Odd. I never thought small book vs bigger book. Bigger book will have larger print and more spacing. That never occurred to me when buying books. I like big print and spacing. I received the volumes on the right in his video. Very pretty. Well done. I'm looking forward to reading Hobbit and LOTR for the first time. If Silverkyle could recommend a readers companion book, that would be helpful. Some people say LOTR can be confusing. And I'm easily confused.
I'm going to pin this because I really like the idea of having a reader's companion, and I found two! Simple short summaries: lotr.fandom.com/wiki/Portal:The_Lord_of_the_Rings_Chapters Longer with more detailed summaries: tolkiengateway.net/wiki/The_Fellowship_of_the_Ring
Have you seen the films? It helps and will make it easier for you to get into the story. The novel starts really slow, but really builds up tension and by the end of "book one" (of six, so midway through Fellowship of the Ring) I was hooked.He really uses language to an incredible effect, but as some of the words aren't exactly everyday-use, having a dictionary nearby can be helpful, especially if you aren't a native speaker like me.
In case you wanted a physical compa ion: Tolkien's world A-Z the complete guide to Middle earth by Robert Foster. Lauded by the tolkien estate too. Stay away from David Day
@@silverkyle which dimensions those books have? I want to get a complete set of Tolkien books include the Silmarillion, Fall Of Gondolin and other. However as I can see, most of those books has dimension around 150x230mm, while with that set I'm not sure. It has same dimensions 150x230, but I can't understand is that books itself or books with the box? I don't need to outer box.
I love your "geeking out" in this video as you go through the illustrations, and that's not meant in any way to be insulting. Your love of the material really comes through and its a joy to see.
Alan Lee was born for these illustrations. His work for Easton Press and Folio Society is equally stunning and worth a look just to appreciate his remarkable vision of 'antiquity'.
I ordered these the other day. I've been itching for a deep reread of all four of these books recently and I decided that if was time to invest in a good set that I can read for years and to my future children. Shipping from UK to Vermont, they're currently in Boston making their way north. In just a few days I'm sure I will be drooling over these.
@@eleneelene7188 The one they offer currently does not feature Alan Lee illustrations. Instead there are monochrome prints. Hard pass. From what I understand, FS used to offer books of the same quality WITH those plates. Why did they stop?
I appreciate the way you demonstrate preparing a brand new book to be read. Oxford used to include a guide with many of it's books back in the 19th and early 20th century explaining this precise technique. I use it for every new sewn-binding book I buy, and encourage others to do so.
I really loved how you said there's a history to books we read and love and constantly keep with us when we are children. There's so much comfort in having book friends.
Fantastic books..the Alan Lee set One really captures the magical feel of lord of the Rings and the Hobbit..the attention to detail and overall style is lovely.
Thanks for this! I've been considering getting a new set to match my copy of the Silmarillion (my original set is older than I am!) and though I love Tolkien's works, the price point had me on the fence. But the care you had in explaining the components, down to the page material, the binding type, and the font, was really helpful in choosing whether or not to buy! Thanks a ton! I think I'll get them for myself for a graduation present this April :)
Absolutely gorgeous books especially the art makes reading this fantastic trilogy even more enjoyable when you have the magnificent art of Allan lee to complement it. Honestly these are one of those books where I wouldn't mind the dust jacket being off and putting it on the shelf
I got the set of three LOTR books all illustrated by Alan Lee for my Christening present in 2001, literally have touched them and perfect condition. Will keep this forever
With the boxset on the left, it might be worth mentioning that there has been two different printings of this. The one you have is the most recent which is the 60th Anniversary which was printed and bound in China which gives it a pretty cheap look and feel for the dust jackets and paper (the text on the dust jackets and spine isn't shiny). Whereas the older 50th Anniversary Editions from 2005 are really excellent quality with shiny gold text on the fronts and spine printed and bound in Europe (mine were bound in Italy). But they did have an odd issue where the spines didn't quite line up and there'd be some white space on the side. But overall the covers are gorgeous with their minimalist design with their jacket designs done by Tolkien himself
Thank you for this!! I just ordered this and I'm very very excited to see them! This will be my first time reading the Lord of the Rings (read the Hobbit) and I'm stoked that these will be the ones I get to experience!
