Reddit reviews The Silmarillion

The Hobbit: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/054792822X/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

The Fellowship of the Ring: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0547928211/ref=od_aui_detailpages00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

The Two Towers: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0547928203/ref=od_aui_detailpages00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

The Return of the King: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/054792819X/ref=od_aui_detailpages00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

The Silmarillion: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0544338014/ref=od_aui_detailpages00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Unfinished Tales of Númenor and Middle-earth: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0544337999/ref=od_aui_detailpages00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Holy crap, dude, I don't think you have a grasp at how large of a book you are asking for.

First off, there is no book that combines the Hobbit and the LOTR. The reason there is a single copy LOTR book is because it was originally written as one book, but was only broken into smaller books at the request of the editor. The reason they don't sell one book containing both The Hobbit and LOTR is because they are very much separate books in every sense of the word. They have a few similar characters, but almost everything from the story to the intended audience is different.

Second, you want the history and the untold stories?

There is literally a 12 book series called The History of Middle Earth that is well over 3500 pages. And that isn't even including the book Unfinished Tales of Númenor and Middle-earth that is another 300 pages.

On top of that, you have the summarized history, the Silmarillion, that is a couple hundred pages itself. That's the actual "Bible" of Middle Earth that adds lore and expands on things in LOTR and the Hobbit. And then there's the Children of Hurin, which expands on a small part of the Silmarillion.

So, in order for what you are asking, you'd need a book that would be approximately 6000 pages long.

It doesn't exist. What you currently have is the closest to what you are asking for. After the Return of the King, there should be a pretty good sized Appendix that has a ton of extra material relevant to LOTR, but if you want the Middle Earth creation story, the history of Morgoth and his effects on ME, the legends of the first great Men of ME like Hurin and kin, and stories of Gondolin... You're going to need to buy additional books.

Good news is a lot of them are cheap! You can get the Silmarillion and Children of Hurin for a good price, and there are some beautiful hardcover editions (illustrated by Alan Lee). That should cover a good deal of what you're asking for. From there, for additional history and info, there's that massive 12 volume collection, which I believe can be purchased in a 3 book set.

I'd say the best you could do if you want to cover all the necessary Middle Earth history and Lore is the Hobbit, LOTR, Silmarillion, and Children of Hurin. That should suffice.

These just came out recently and all look nice.

http://www.amazon.com/Hobbit-Lord-Rings-Deluxe-Pocket/dp/0544445783/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1415222843&sr=1-1&keywords=lord+of+the+rings

http://www.amazon.com/Silmarillion-J-R-R-Tolkien/dp/0544338014/ref=sr_1_2?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1415222847&sr=1-2&keywords=lord+of+the+rings

http://www.amazon.com/Unfinished-Tales-J-R-Tolkien-ebook/dp/B00796E7CA/ref=sr_1_3?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1415222847&sr=1-3&keywords=lord+of+the+rings

https://www.amazon.com/Silmarillion-J-R-R-Tolkien/dp/0544338014/ref=sr_1_1?crid=16W7GZSD7KS7Q&keywords=silmarillion+paperback&qid=1568325941&sprefix=silmar%2Caps%2C134&sr=8-1



https://www.amazon.com/Hobbit-Rings-Boxed-Tolkien-2011-10-27/dp/B01N1EXVZ2/ref=sr_1_2?crid=1W0SAZ0BL4PL4&keywords=hobbit+lord+of+the+rings+boxed+set&qid=1568325905&sprefix=hobbit+lord+of+the+%2Caps%2C135&sr=8-2

I think this might be your best option for a matching set.

I was mostly coming up short, but then I remembered The Silmarillion. Plenty of music woven through that, though scarce on the details.

Some more tangential suggestions:

• The short story Hisses and Wings by /u/TFrohock and Alex Bledsoe has a large focus on music with fantasy creatures (more urban setting).
  
  
• Fairest is a kid's book (companion to Ella Enchanted) and takes place in a kingdom where everything is conducted in song. An ugly, accidental lady-in-waiting is required to lend her voice to the new queen (a big no-no).
  
  
• Another kid's book: in The Ranger's Apprentice #5, Will goes undercover as a traveling jongleur/bard with plenty of music-related details.

Actually, I believe the version shown here is the not quite matching one. It doesn’t have the colored ‘arch’ on the lower half of the spine. I know this since I have the exact same versions, and was slightly disappointed when I found they didn’t quite match.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/0544338014/ref=tmm_pap_title_0?ie=UTF8&qid=&sr=

I think this is the actual matching version of silmarillion. Since it has the same dimensions (the one pictured is smaller than the box-set) and has the same golden accents on the cover that the boxed LotR/Hobbit and Children of Húrin books have you mention.

I got The Hobbit and LOTR in that art style from Barnes & Noble. I found both the Silmarillion and Unfinished Tales in the same style on Amazon (http://www.amazon.com/dp/0544338014/ref=wl_it_dp_o_pC_nS_ttl?_encoding=UTF8&colid=1QXTFDF6E1WXL&coliid=I3NTWYDF0H4I6S).

I have the Lord of the Rings:
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0547928211/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o03_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0547928203/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o03_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/054792819X/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o03_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

The Hobbit:
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/054792822X/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o03_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

and The Silmarillion:
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0544338014/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o03_s01?ie=UTF8&psc=1


all in the same style.

I believe you can get the Unfinished Tales in the same style as well:
http://www.amazon.com/Unfinished-N%C3%BAmenor-Middle-earth-J-R-R-Tolkien/dp/0544337999/ref=pd_sim_b_1?ie=UTF8&refRID=1N4YZSYGC4PZZJ2QP50A

As for the Children of Hurin, I can't seem to find a matching copy online anywhere. BUT, I have found this copy, which seems to be made by the same publisher
http://www.amazon.com/dp/0007309368/ref=wl_it_dp_o_pC_nS_ttl?_encoding=UTF8&colid=X9DKISJSM7XL&coliid=I3T9I3PAEVZ12P

Again, I haven't bought Children of Hurin yet, so I'm not sure if it's the same style/shape as the other ones.

Hope this helps!

This sums them all up pretty well.

In all seriousness, you might want to give a little more specificity here. Are you looking go learn more about the events in the book? Do you just want to see what everyone thinks is important? There's a whole lot covered and a whole lot to summarize.

https://www.amazon.com/Silmarillion-J-R-R-Tolkien/dp/0544338014/ref=tmm_pap_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=&sr=

We aren't going to be doing anything specific to a certain version or publisher. This one is a great edition that is illatrated by Ted Nasmith. But this one will also work fine.