The Silmarillion is the history of Middle-earth from its creation to the end of the First Age - tens of thousands of years before the events of The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings. It tells of the creation of the world by Ilúvatar and the Ainur, the awakening of the Elves, the making of the Silmarils - three jewels of incomparable beauty crafted by the greatest of the Elves, Fëanor - and the catastrophic wars fought to recover them from the dark lord Morgoth. The narrative spans the rise and fall of entire civilisations, the heroic stands of Elves and Men against overwhelming evil, and the great love stories and tragedies that define Tolkien's mythology. Published posthumously by Christopher Tolkien, The Silmarillion is denser and more mythological in style than The Hobbit or The Lord of the Rings, reading more like a chronicle or scripture than a novel. It is essential reading for anyone who wants to understand the deep history behind Middle-earth.