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[Loxley]

I found one of the original authorized re-prints of RotK from 1965 at a local used book store yesterday, which is great since I have none of these in my collection. These were the re-prints that were published by Houghton-Mifflin to combat the rampant spread of un-authorized editions of LotR being published by Ace Books (thanks to a copyright loophole) in the US at the time.

As you can tell by the scotch-tape that the previous owner(s) used to hold the binding together, it's seen better days :lol I love the cover, the color-usage is so liquid 1960's that it's oddly charming.

 

[SatelliteOfLove]

I found one of the original authorized re-prints of RotK from 1965 at a local used book store yesterday, which is great since I have none of these in my collection. These were the re-prints that were published by Houghton-Mifflin to combat the rampant spread of un-authorized editions of LotR being published by Ace Books (thanks to a copyright loophole) in the US at the time.

As you can tell by the scotch-tape that the previous owner(s) used to hold the binding together, it's seen better days :lol I love the cover, the color-usage is so liquid 1960's that it's oddly charming.

My parents as far as I know still have their dogeared copies from that print run. One even has the front cover still!

 

[Megalosaro]

Project I'm curious to attempt is to try to piece together, as coherent and consistent as possible, using the different drafts from HoME and Unfinished Tales, an extremely long and detailed version of the Silmarillion. I realize this is a fool's errand because Tolkien never finished most of the stories, or settled on some details, but I think it'd be fun to read a long form version of the Silmarillion, even with the limitations that would affect the story.

 

[Altazor]

so my impression of the First Age of Middle-Earth is that Morgoth does whatever the fuck he wants, and if you set foot outside of whatever badass hidden elf kingdom you're holed up in to step to him, he goes "great! now I know where you are!" and you are entirely fucked, and probably your badass hidden elf kingdom is fucked too

some of it could've been avoided if not for Fëanor and that damned oath, I think.

 

[Megalosaro]

Really all of it could have been avoided if not for the House of Feanor's damn foolishness. If the Noldor hadn't acted like assholes, the Valar would have intervened from the start.

 

[Dogfacedgod]

What's the consensus here on the History of Middle Earth?

There's a box set I've seen for like $200 that has all 12 volumes but I'm not sure if it's work the expense.

Does it expand the story/universe or is it just a dissection of main books?

 

[fredrancour]

What's the consensus here on the History of Middle Earth?

There's a box set I've seen for like $200 that has all 12 volumes but I'm not sure if it's work the expense.

Does it expand the story/universe or is it just a dissection of main books?

It does both. It dissects every text they could possibly find, tracing the evolution of the story over time, and in the process looks at some stuff that wasn't in the actual ME books.



Side note: Every time I see this thread I hope it's Edmond coming back....

 

[Dogfacedgod]

It does both. It dissects every text they could possibly find, tracing the evolution of the story over time, and in the process looks at some stuff that wasn't in the actual ME books.



Side note: Every time I see this thread I hope it's Edmond coming back....

Does anyone know the quality of the three volume box set of the entire history? That one seems nice but there's also individual hard cover volumes that some reviews said have better paper quality.

 

[Loxley]

New illustrated edition of The Hobbit now available, featuring illustrations by an up-and-coming artist named Jemima Catlin.

I think the art looks great, reminds me a little of Maurice Sendak's art for Where the Wild Things Are.

 

[Fathead]

I've been reading The People's of Middle-Earth. I liked seeing the creation of the numenor backstory.

 

[Barmaley]

Does anyone know the quality of the three volume box set of the entire history? That one seems nice but there's also individual hard cover volumes that some reviews said have better paper quality.

That's what I'd like to know too. There is one unboxing of the complete set clip on youtube, but the pages look underwhelmingly thin

 

[Loxley]

I got my copy of the new illustrated edition of The Hobbit from a couple posts above, and it really is great. There are over 150 illustrations total, which is a far cry from the number in Alan Lee's illustrated edition. For those who may be put-off by the tone that Jackson is setting for his films and want a nice reminder of how great of a children's story The Hobbit is, I highly recommend it. Catlin's art is a great match for Tolkien's words.

