I hate to admit it, but I cannot freaking read The Silmarillion or the books of lost tales, unfinished tales, and so on - their quasi-biblical style just bores me to tears for some reason, and I suddenly realize I’ve read three pages withuot actually reading a thing.
Is there some sort of “Cliff’s Notes” guide online that lays out the basic cosmology of Middle Earth - that is, the creation myth, the pre-history, and so on, everything leading up to the LOTR series?
There are several tries at what you want on the internet.
I don’t know of any in Print.
Here is a list of possible internet Readings:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ainulindale#Main_Synopsis Fairly good
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eru_Ilúvatar On Erü
http://www.physics.ccsu.edu/Larsen/jrrt.html
A strange take on it: http://www.ufodigest.com/quest4.html
Good Luck
Jim
If you have questions after reading, toss them back here.
We can always try to gather up the Tolkien Experts. There are many of us.
Jim