The Silmarillion vs The Tolkien Reader: Which Should You Read?

The Silmarillion J. R. R. Tolkien & Christopher Tolkien · 1977 ★★★★☆ 4.0 374 pages · ≈ 6 h 56 m · Moderate

A number-one New York Times bestseller when it was originally published, The Silmarillion is the core of J.R.R. Tolkien's imaginative writing, a work whose origins stretch back to a time long before The Hobbit.

The Tolkien Reader J.R.R. Tolkien · 1966 ★★★★☆ 3.8 290 pages · ≈ 5 h 22 m · Moderate

Anthology of Works, published 1966, including poems, short stories, a play, and some non fiction. Compilation of materials previously published as "Tree and Leaf", "Farmer Giles of Ham," and "The Adventures of Tom…