Great overview of the set and it might steer me into its direction as I am looking for a nice set of the books. Also, really appreciate the word of caution and demonstration of how one should open such books without damaging them! :)
Watched a couple reviews on this bookset already but yours was the one I was looking for. Thank you for your video. Just bought this set for my Bday! Beautiful, can't have a fantasy collection without Tolkien! 💙👍
by far the best review i’ve seen on these. have loved the movies my entire life and been wanting to finally read them, and figured getting a good edition that will last is best… these look absolutely gorgeous and i think will fit me perfectly. appreciate the video, you’re awesome!
Interestingly, what you do with the bookmark is correct for another reason. Bookmarks right in the gutter are harder on the binding, prising the binding slightly apart at that page. You should always angle them like that, even when not putting them in a slipcase or box. And removable bookmarks should be placed out away from the spine, as well.
These editions really are excellent. They really look and feel like something from a bygone era. I remember reading my grandparents' Victorian era books when I was a child. There were illustrated plates in some of them that looked very much like the plates in this edition of The Lord of the Rings. This is a set that would make an excellent family heirloom. P.S.: I do wish that they had separate maps like the illustrated single volume Lord of the Rings and The Silmarillion have, but that's only a small nitpick.
Thank you for your advice on opening the book from both sides working inwards. I bought the Alan Lee hard back edition a few months ago; now I can make sure it stays in mint condition.
Thank you so much for your passionate review. I am graduating this year and my best friend has offered to buy me a LOTR boxset as a graduation present. You have really convinced me this is the one to go with!
I'd say these are perfect books to read/get if your fresh off coming from the movies and you want to further explore the story the way Tolkien wrote it
@@silverkyle Just be careful that there are often reprints that are done in China, that aren't nearly the same quality as this. If for example the binding is different, and the art seem like they're from a copy machine, then you know (sadly) it's a reprint. The worst part is, the ISBN is the same.
I adore Alan Lee's work: here in Sweden, we had (prior to the movies at any rate) the same theme and artist for everything Tolkien wrote regarding Middle-earth (so the Hobbit, LotR, Silmarillion, Lost Tales...): gold on the top and bottom edge of the books, with a map, somewhat faded, meant to look like parchment I imagine, across the entire book, and then, framed by runes, a smaller cover by Alan Lee. The Hobbit had Smaug on his hoard, the Fellowship had a Black Rider in the Shire, the Towers had a fellbeast flying towards one of said towers, and the Return had Frodo and Sam infront of the Black Gate (and the Silmarillion had Gondolin). To me, they made the books so very, very vibrant and special. Personally I don't like dustjackets and I think the maps should be fold-outs, but maybe that's for those special editions only. Also really nice that they kept red for the three volumes: the red book of Westmarch and all - I wasn't a fan of that electric blue they used for the single volume special edition from 2014.
These are the illustrations I grew up with. My father bought me a cloth-bound edition of LOTR when I was 8 and it contained all the books (not the Hobbit though) with the full-color glossy illustrations. And I must have spent hours staring at them while I read those books, they were just so vivid and detailed. It made me so happy when the moves came out like 8 years later, and Peter Jackson had apparently based his entire film trilogy on the visual look of these illustrations - except perhaps with more vivid colors. But all the characters and places looked more or less as they did in the illustrations, which made the films so much more special to me at the time.
So thankful for beautiful scenes to help us go there for our imaginations to grow & expand with fun for it, our imaginations. Love to look at the beautiful books I have mine as well. I love stories & others' imaginations. They are incredible like Wizards teaching us the truth of God.
Calling the 6 parts "books" is an old tradition that has been lost to time. It's meant to indicate the transition of a significant pivotal moment in the story, much like chapters but on a larger scale. I particularly appreciate the much older tradition of terms like "Book the First" rather than "Book 1".
