The Lord of the Rings Illustrated by the Author: Illustrated by J.R.R. Tolkien

By J.R.R. Tolkien

Book Overview

A very special edition of J. R. R. Tolkien's classic masterpiece, The Lord of the Rings, gorgeously illustrated throughout in color by the author himself with the complete text printed in two colors, plus sprayed edges and a ribbon bookmark.

Since it was first published in 1954, The Lord of the Rings has been a book people have treasured. Steeped in unrivaled magic and otherworldliness, Tolkien's sweeping fantasy and epic adventure has touched the hearts of young and old alike. More than 150 million copies of its many editions have been sold around the world, and occasional collectors' editions become prized and valuable items of publishing.

This one-volume, jacketed hardcover edition contains the complete text, fully corrected and reset, which is printed in red and black and features, for the very first time, thirty color illustrations, maps and sketches drawn by Tolkien himself as he composed this epic work. These include the pages from the Book of Mazarbul, marvelous facsimiles created by Tolkien to accompany the famous 'Bridge of Khazad-dum' chapter. Also appearing are two removable fold-out maps drawn by Christopher Tolkien revealing all the detail of Middle-earth.

Sympathetically packaged to reflect the classic look of the first edition, this new edition of the bestselling hardback will prove irresistible to collectors and new fans alike.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0358653037
• ISBN13: 9780358653035
• Release Date: November 2021
• Publisher: William Morrow & Company
• Length: 1248 Pages
• Weight: 3.50 lbs.
• Dimensions: 2.5" x 6.0" x 9.0"

Customer Reviews

The Lord of the Rings in one volume.

This is one of them greatest books of all time. Everyone should read this book. These books constantly show and display manliness and virtue at it's best. Very encouraging and easy to read.

Gorgeous

This edition is spotless. It came very quickly and is absolutely beautiful. Its not entirely what I was expecting but it is still a beautiful book!!!

The entire story AND more, all in one book...

This is, and shall always be one of my favorite books. I like it because it's all three parts in one - more manageable. Although the story is in itself an incomparable epic, the other main reason I like this copy is because of the excellent appendices: my favorites were the concise guide to elvish and dwarvish languages - which got me interested in them. If you're not into gimmicks and showy covers, this is possibly the best copy you could find - the entire story for a great price.

The finest edition of LOTR ever published

While the price of this book is steep, this is easily the best version of this book in existance. The gilded pages and high-quality leather look, smell and feel wonderful. This is not the questionable quality leather used on previous versions, this is the real deal. More importantly, this version has, as J.R.R. recorded in letters, reproductions of the Book of Marzubul. These are the pages from the Dwarven book found in the Mines of Moria by Gandalf and the Fellowship. In the begining and ending of the book are also included maps that fold out to render Middle-earth for the reader, again as the author originally wanted. This is the book that Tolkien dreamed of having published but couldn't due to the realities of post-WWII publishing costs and questions about a 400,000 word publication. For me, there is an emtoional response to this book for two reasons. One, it is as fine or better than the book the author originally wished to have published and two, it is a beautiful piece of art all on its own, suitable for display. If you love books or love Tolkien or both, this is a must have and the centerpiece of any worthy collection.

well...

This is excellent, the way the Lord of the Rings should always have been published. It was the way it was intended to be published as well. If you don't have the trilogy, what are you waiting for?

Review on Editions

Houghton Mifflin Co published three editions of the one-volume LOTR, all of which include the complete text and the appendices:This 1991 centennial edition has largest text. It includes durable binding, smooth white pages, glossy illustrations, an illustrated cover jacket, and an red ribbon bookmark sewn into the binding. However, the book is the largest LOTR book I've ever seen in my life -- It's quite hefty.There is a red, faux-leather collector's edition published in 1974. It is slightly smaller in dimensions compared to the centennial edition and weighs considerably less. The cover is beautiful and unmatched in elegance. Chapter headings and margin headings are in orange red. The pages are slightly tinted yellow, as smooth as the centennial edition, and seem to emit a pleasant flagrance. However, there is "broken type" on nearly every page because the text is not conventionally set, but rather a photo offset from another edition. (Conventionally set text would read like a Word document printed with a laser printer. Photo offset would be as if one had scanned that laser-printed World document into a JPEG, and reprinted out that JPEG.) The binding of this edition also seems to be of lesser quality than the 1991 centennial edition.There is also the LOTR Movie Art Cover edition printed in June of 2001. Like the centennial edition's cover illustration, this edition's movie art is also on a cover jacket. I am not too familiar with this edition, but from casual browsing, I've found that the text, though smallest, looks the most "conventionally set," and the pages are of the same quality as the centennial edition. The book is smaller in height and width but thicker than the collector's edition. The binding looks solid enough, but there is no movie art in the book.My personal favorite is the centennial edition.

MASTERFULL..GREAT ADVENTURE..

I have never read a more incredible story about fantasy, every page has more adventure and is all perfectly filled with power.Tolkien knows how to make us feel in harmony and in darkness too, this story goes from the most beauty and peacefull to the last places of doom and shadows. A must read story that will always remain among the fantasy classics.