Tolkien's epic legendary precursor to 'The Lord Of The Rings'.
The Silmarilli were three perfect jewels, fashioned by Feanor, most gifted of the Elves, and within them was imprisoned the Last of the Two Trees of Valinor. When the first Dark Lord, Morgoth, stole the jewels and set them within an iron crown in the impenetrable fortress of Angband, Feanor and his kindred took up arms against the great Enemy and waged a long and terrible war to recover them.
'The Silmarillion' tells the story of the rebellion by Feanor's allies against the gods, their exile from Valinor and return to Middle-earth. It is the history of the heroic First Age in Tolkien's world, the ancient drama long before the time of 'The Hobbit' and 'The Lord Of The Rings'.
The new edition of 'The Silmarillion' includes by way of introduction a letter written by JRR Tolkien in 1951 which provides a brilliant exposition of his conception of the earlier Ages.