Christopher Tolkien (1924–2020) was the youngest son of J.R.R. Tolkien. He assisted his father and upon Tolkien’s death, he became the editor and literary executor of his father’s writings and legacy. Beginning in 1975, his focus was on making a large corpus of Tolkien’s world and mythology available to readers, starting with The Silmarillion (1977) and the twelve volumes of The History of Middle-earth (1983-1996).

His deeply scholarly work, performed with a tremendous level of understanding, attention to detail, and ability to navigate through multiple (sometimes conflicting) versions of the same narratives, and synthesize them into one consistent tale, makes him a most highly regarded figure for all Tolkien scholars and enthusiasts.