[Mithadan]

<font face="Verdana"><table><TR><TD><FONT SIZE="1" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">Spirit of Mist
Posts: 823</TD><TD></TD></TR></TABLE>
Re: can you tell me about....

Contrary to popular belief, the Silmarillion was not truly rejected by publishers. JRRT submitted manuscripts to Unwin consisting of drafts of the poems Children of Hurin and Lay of Leithien (found in HoME 3) plus his sketch of mythology (an early version of the Silmarillion). Portions of his poetry were sent to a reader for review but not the sketch though it was the latter JRRT wanted to publish in an expanded form. The reader liked the poetry but doubted that it was marketable and the sketch was never reviewed. They were sent back to JRRT who himself assumed they had all been read and rejected.

When JRRT wrote LoTR, he became disgruntled with publication delays and problems at Unwin and submitted LoTR to another publisher together with fragments of the unfinished Silmarillion hoping that both could be published in one huge volume or at least simultaneously. Given the unfinished nature of the Sil. and the size of LoTR, the publisher decided this was not possible. So JRRT stuck with Unwin for LoTR. Later, when LoTR began to become popular, it appears that Unwin was willing to publish the Silmarillion but JRRT never got around to finishing it. Indeed it was never at any time a completed work, suitable for publication in JRRT's eyes.

--Mithadan--
"The Silmarils with living light
were kindled clear, and waxing bright
shone like stars that in the North
above the reek of earth leap forth." </p>