A significant part of the legends of Middle-earth remained unknown to the general public for a long time. Most of the stories written by John R. R. Tolkien were never written into novels or novellas. Christopher Tolkien, John's son, after the death of his father, began publishing his rough notes in his own edition. The second volume of selected works included The Silmarillion, published in 1977, the prehistory of the legendary Lord of the Rings trilogy.