The Silmarillion is the core of J.R.R. Tolkien’s imaginative writing, a work that could not be published in his lifetime because it grew with him. It’s origins stretch back to a time long before The Hobbit. But The Hobbit was caught up in what Tolkien called”the branching acquisitive theme” begun The Silmarillion, and eventually the Lord of the Rungs emerged from this as well. Tolkien considered The Silmarillion his most important work, and though published last and posthumously, this great collection of tales and legends clearly sets the stage for all his other works.