Product Description

Oversized illustrated hardback edition of the first part of JRR Tolkien's epic masterpiece, The Lord of the Rings, fully reset and featuring full-page watercolour paintings by award-winning artist, Alan Lee. Sauron, the Dark Lord, has gathered to him all the Rings of Power -- the means by which he intends to rule Middle-earth. All he lacks in his plans for dominion is the One Ring -- the ring that rules them all -- which has fallen into the hands of the hobbit, Bilbo Baggins. In a sleepy village in the Shire, young Frodo Baggins finds himself faced with an immense task, as his elderly cousin Bilbo entrusts the Ring to his care. Frodo must leave his home and make a perilous journey across Middle-earth to the Cracks of Doom, there to destroy the Ring and foil the Dark Lord in his evil purpose.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #154011 in Books
• Published on: 2002-09-16
• Original language: English
• Binding: Hardcover
• 432 pages

Review
'An extraordinary book. It deals with a stupendous theme. It leads us through a succession of strange and astonishing episodes, some of them magnificent, in a region where everything is invented, forest, moor, river, wilderness, town and the races which inhabit them.' The Observer 'Among the greatest works of imaginative fiction of the twentieth century.' Sunday Telegraph 'Extraordinarily imaginative, and wholly exciting' The Times 'The story itself is superb' Observer 'A most remarkable feat' Guardian 'Masterpiece? Oh yes' Evening Standard 'An astonishing imaginative tour de force' Daily Telegraph 'A story magnificently told' New Statesman 'Tolkien was a storyteller of genius' Literary Review 'Amongst the greatest works of imaginative fiction of the twentieth century' Sunday Telegraph

W H Auden
'No fiction I have read in the last five years ahs given me more joy'.

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

A world apart...
Surely, surely this has to be the ultimate radio drama. A story of epic proportions set in a rich and varied folkloric landscape, adapted here with a seamless brilliance that pulls you irresistibly into its world of adventure, folklore, and deep, deep lyricism. The cast is a perfectly matched ensemble of actors almost as legendary as the characters they play - Ian Holm as Frodo making the transition from carefree youth to anguished anti-hero with complete conviction, Robert Stephens' majestic Aragorn an always commanding presence, and Michael Hordern's Gandalf somehow managing to capture both the twinkling humour and the somewhat melancholic wisdom of the wizard. Over all this, Stephen Oliver's strange and beautiful score adds an atmosphere of intense, otherworldly mysticism that enriches the whole, and emphasises the often overlooked poetical depth of Tolkien's Middle Earth.

Never underplaying the seriousness of its story, this production is quite simply an astounding achievement, and highly recommended to anyone - whether you have read the books or not.

Very pleased
I decided to replace my battered copies of these books, and wanted to go for the set of three (Yes, I know I am excluding the Hobbit here) rather than the single volume edition. This is of course the first of them. The reason I like this particular edition is of course because it is illustrated by Alan Lee, whose illustrations are both hugely popular and also what inspired and informed what we see in the movies directed by Peter Jackson. Alan Lee has also illustrated many other great pieces of work, not only J.R.R Tolkien books, for example, there is a wonderful edition of the Mabinogion that he illustrated.

A second reason to buy these is in the bigger-size of the books. They are large :) And of course, the best bit is that they are hardback, so I do not have to worry about them falling apart like my other ones did.

If you have not read these books, but always wanted to, I would suggest picking up this version of them. The illustrations are wonderful, and the division into three parts combined with the size of the books themselves, make the story very approachable :)

invigorating listening from which you never tire.
having read the lord of the rings many years ago, reliving the story through audio tapes was a wonderful experience. living in times which are constantly rushed, listening to books such as the fellowship of the ring, whilst driving in the car, sitting at the computer or doing work around the house makes life more enjoyable. i can't wait to see the new film.