Side note - This brings the total number of copies of The Hobbit that I own to eight, or nine if you count the graphic novel adaption. I'm starting to feel like a hoarder.

Spoiler

What if I need eight copies of The Hobbit in the future? I just want to be prepared.

 

[bengraven]

Gorgeous, and as you said it looks like a children's book. It almost looks like a modern interpretation of Tolkien's personal art.

Personally, however, while I would give that copy to my son easily, I still prefer Tolkien's art and would love to get the Howe or Lee editions.

 

[Loxley]

Gorgeous, and as you said it looks like a children's book. It almost looks like a modern interpretation of Tolkien's personal art.

Personally, however, while I would give that copy to my son easily, I still prefer Tolkien's art and would love to get the Howe or Lee editions.

Absolutely, the Lee edition is particularly great when you pair it with his illustrated editions of The Lord of the Rings.

 

[Loxley]

Well this thread has certainly been dormant for a while, we must fix that.

Harper Collins have revealed the tie-in cover for The Hobbit and Desolation of Smaug:

As much as I dislike it when book covers use imagery from their respective film adaptions, I actually like this one. That said, if you buy one copy of The Hobbit this year - be sure to grab the illustrated edition mentioned a few posts up

 

[kess]

I found one of the original authorized re-prints of RotK from 1965 at a local used book store yesterday, which is great since I have none of these in my collection. These were the re-prints that were published by Houghton-Mifflin to combat the rampant spread of un-authorized editions of LotR being published by Ace Books (thanks to a copyright loophole) in the US at the time.

As you can tell by the scotch-tape that the previous owner(s) used to hold the binding together, it's seen better days :lol I love the cover, the color-usage is so liquid 1960's that it's oddly charming.

Those books look really cool when you line them up all in a row.

Tolkien book covers are kind of a subject in and of themselves. I really like the Tolkien paintings on the early 70s editions and I'd like to track down a copy of the Hobbit with the Eric Fraser-Queen Margrethe illustrations:

 

[Loxley]

Well this looks pretty cool, just came out a few weeks ago.

The painstakingly crafted world that J.R.R. Tolkien created for The Hobbit, The Lord of the Rings, and The Silmarillion is so vivid that it’s easy to briefly imagine Middle-earth as a real place—even Tolkien himself had said it existed somewhere on Earth. From the languages spoken and the creatures that peopled it to the wars and cosmology, the richly imagined Middle-earth has left many artists and fans worldwide imagining what it would look and feel like to inhabit such a wildly inspired world. Tolkien left out no details in his picture so it is no surprise that Middle-earth has inspired such inventiveness in turn.

Middle-earth Envisioned is the first book to explore the artistic legacy left by Tolkien’s world. Paintings, drawings, theatrical performances, radio serials, and films inspired by The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings are all discussed in a manner that further illuminates the brilliance of Tolkien’s creation. Readers will discover details surrounding an attempted Beatles live-action version (with Paul McCartney as Frodo Baggins), a nearly four-hour Canadian musical, the West End stage production of Lord of the Rings, and of course, the Peter Jackson films—including the Hobbit trilogy—and much more. In this beautifully illustrated gift book, discover the richness of Middle-earth anew, through the works of the artists inspired by it.

 

[CorvoSol]

I just remembered the other day that I used to own a copy of Bored of the Rings. I wonder if it would be funny now that I'm old enough to understand half the humor in the book.

 

[noal]

I think it's time to soon start another re-read. I'm sure its been about two years now. I might even use the readers companion I bought a while ago.

 

[Megalosaro]

I just reread in the spring. I used to start in september and I want to start doing that again so ill probably wait until next fall to read again.

