Product Description

Stunning covers by John Howe and David Wyatt. A beautiful gift edition - new to the Collins Modern Classics series.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #208904 in Books
• Published on: 2002-10-07
• Original language: English
• Binding: Paperback
• 1600 pages

Guardian
‘A most remarkable feat.’

From the Publisher
A beautiful illustrated boxed set collecting the two most popular Tolkien hardbacks - the Centenary edition of The Lord of the Rings and the 60th Anniversary edition of The Hobbit, both illustrated by Alan Lee.

About the Author
J.R.R.Tolkien (1892-1973) was a distinguished academic, though he is best known for writing The Hobbit, The Lord of the Rings and The Silmarillion, plus other stories and essays. His books have been translated into over 30 languages and have sold many millions of copies worldwide.

Customer Reviews

AMAZING!!!
THIS BOOK IS FANTASTIC

DEFINITELY ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS EVER WRITTEN!

BRILLIANT CHARACTERS

HUGELY TENSE CLIFFHANGERS

AND AT THE BEGINNING OF THE BOOK A LOVELY QUIET FEW CHAPTERS BEFORE THE ACTION COMES IN

AND DON'T GET ME STARTED ON THE SECOND TWO

Masterpiece
I guess when someone like me has to review Lord Of The Rings these days it is not enough to comment on the text of it, but also on the edition itself and the value for money. After all, following the success of the films, many of the versions seemed to mysteriously inflate in price.
Do you really need me to tell you the story? I wouldn't dare to insult your intelligence. It is my personal favourite book of all time, and I'm well read I like to think, and to top that you get the Hobbit as well!
This is a lovely little set, though you could hardly call it somethng for collectors, this must be about the 30th edition, which says something for the endearing popularity of it.
One thing, please make sure you read the Hobbit first. It is underrated and suffers from being under the shadow of its monstrous sibling, which runs into excess of 1000 pages (so not to be taken lightly). I have known people complain about Tolkiens language, but he was a professor of the English language, he knew what he was doing. For me, it adds a kind of quaint, comfortable feel to the books, and makes them feel like something more than sheets of paper, and gives it a soul.

Great story, not so great publication
Obviously, I don't need to blather on about how amazing the LOTR is or how much of a genius Tolkien is... there are many reviews that have already done that. Instead, I would like to comment on the actual edition of this book set - something I think will be a little more helpful to those of you deciding which set of LOTR books to buy.

Advantages of this edition are:

1. This 4-book paperback set includes "The Hobbit", which is a must-read before starting the LOTR trilogy.
2. I would describe the paper as "normal" paperback quality.
3. The presentation box is nice and sturdy.
4. The cover artwork (though not from the film) is really nice.

However, there is ONE major disadvantage of this edition:

1. THE TYPSET. The typset of "The Hobbit" is great - nicely spaced and easy to read, but don't let that fool you... The publisher has made the decision to make each of the 4 books in this set the same size (I assume for aesthetic purposes). Therefore, as each book of the trilogy is much longer than "The Hobbit", the typset for each of these 3 books is very small and very close together. Make sure you have a good pair of spectacles and/or a very well lit room and you'll be fine!

All in all a good price for a box set of 4 books. However, if you're looking for paperbacks that will get worn after re-reading many times, I would suggest purchasing the books individually in a more "eye-friendly" edition!