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cwhisonant
Registered User
Jan 3 2015, 9:18pm
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Looking for hardcover LOTR recommendations
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This is my first post here. I read the Hobbit, Lord of the Rings, and Silmarillion a few years ago. I liked the movies and thought I would try out the books. And did I ever like them! I wish I didn't wait until my 30's to start reading Tolkien!! And my 11 year-old daughter likes the books, too! But all I had purchased in the past were the mass-market paperback type copies. I read LOTR the first time in an omnibus paperback edition. And over the past couple of months I've read a good bit of the other Tolkien material, including Beowulf in hardcover.
But now I'm interested in getting a decent hardcover set of LOTR. I am hoping to find something bound well that will hold up to actually reading through them and enjoying the books. I was actually quite pleased with how the recent release of Beowulf held up for me to read through. I've searched around here some and I believe my first preference would be to find a set of the Alan Lee illustrated books. Would these be printed on glossy paper?
It seems that these can be found pretty easily on eBay at decent prices.
But would anyone else be able to comment on some of these editions?
Houghton Mifflin 1988 printing: http://www.ebay.com/itm/LORD-OF-THE-RINGS-9780395489321-J-R-R-TOLKIEN-HARDCOVER-NEW-/191466149474?pt=US_Fiction_Books&hash=item2c94459662
Houghton Mifflin 1965 printing: http://www.ebay.com/itm/J-R-R-Tolkien-The-Lord-Of-The-Rings-Trilogy-1965-Hardcover-Box-Set-/231438546978?pt=US_Fiction_Books&hash=item35e2cff822
Although, the 50th Anniversary edition is quite tempting as well.
If anyone else has suggestions for me, please let me know.
By the way, Happy Birthday JRR Tolkien! :D
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Elizabeth
Half-elven
Jan 3 2015, 10:35pm
Post #2 of 8
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There's a good review by Chad M. Brick of various hard cover editions on Amazon (obtain by searching for LotR hardcover):
This is not a review of Tolkien's "The Lord of the Rings". Its having been voted "The Greatest Book of the Millenium" here on Amazon.com says more than enough about the worth of Tolkien's work. Rather, it is a review of the several hardcover editions of this fantastic story.
There are four major hardcover editions of LOTR, all published by Houghton Mifflin Co. They are essentially the same price, so I will not take that into consideration.
The best of the editions (5 stars) is the blue Alan Lee illustrated version printed in Nov 1991. I have owned this book for several years, and read it three times. It is durable, beautiful, and has no flaws that I have found. The illustrations are wonderful, though most Tolkien fans will have seen these pictures before.
The red edition printed in Nov 1974 is also a solid edition of the book (4 stars). It is every bit as good as the blue version, but does not have the illustrations. If you are the type of reader that prefers to leave everything to your imagination, this is the version for you.
Both the blue and red versions have matching editions of "The Hobbit" (Houghton Mifflin, Sep 1997 or Oct 1973, respectively). I found both of these editions to be satisfactory.
The other two major editions of LOTR - the white three-volume edition from Oct 1988 and the black seven-volume edition from Jan 2000 - are not recommended (2 stars). The print quality in both is poor, and the durability is less than that of the red and blue versions. The only advantage of these editions is portability, as the red and blue versions are single-volume and quite hefty.
I have both the blue Alan Lee set and the 50th Anniv. Ed. Both are beautiful. However, if you actually plan to read them, you need to be aware that the single-volume Anniv. Ed. is very heavy, and not really comfortable to read.
(This post was edited by Elizabeth on Jan 3 2015, 10:37pm)
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cwhisonant
Registered User
Jan 3 2015, 10:56pm
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Thanks so much! I believe I'm going to keep an eye out for the 1991 Alan Lee edition. Though I've found a three volume Lee edition as well and wondering how it would compare? It's a 2002 edition.
I knew there was a post here on this topic that my 20 minutes of searching didn't turn up. Thanks again! :)
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cwhisonant
Registered User
Jan 5 2015, 1:14pm
Post #4 of 8
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Some information on the 2002 Alan Lee illustrated 3 book set
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I was looking around on Amazon and saw that Chad M. Brick posted his review above on the 1988 set's page. In the comments there, I found this information.
Don't forget the 2002 hardcover boxed set ISBN 0-618-26058-7 (previously issued 1992, same except minor case and jacket changes), also illustrated by Alan Lee, distinguished by a larger (taller, wider) format and darker, blacker set of jackets and box, about $6 more expensive than the 1988 HC set. The books are very well made, in a full sewn full cloth binding very similar to that of the 2004 HC Silmarillion ISBN 0-618-39111-8. The print quality, paper, and size/format are also close to that of this Silmarillion too. I like the 1988 set, but I agree with the reviewer above that it is of only average quality as hardcover books go. If you want a HC box set, this is the best one currently in print in the US. (From a W. White)
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Otaku-sempai
Immortal
Jan 5 2015, 2:36pm
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One thing that I would check is whether a given edition retains old typographical errors (to this day) or not. A good example is the timeline of Appendix B, which in some editions ascribes the wrong year of birth to Samwise Gamgee (the correct year is TA 2980).
'There are older and fouler things than Orcs in the deep places of the world.' - Gandalf the Grey, The Fellowship of the Ring
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Kristin Thompson
Rohan
Jan 6 2015, 10:06pm
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is considered by Tolkien scholars to be the definitive one. Experts Wayne Hammond and Christina Scull have gone through line by line, correcting errors that crept into earlier editions through typos and other changes. They have come up with the text closest to what Tolkien intended. (Their books on Tolkien's paintings and drawings are also musts for enthusiasts.) There are no illustrations, apart from Tolkien's own painting of the Book of Mazarbul (which to his regret was not included when LOTR was originally published) and the maps and so on. The original version was leather-bound and gilt-edged with a silk-ribbon bookmark, and it is very sturdy. I don't know about later printings, but I imagine they're pretty durable as well. The leather-bound one also had a slip-case. It's still available commonly on eBay, and distinctly cheaper than the original $100 or so.
But the Alan Lee one-volume version is nice, too!
Kristin
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cwhisonant
Registered User
Jan 7 2015, 1:53pm
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I've ordered a copy of the 2002 Alan Lee illustrated 3 book set as it seems to be a great blend of what I'm looking for (as I would like to use it as a reading set). Though, someday, I may get the single-volume edition as well. 
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swordwhale
Tol Eressea
Jan 13 2015, 9:06pm
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is the big fat ginormous hugemongous
(I think 1992) Alan Lee illustrated (the....best.. ever) LOTR.
Worth the Alan Lee illos alone.
"Judge me by my size, would you?" Max the Hobbit Husky.
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