The lord of the rings [illustrated slipcased edition] (illustrated by alan lee)

Having only an old 1994 worn paperback edition of the Lord of the Rings, I wanted to purchase a version that I could read and display for many years to come. I did a ton of research and decided upon this version (ISBN 116-1749849-2513827), illustrated by Alan Lee and published by Harper Collins in June 2014 (I am adding these details because the Amazon.com site does not make it clear what this version is). Please note that this particular printing is NOT available in the US but any Tolkien or LotR devotee should not be deterred (Frodo wouldn't have been!). I must say that this is the finest published one-volume version of the LotR that I have ever laid eyes upon, and is well worth every penny. It includes approximately 50 high-quality color illustrations by Alan Lee, which even for a 30-something like me makes the reading experience exceptional. The front and back covers are made of durable, high-quality cloth (as shown), with a strong and handsome turquoise binding. The pages -- not just the illustrations but the entire book -- are glossy and made of "whiter" paper than you generally find, the margins large, and the typeset easy on the eyes. For those who care about such things, the printing is based on the 2004 corrected text, with even further corrections. There are updated introductions/forwards by Wayne G. Hammond & Christina Scull, authors of the authoritative "LOTR Readers Companion," as well as by Douglas A. Anderson, who provides a detailed publication history of the Lord of the Rings. The full appendices are included. Two-page red and black maps of Middle Earth and of Gondor/Rohan/Mordor adorn the front and back covers, with a map of the Shire before the first chapter. Also present are other essentials such as the Doors of Moria and the Tomb of Balin. The only drawback is that the facsimile pages of the Book of Mazarbul was not included, which I found to be surprising and a bit disappointing Also, the ring inscription and the Gandalf "rune" are printed in black rather than silver and red. Probably the main issue is the clear plastic slipcover, which is barely bigger than the book itself, and it is difficult to slip the book back inside it after taking it out. You are more likely to scuff the corners of the book. That being said, these are far from dealbreakers, and the joy to be received from owning this edition far outweighs these issues.

The most beautiful edition of the lotr trilogy in a single form factor.

I think most of us can remember when we first discovered the Lord of the Rings, whether you were introduced through the films or through the books, the feeling of being transported so completely to a world beyond our own is not easily forgotten. It is undeniably one of the great stories of our time, not only because it serves as well-written escapism, but also because it touches on something deeper, something essential that clearly touched the hearts of many. When creating the world of Middle Earth, Tolkien was heavily inspired by the myths of old, taking influences from Norse paganism as found in, for example, the poetic Edda and the Anglo-Saxon epic Beowulf. But it was his own Christianity that ultimately shaped The Lord of the Rings into what he himself believes to be a fundamentally religious and Catholic work, unconsciously so at first, but consciously in the revision. At first glance, we indeed find a lot of Christian imagery in The Lord of the Rings. There are angels and demons, Heaven and Hell, temptation, resurrection, and a clear distinction between a physical and spiritual reality. This, however, does not mean the story is a Christian allegory. In fact, Tolkien famously disliked allegories, stating he rather prefers history, be it real or fictional. He was particularly fond of Mythology, especially fairy tales, because, in his words: “… they open the door on Other Time, and if we pass through though only for a moment we stand outside our own time, outside Time itself, maybe”. When written successfully, such journeys beyond our own world allow us to glimpse at deeper meanings that are not bound by any time or place, but that are universal to all. There is indeed no better medium for moral teaching than the good fairy story, and this is what made The Lord of the Rings such a phenomenal success. As one author comments, exploring Tolkien’s world was not just interesting, it was not even just fascinating, it was sheer joy, for we knew that here we had touched the truth. This book was a homecoming. This book broke our hearts. Here was a world that was real, in fact more real, more solid than the one we left behind when we opened the covers of that book. In his ambitious task of translating The Lord of the Rings to film, Peter Jackson understood the mythological essence of Tolkien’s work, approaching it not as whimsical fantasy but as actual history. He said: “Look, we’ve been given the job of making The Lord of the Rings, but I want to, from this point on, I want to think that Lord of the Rings is real, that it was actually history, that these events happened. And more than that, I want us to, to imagine that we’ve been lucky enough to be able to go on location and shoot our movie where the real events happened.” On top of that, he was able to use the specific qualities of Cinema to not only adapt but also expand on Tolkien’s mythology. Most notably, by using New Zealand’s natural beauty to give Middle Earth the strong sense of place that makes it feel both otherworldly as well as intimately familiar, and by composing a vast soundtrack that uses musical leitmotifs to enrich the various cultural histories and ground us even further into this world as one that actually exists. To me, these are elements that have since become inseparable from Tolkien’s work and perhaps even vital to understanding it in its fullness.

