Tolkien's first book, first begun in 1917, and also his last, as he continued on it throughout his life. The Silmarillion is the core of his imaginative work that inspires all his writings about Middle-earth, the creation of the Elves, their time on Middle-Earth, and the coming of the Age of Man. The main story is the creation of the three Silmarils by Feonor, the most exceptional of the Elves. These jewels that encapsulate the light of the Two Trees of Valinor, were stolen by Morgoth, the first Dark Lord, which set off the major war of the First Age. The Silmarillion includes several other works including Ainulindale, the myth of Creation; Valaquenta, on the nature and power of the gods; Allakabeth, recounting the downfall of Numenor; and "Of the Rings of Power and the Third Age," which is the link to The Lord of the Rings. His son, Christopher Tolkien, who edited The Silmarillion says that The entire history is set forth from the Music of the Ainur, in which the world began, to the passing of the ringbearers from the Havens of Mithlond at the end of the Third Age. A tough but worthy read.