Tolkien & The Silmarillion

Clyde Kilby gives us a unique, informal, intimate picture of J. R. R. Tolkien at work in the late years of his life. It is also the best distant glimpse thus far of that promised work, The Silmarillion - to Tolkien's fans, a kind of legend in itself. The complex origins and development of his whole "world of myth," the intriguing "contrasistent" aspects of his genial, yet reticent, sometimes peppery personality, all are illuminated. There are fresh insights into the relation of Tolkien's work to that of his friends C. S. Lewis and Charles Williams. This touching, indispensible book is a joy to read. - Edmund Fuller, from back jacket