Superb Quality of the Trilogy, but as someone who likes looking at their books on the shelves, I don't really like the plastic slipcase. It is not cheap, but simply sticks out. You don't have to use the slipcover though, that is a plus. The books themselves are, in my opinion, the greatest stories ever told. Young children to grown adults will love this story. It is a shame that it is being passed up for vampire and werewolf stories in younger generations. It is a tragedy. I hope everyone encourages their children to read this, so they can experience the pinnacle of fantasy writing.

I love this edition of the Lord of the rings. This has a TON of water colors that are stuck in right next to the action they are depicting, rather than at the chapter heading. The paper is of great quality, the type is easy to read, and so far I have not found any errors in the typesetting however I have not read the whole edition yet. Also the slipcase this comes in is vented on the top and bottom, so you don't need to fight a vacuum to pull the book out like other editions I own.

Gorgeous edition, text is very readable, layout is great and pictures are high quality. Only downside is it's a bit heavy to hold and read as it's all in one volume with high quality paper.

It seems many reviews here cover several ISBNs/editions. This review is for the edition shown in the stock photo for this review. Blue spine/Alan Lee illustrations. Note: I purchased this book through Amazon Warehouse and was missing the plastic dust cover. I cannot comment on the dust cover. I wanted my own copy of LOTR opposed to going to the library anytime I wanted to read the book. My search was for the following in LOTR: 1. Single Volume 2. Illustrated 3. Hardcover 4. Not boring aesthetically The blue spine of the book with gold lettering and the Alan Lee illustrations on the front and back cover of the book are unique. The aesthetics of the book itself are great and I was very satisfied with this. Regarding illustrations, I was not looking for an illustration every other page. This book has several (incredible actually) Alan Lee full page illustrations throughout. Extremely satisfied on the volume and quality illustrations. The book has some weight while reading. Though expected in hardcover single volume version. Bonus, it does have a ribbon book mark sewn in. Not a deal breaker, but I do tend to look for this feature. Though the ribbon on this one is pretty thin. The text font size is readable. I'm not sure what I was expecting here, but first impression was it was a little smaller than I'm used to. But not small enough to have any real complaints. I did fear there may be bible thin pages and eye straining fonts, but that is really not the case. Also satisfied with this aspect for the most part. I'm very satisfied with this purchase, it met on the requirements i was looking for in a LOTR book. I hope that this clears up some versions out there. If you were like me (just looking for a good, illustrated hardcover LOTR) then you probably noticed this search is a little more difficult than you expected.

I Received this copy of The Lord of the Rings fairly quick. It was well packaged and was in excellent condition. I plan to order several more items in the near future.

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Paper quality and the illustrations are really good, but the book itself is really heavy you would be tired if you tried to hold this thing up and try to read it

Scelto in lingua originale , ottima impaginazione e le immagini inserite sono suggestive . Un po’ pesante essendo molto grande ma stiamo parlando della Bibbia del fantasy , libro importante per dimensioni importanti

Article arrivé ce matin bien emballé, mais il y a un accroc sur la couverture et certaines pages sont marquées, comme si elles avaient été pliées ... inacceptable considérant le prix de l’article. Le livre est très beau mais je le retourne en espérant que le prochain sera véritablement à la hauteur de mes attentes et de mon enthousiasme! Mise à jour: remplacement arrivé en parfait état, je suis ravie! Les illustrations sont magnifiques et le papier glacé, je n’ai plus qu’à me plonger dans l’histoire et profiter!

An absolutely beautiful edition and I can not imagine any better. The illustrations are a joy and the overall built quality is superb. I very worthwhile purchase.