In other news I can't find my copy of the silmarillion anywhere

 

[noal]

At the moment all I have is paperbacks but I really need to buy some decent hardbacks, hopefully matching, of Hobbit, LOTR and The Silmarillion.

My poor paperbacks of LOTR have taken a battering in the last 12 years.

 

[peanutbutterlatte]

Starting work on my LotR dissertation in earnest today.

 

[noal]

Starting work on my LotR dissertation in earnest today.

Good luck.

Going through this thread again has geared me up for a Tolkien marathon.

 

[Loxley]

Starting work on my LotR dissertation in earnest today.

Awesome, good luck

 

[Loxley]

New deluxe edition of Unfinished Tales is now available on the UK online Tolkien bookshop.

 

[Candeldandel]

My jaw dropped and I said "Woooowwww" when I saw that this morning. So gorgeous! There are... too many gorgeous editions of Tolkien's works, how the hell are you supposed to pick the ones you want?

...Maybe that's a dumb question, hehhh

 

[TCRS]

I'll buy a leather wrapped set one day and then never read out of it. It's for the shelf and my inner peace knowing that I own such a magnificent edition.

 

[kharma45]

I was in Waterstones today and they had a nice display of LOTR and Hobbit books out

Not the best pictures but hey, you get the idea!

 

[bengraven]

Absolutely, the Lee edition is particularly great when you pair it with his illustrated editions of The Lord of the Rings.

I will own these someday.

 

[MagicWithEarvin]

New deluxe edition of Unfinished Tales is now available on the UK online Tolkien bookshop.

Please come to the US...

 

[fierrotlepou]

Does anyone know if Edmond is ever coming back? Loved his posts. As well as Loxley's.

 

[Mumei]

Is there a good collected edition of The History of Middle Earth? I can't seem to find one.

 

[Loxley]

Is there a good collected edition of The History of Middle Earth? I can't seem to find one.

Featuring all of the books? There's nothing officially in print right now, at least not anything that's south of a few hundred dollars unfortunately. You can buy the first five books for pretty cheap on Amazon, but books 6-12 are normally only sold individually.

I have seen books 6, 7, 8 & 9 (detailing the history of The Lord of the Rings) packaged together on rare occasions - but it's always been at a physical retailer like B&N or BAM.

 

[Mumei]

Featuring all of the books? There's nothing officially in print right now, at least not anything that's south of a few hundred dollars unfortunately. You can buy the first five books for pretty cheap on Amazon, but books 6-12 are normally only sold individually.

I have seen books 6, 7, 8 & 9 (detailing the history of The Lord of the Rings) packaged together on rare occasions - but it's always been at a physical retailer like B&N or BAM.

Are those editions mass market paperback? Or full-size? I really like the way these editions look, but I can't seem to find them for the earlier volumes.

 

[Loxley]

Are those editions mass market paperback? Or full-size? I really like the way these editions look, but I can't seem to find them for the earlier volumes.

Yep, they are. The reason the covers of the History of the Lord of the Rings books are different is (I believe) because they were reprinted when the films came out - and they've had the different design ever since. The first five books, however, maintain their original covers.

 

[The Artful Dodger]

My uncles had all the old Hardcovers of LOTR, Unfinished Tales and the Hobbit and the like from the 70s.

One of these days I'm gonna need to either find them and steal them, or get my own copies of all of Tolkien's Legendarium in super fancy nice Hardcover. Haha, it's gonna be expensive but sooo worth it.

 

[bengraven]

Are those editions mass market paperback? Or full-size? I really like the way these editions look, but I can't seem to find them for the earlier volumes.

Those ones are so hard to find cheap. I ended up getting the shitty mmpb ones.

 

[Mumei]

Yep, they are. The reason the covers of the History of the Lord of the Rings books are different is (I believe) because they were reprinted when the films came out - and they've had the different design ever since. The first five books, however, maintain their original covers.

Oh. Yeah, I really would prefer to get something of higher quality. I guess I'll have to just read the copies the library has and keep an eye out for something better.

