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Question: Confusion about J!.R!.R!. Tolkien!?
i want to read other works in the LOTR saga, but am confused about some of the novels and have a few questions!.

1) does Silmarrilion contain volumes 1-12 of The History of Middle Earth, or are they completely different!?

2) if they are the same, which do you suggest to read(Silmarrillion or the 12 volumes)!?

3) are there any other novels (other than The Children of Hurin) that you would suggest that i also read!?

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Best Answer - Chosen by Asker:
The silmarillion gives history from creation onwards!.!.!. BUT it's pretty heavy stuff, and slow-going!. If you haven't read the novels, can I assume you're pretty young!? I recommend reading the lotr books, but saving stuff like silmarillion for later!. You'll enjoy it a lot more when you're like 20 or older!.Www@QuestionHome@Com

Here is a great link on the chronology of the Simarillion, along with measurement explanations: http://home!.comcast!.net/~mithrandircq/Si!.!.!.


More bits of info from the web:

The Silmarillion comprises five parts!. The first part, Ainulindal?, tells of the creation of E?, the "world that is"!. Valaquenta, the second part, gives a description of the Valar and Maiar, the supernatural powers in E?!. The next section, Quenta Silmarillion, which forms the bulk of the collection, chronicles the history of the events before and during the First Age!. The fourth part, Akallabêth, relates the history of the Downfall of Númenor and its people, which takes place in the Second Age!. The final part, Of the Rings of Power and the Third Age, is a brief account of the circumstances which led to and were presented in The Lord of the Rings!.

The five parts were initially separate works, but it was the elder Tolkien's express wish that they be published together!.[1] Because J!. R!. R!. Tolkien died before he finished revising the various legends, Christopher gathered material from his father's older writings to fill out the book!. In a few cases, this meant that he had to devise completely new material in order to resolve gaps and inconsistencies in the narrative!.

Other info:

The Simarillion: Tolkien wrote a brief 'Sketch of the Mythology' of which the tales of Beren and Lúthien and of Túrin were part, and that Sketch eventually evolved into the 'Quenta Silmarillion', an epic history that Tolkien started three times but never published!. Tolkien hoped to publish it along with The Lord of the Rings, but publishers (both Allen & Unwin and Collins) got cold feet; moreover printing costs were very high in the post-war years, leading to The Lord of the Rings being published in three books!.[110] The story of this continuous redrafting is told in the posthumous series The History of Middle-earth, which was edited by Tolkien's son, Christopher Tolkien!. From around 1936, he began to extend this framework to include the tale of The Fall of Númenor, which was inspired by the legend of Atlantis!.

The Quenta Silmarillion:

("The History of the Silmarils"[4]), which makes up the bulk of the book, is a series of interconnected tales set in the First Age making up the tragic saga of the three magical jewels, the Silmarils!. The Valar had attempted to fashion the world for Elves and Men, but Melkor continually destroyed their handiwork, so they removed to Aman, a continent to the west of Middle-earth, where they established their home called Valinor!. When the Elves awoke, the Valar decided to fight Melkor to keep them safe!. They defeated and captured Melkor, and invited the Elves to come to Aman!. Many Elves journeyed to Aman, but some did not attempt the journey, and others stopped along the way!. Of the three tribes that set out, all of the Vanyar and Noldor, and most of the Teleri reached Aman!. While in Aman, a Noldorin Elf named F?anor created the Silmarils, which contained the light of the Two Trees of Valinor, the light source of Aman!. Melkor, having been released after seeming to repent, stole the Silmarils, killed F?anor's father, and destroyed the Two Trees!. F?anor and his sons swore an oath of revenge against Melkor and anyone who kept a Silmaril from them, and led many of his kin to Middle-earth, where Melkor had fled, killing some of the Teleri for their ships!.

When Melkor arrived in Middle-earth, he attacked the Elvish kingdom of Doriath, but was defeated!. This battle was the first of five battles between Melkor and the Elves, aided at times by Men and Dwarves!. This conflict came to be known as the War of the Jewels!. Soon, the Noldor arrived in Middle-earth and attacked Melkor, and though F?anor was slain, they were victorious!. After a peace, Melkor again attacked the Noldor, but was defeated and besieged!. Nearly four hundred years later, Melkor broke the siege and drove the Noldor back!. A man named Beren survived the battle and wandered to Doriath, where he fell in love with Lúthien, the king's daughter!. The king would only allow their marriage if Beren gave him a Silmaril!. Together, Beren and Lúthien crept into Melkor's fortress and stole a Silmaril, which Beren gave to the king!. The Noldor, seeing that Melkor was not invincible, attacked again, but were utterly defeated, due in part to the treachery of Men!. All of the Elvish kingdoms fell, until E?rendil the half-Elven, using the light of the Silmaril Beren retrieved, travelled across the sea to Aman to ask the Valar for help!. The Valar agreed; they attacked and defeated Melkor, completely destroying his fortress Angband and sinking the land of Beleriand, and expelled him from Arda!. This ended the First Age of Middle-earth!.

More Tidbits:

From 1988 to 1992 Christopher Tolkien published the surviving drafts of the Lord of The Rings chronicling and illuminating with commentary the development of the text, in his History of Middle-earth series!.Www@QuestionHome@Com