They finally arrived and they look amazing. I'm hoping to see a WM publication of The Great Tales in the future so that they all match properly. The glossy covers and height differences of the HMH versions really throw me off when they are next to the my HC and WM matte covers.

Anyone out there looking for a Pleasure in Reading Hobbit? Here's a reasonably priced copy 😭

Just want to share my joy with you! My Harper Collins 2020 illustrated set arrived today! It's the first time I'm reading LotR in original, I did read it in Polish before but I don't remember hardly anything as I was 8yo at the time. I finished Hobbit few days ago and I'm ready for the bigger adventure :)

Found this in a thrift store today. Anybody know anything about it? Good content?

I was the lucky bidder on eBay, and I am near giddy!
I have been looking for this printing for a long time.

https://preview.redd.it/yh51jazo1ege1.jpg?width=2448&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=bff13c6ca97cc02a2851184a2dfbe6ed4cbb2d16

https://preview.redd.it/x52ziczo1ege1.jpg?width=2448&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=357c92f238d97c740ae829a90a9b949180946bd4

https://preview.redd.it/02nlgdzo1ege1.jpg?width=2448&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=98b87aebd00d082941aaf51146b8caf4b6b82836

https://preview.redd.it/p3t7lczo1ege1.jpg?width=2448&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=f4e08cc9bc5e40cd9fa71f7987caa2bf5e39daa5

https://preview.redd.it/741e7hzo1ege1.jpg?width=2448&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=e81b10eb73c323df0dee78c08d1d7eb6ce4a2672

https://preview.redd.it/xzeqadzo1ege1.jpg?width=2448&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=3acb4c9b14ba5aba2fdf8ea80e1fe823c88b5447

https://preview.redd.it/28vfcfzo1ege1.jpg?width=2448&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=ea0953332deb36e59c1728e13a4876bb2d1ef9d5

My collection so far. Anyone else in the UK? Wondering when the next Matte cover hardbacks are coming out? I know Mr.Bliss was released on the same size as the others but I already have it in a smaller version

I'm pretty proud of my collection but I have yet to find these:

• Blue Wizards paperback Unfinished Tales
• A decent priced copy of The Old English Exodus
• The Elvish Writing Systems of J.R.R. Tolkien by Matthew Coombes
• A decent priced copy of The Hobbit illustrated with the 1977 movie images

As an aside I'm happy that in the last year I got the 2000 black box Hobbit edition (https://tolkienbooks.net/php/details2.php?id=1222 )

Everything I ever like to have and read: LotR with comments, Hobbit (old and new editions), History of Middle Earth and Unfinished Tales. And two art albums — it's always interesting to follow author's fantasy. Red LotR tome is a so-called deluxe edition. I've bought it cheap on a sale.

I just got a new bookshelf big enough to have some empty space here and there. I like organizing them by genre but I also like keeping classics together. For context in my classics section I have some penguin classics, some Sherlock Holmes, some French books like little prince and some Jules vernes…

What I’m not sure about is if I a should put my lord of the rings and hobbit books in fantasy or classics. I also have the Harry Potter and the hunger games books that could potentially go with classics but for them I think fantasy and sci fi respectively. What do you think?

How is the quality of the newer Tolkien signature edditions? I'm looking for a nice paperback set for for reading.

edit: for some clarification, I have a variety of other (non-Tolkien) paperbacks that vary wildly in quality. Obviously there's a difference between mass market and trade paperbacks, but even trades range from smooth, quality paper, to gritty-papered, stiff books.

I want a paperback set that's a joy to hold and read, not one that feels like it's breaking just by opening it.

It's a little funny to me that in a subreddit about collecting books, so many responses are "there's no difference, a book is a book".

I've been on a hunt for this Silmarillion edition (ISBN 9780261102422) for almost 2 years, trying to find a copy with aligned clean matte dust jacket. It seems to be that all of the matte copies have the white line on the spine and the front. Gold lettering ones are fine, but they don't match my 60th LOTR and UT editions... Contacted HarperCillins UK team several times but their response was always quite ambivalent (bad stock, try again later). Now when the edition is effectively discontinued it would be very helpful to hear from you guys, how your copy looks. Please chime in to share your experience, thanks

https://preview.redd.it/n99vdiu5z4ge1.jpg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=129dc7fbc8ca78dfdeb92b6124c395bcb7ae0d31

https://preview.redd.it/6hbrleu5z4ge1.jpg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=4484da61fcde74d7c034a3a72c089c5b9fad4a71

We see a lot of the top of the line stuff in this sub- leather bound, India paper, 1st editions etc.