Those ones are so hard to find cheap. I ended up getting the shitty mmpb ones.

I saw something for $1800!

Spoiler

This is not in my budget.

 

[BigWeather]

I saw something for $1800!

Spoiler

This is not in my budget.

I'm confused -- what versions are going for that much?

 

[Mumei]

I'm confused -- what versions are going for that much?

Oh, it was something of a joke. You know how sellers can sometimes demand hilariously unrealistic prices for items that are not offered by Amazon? This was one of those times.

This is what was being sold. I wonder what the quality is like.

Edit: Found a video that shows that they have very thin pages. Feh.

 

[BigWeather]

Oh, it was something of a joke. You know how sellers can sometimes demand hilariously unrealistic prices for items that are not offered by Amazon? This was one of those times.

This is what was being sold. I wonder what the quality is like.

Oh, haha. I knew I was missing something, thanks. =)

 

[VGChampion]

I found one of the original authorized re-prints of RotK from 1965 at a local used book store yesterday, which is great since I have none of these in my collection. These were the re-prints that were published by Houghton-Mifflin to combat the rampant spread of un-authorized editions of LotR being published by Ace Books (thanks to a copyright loophole) in the US at the time.

As you can tell by the scotch-tape that the previous owner(s) used to hold the binding together, it's seen better days :lol I love the cover, the color-usage is so liquid 1960's that it's oddly charming.

Aw, I feel bad because when I read the series for the first time I lost the FotR's cover. Still have all the others in pretty good condition but I always brought them to school and it just fell off one day.

 

[Mumei]

I wonder: bengraven, were the editions you were talking about the £40 editions?

 

[sharbhund]

Is there a good collected edition of The History of Middle Earth? I can't seem to find one.

I have this book on my shelf, but unfortunately, I don't have either books I or II from this series. It is very pretty though.

 

[Mumei]

I have this book on my shelf, but unfortunately, I don't have either books I or II from this series. It is very pretty though.

That is quite pretty indeed, though well out of my price range. I think I'm going to get the Fiftieth-Anniversary edition of The Lord of the Rings first, since I only have the crappy paperbacks I got when the movies were coming out more than ten years ago. And then I'll worry about The Hobbit, The Silmarillion, The History, and other stuff.

 

[DarkJediKnight]

Mr. Edmond Dante, you just disappeared without a trace!

 

[Loxley]

25% Christmas discount at the UK Tolkien Book Shop until January 5th

 

[Loxley]

Was at my local Barnes & Noble today and came across a book called "The Making of Middle-earth" by Christopher Snyder, which I'd never heard of before. So naturally I picked it up

It's very pretty on the inside, lot of images and fancy page layouts. I haven't begun reading it yet, but here's the Amazon description:

J. R. R. Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings consistently tops polls as the best-loved literary work of all time. Now medieval scholar and Tolkien expert Christopher Snyder presents the most in-depth exploration yet of Tolkien's source materials for Middle-earth—from the languages, poetry, and mythology of medieval Europe and ancient Greece to the halls of Oxford and the battlefields of World War I. Fueled by the author's passion for all things Tolkien, this richly illustrated book also reveals the surprisingly pervasive influence of Tolkien's timeless fantasies on modern culture.

 

[The Artful Dodger]

Found The Tolkien's Companion (1976), and Tolkien's Ring (1994), while cleaning my Garage!


Also: Just got the Legend of Sigurd & Gudrun and a buddy is getting me The Fall of Arthur!

 

[Loxley]

Found The Tolkien's Companion (1976), and Tolkien's Ring (1994), while cleaning my Garage!


Also: Just got the Legend of Sigurd & Gudrun and a buddy is getting me The Fall of Arthur!

Awesome! It's a shame Tolkien never finished The Fall of Arthur, especially because what we did get was great. Christopher Tolkien's notes within the book are just as interesting as the poem itself in my opinion.