\u003c\/span\u003e Far from a conventional, character-driven novel like \u003cem class=\"eujQNb\"\u003eThe Hobbit\u003c\/em\u003e or \u003cem class=\"eujQNb\"\u003eThe Lord of the Rings\u003c\/em\u003e, this sweeping work is structured as a grand, pseudo-biblical chronicle encompassing five distinct parts, beginning with the musical creation of the universe by Eru Ilúvatar. The narrative core, the \u003cem class=\"eujQNb\"\u003eQuenta Silmarillion\u003c\/em\u003e, chronicles the tragic history of the First Age, focusing on the brilliant elf-lord Fëanor who crafts the three Silmarils—unparalleled, glowing jewels infused with the divine light of the Two Trees of Valinor. When Morgoth, the primeval Dark Lord and Sauron's master, steals the gems and destroys the trees, the exiled Elves wage a devastating, centuries-long war across the lands of Beleriand to reclaim them. Interweaving high-mythological themes of creative hubris, tragic betrayals, fatal curses, and the bittersweet decline of immortal races, the book functions as an intricate, comprehensive cosmology that gives deep, historical meaning to the triumphs and struggles of the later ages.\u003cspan\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"n6owBd awi2gc\"\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"n6owBd awi2gc\"\u003eThe author, J. R. R. Tolkien (1892–1973), was a brilliant Oxford philologist, scholar of Old and Middle English, and raw architect of modern high fantasy who viewed this mythological mythos as his true life's work. Tolkien began drafting these mythological narratives as early as 1917 while recovering from the psychological traumas of the Battle of the Somme, initially conceiving them as a grand, cohesive mythology dedicated to England. Throughout his decades as an academic, he continuously rewrote, refined, and expanded these linguistic and historical tales, famously using his intricate invented elvish languages as the structural foundation for the entire universe. Despite his lifelong devotion to these foundational myths, Tolkien never managed to organize or publish them during his lifetime, consistently prioritizing the narrative demands of \u003cem class=\"eujQNb\"\u003eThe Lord of the Rings\u003c\/em\u003e. Following his death in 1973, it fell to his son, \u003cspan class=\"T286Pc\"\u003eChristopher Tolkien\u003c\/span\u003e, to meticulously spend years wading through an overwhelming maze of disjointed manuscripts, variant texts, and loose notes to edit and assemble the narrative into a cohesive, publishable masterpiece that fulfilled his father's magnificent, decades-long vision.\u003cspan\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"n6owBd awi2gc\"\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"n6owBd awi2gc\"\u003e\n\u003cspan style=\"font-size: 0.875rem;\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003eThe \u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size: 0.875rem;\"\u003e\u003cspan class=\"Yjhzub\"\u003e1977 First British Edition\u003c\/span\u003e, published in London by George Allen \u0026amp; Unwin, was the monumental, definitive debut of Tolkien's cosmology of which this is a second impression. The first edition was Issued in a massive initial print run of roughly 700,000 copies to meet staggering international demand. \u003c\/span\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"n6owBd awi2gc\"\u003e\n\u003cspan style=\"font-size: 0.875rem;\"\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"n6owBd awi2gc\"\u003e\n\u003cstrong style=\"font-size: 0.875rem;\"\u003eDescription\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"n6owBd awi2gc\"\u003e\n\u003cspan style=\"font-size: 0.875rem;\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"n6owBd awi2gc\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size: 0.875rem;\"\u003eBound in publisher’s signature dark blue cloth with bright gilt lettering along the spine. Blue top edge. Original unclipped pictorial dust wrapper featuring a striking, abstract mythological painting by Tolkien himself, showing a £4.95 net retail price on the front flap. Large, crisp fold-out map of Beleriand tipped in at the rear of the book. With a fore-edge painting of Valinor by Maisie Matilda, with the city in the foreground and the two trees of Valinor in the background. Top and lower edge also have signature motif to the top edge and abstract design in Tolkien’s style to the lower edge. Signed by Matilda to the front free end paper.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"Moons Rare Books","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":57573645189286,"sku":null,"price":3250.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0173\/6563\/1040\/files\/2F2D9E38-C5E4-4DEB-BEC8-659FD4CD48C3.jpg?v=1791238992","url":"https:\/\/moons-rare-books.myshopify.com\/products\/the-silmarillion-with-fore-edge-painting-by-maisie-matilda","provider":"Moons Rare Books","version":"1.0","type":"link"}