Whats the edition you’d grab for a camping trip in the Alaskan wilderness or a trek through the Amazon? What’s your go to edition that can take a beating or has some traits that would be useful in a survival scenario? It can be 3 in 1 or any other arrangement of the LOTR that has been printed.

This sub got recommended to me from r/TheSilmarillion.

My friend is graduating from a master's degree program and I want to get him a great gift.

He loves Tolkien and especially the Silmarillion, I was looking at first editions.

Any advice on getting him a nice Silmarillion gift? Budget is between 100-300 USD.

I recently received a copy of Oxford Poetry 1915 which is known for being Tolkien's first notable published work in book form (excluding pamphlets and the sort). This is one of my holy grails that I never thought I would own. This was published in both hardcover and paperback, mine is a first impression of the paperback (850 copies according to https://tolkienbooks.net, with the 1st impression hardcover being only 150 copies). I am in wonder to hold what is essentially Tolkien's first work that is 110 years old! The book itself is quite well worn and the cover quite fragile, but I doubt that I will find a better copy within my affordability range.

I will post a few photos here, but for the all of the photos, please visit my 3 part reply to this thread on https://www.tolkienguide.com.

After seeing the inspiring posts of custom solanders and cases on this sub, I will be making a custom solander to properly protect it.

Front cover of Oxford Poetry 1915, paperback

Title page of Oxford Poetry 1915, paperback

Tolkien's first published work in a book from of Oxford Poetry 1915, paperback

Hi everyone!

First of all sorry for the cross-posting, I posted the same in r/tolkienfans and I'm trying to put it down cause I think this space might be more appropriate. Sorry admins!

I'm working on improving my collection of tolkien books and was browsing for HoME, but there's something that is not clear to me when it comes to work out the edition and the authenticity of certain items.

For Example, the first book, is found with different coloured covers. My understanding is that the DJ of that book should be blue, but I find versions online with a black DJ (I can't tell if it is black or very dark blue) and even purple DJ.

What would you think about the below? This is a picture on an ebay ad:

https://flic.kr/p/2qHUcuT

The ad claims it is for a first edition from A&U, third impression, and it checks out from the copyright page (even though I'm not sure why it is missing the "second impression" from the list of impressions):

https://flic.kr/p/2qHMum4

What baffles me is that the book seems genuine, but there's just something that does not add up on the DJ, being black, it has a stricker barcode oddly placed on the back and it has no price on it (which is usually indicating a BCA version):

https://flic.kr/p/2qHThSM

Can I ask the opinion of someone more expert than me on the matter? Cause my gut says that the book itself might be genuine, but the DJ has been replaced, which would kick down the value of the item itself.

As my collection of Tolkien grows, I’m interested in picking up some of the books either written about Tolkien or about middle earth that are worth having for rounding out a good Tolkien collection.

What are some of the standard recommendations to grab as I come across them?

My girlfriend, bless her heart, accidentally ordered two sets for me for Christmas ("It was more expensive than I thought"...haha). I love it, of course, but am wondering what the best way to get close to what she paid for it. Ebay? Is there a special Tolkien book swap site?

She told me to do with it what I want, so I'm tempted to keep it sealed and use the open one as a reading copy, but I feel bad she spent so much so am probably going to sell it for her.

p.s. I'm in the US.

Years ago I read a copy of The Two Towers that I quite liked, though I no longer have, and I am attempting to identify which edition it was. It was a hardcover without a dust jacket. It was cream-colored and embossed with a black pattern. It was pre-2017. Any idea what it might be? So far I haven't found anything like it online.

Hello.

I've been looking for a good "Silmarillion" edition to buy and this one caugth my eye.

However i haven't been able to find a video or image online from which i am able to tell if it does indeed have glossy paper or not.

If anyone who has this edition could tell me I would be very thankfull.

Here is the book i am refering to.