I only watched the Lord of the rings when I was young, Hobbit just few years back but I am just finding out now that these are actually among the greatest fiction books. Yesterday in the evening, I was writing down great books that I need to read in different genres, then I searched for Lord of the rings because I wanted to see if Hardcover is available, that's how I found this amazing box set and I immediately fell in love with how it looks.
i just bought the Lord of the Rings Special Edition, you know the red one where its in one book. It should be here in 14 days and I'm SO! excited. I do though also love these you have here because of the much more colorful and vivid illustrations
I always take off the dust jackets when reading, so I'm hoping they'll last longer. It's worked for most of my other books. HOWEVER, I have a few books with the brodart archival cover and I kind of like them more.
@@silverkyle I took the dust jackets off to read and washed my hands before reading and the covers still grabbed fingermarks SO easily. I have no idea how to remove them and now I'm gutted
I got this set last year myself. I ordered it from Amazon, but sadly the outer box got damaged quite a bit during delivery. I was able to fix it up at least. Amazon was being a bit of a pain and wanted me to order another copy first, and then send back the damaged one. Obviously this would be at the risk of the second one also being damaged... So I just tried to repair the box myself, which luckily turned out quite ok. The books themselves were perfectly fine at least. It was purely the box with the art on it that was damaged. Other than the crappy delivery from Amazon - it truly is an amazing set. Super detailed art, great quality of the paper, etc. Well worth the money and definitely a 'definitive edition' imo.
I have both of those sets. I like both for different reasons. The set on the left features the books with the covers Tolkien wanted as well as the fold out maps with red ink. They’re essentially Tolkien’s ultimate vision for the books. They also match the 2006 editions of The Hobbit, The Silmarillion, and Unfinished Tales. The ones on the right are the ultimate illustrated editions, they have among the best quality, and they match all the other Alan Lee illustrated hardbacks from HarperCollins/William Morrow. For me though, the best ones to actually read are just the standard trade paperbacks. I have these mainly for looks and to skim through occasionally.
There are now two separate illustrated editions for collectors: one set with the Alan Lee artwork and a second set with the original illustrations by J.R.R Tolkien himself.
Hey hii can you help me with some questions how the quality of the art on jackets n inside too + I saw a video where some one said the quality of materials ain't that good so can you help me ?
You've convinced me; I'm getting this set. Actually I'm halfway through LOTR right now, but it's in Norwegian, and I feel much is lost in translation. This looks like the ultimate Hobbit-LOTR experience. Thank you for the review👍🏻
Got this set for around 70 dollars on an amazon sale 2 years ago. It really is beautiful. Thanks for the advice on opening them a few pages at a time (no idea if i've already messed them up, but i took your advice now) NOTE: The dustjackets aren't very durable, so be careful with them, everybody!
Got these for myself as a Christmas gift this year, love the Peter Jackson films but I’ve never read the books and I wanna finally read them. These books look amazing, and something I could read to my children when they are old enough
I have the older set where orthanc takes the front cover of the second book and was momentarily disappointed seeing it was no longer there (def my favorite illustration), but then I saw it was on the back!😮💨 Such an awesome set, a must have!
Sold, I will be getting this... I bought the pocket bundle a few years ago, but that doesn't sit right in my opinion... I had the hardback versions in Swedish when I was younger, with the Alen Lee illustrations and everything... But it got left behind when I moved out from my mom, and got sold or something at somepoint.. So I will be getting this soon! :D Thanks for showing it
Thanks for your review! I tried reading this about 30(?) years ago, but only had the trade paperback with the mostly white cover (very common one). I was put of after a few pages and stopped. I realize now that part of the issue was font size and line spacing, as well. So, I just ordered this edition from Amazon ($80 US). I’m looking forward to reading this and not having the font be an issue. Wish me luck!
I like the Alan Lee boxset. I'm not a big LOTR fan but I am glad I bought it. The paper, text and illustrations are nice. I like how the header to each page is printed in red. Some people have complained that the illustrations are kinda flat and I can see that argument. Also I was peeved to find one of the pages in my copy of The Two Towers had a jagged/miscut top corner, so quality control was evidently not as high as you'd get from The Folio Society. It's not a dealbreaker though, even with the price of the set.
Just ordered the revised Atlas and my next two purchases are the complete history of Middle Earth and The Great Tales, now I guess I've got a 3rd purchase bc my copies of The Hobbit and The Trilogy were destroyed in a house fire unfortunately when I was like 16 years old.. I'm excited lol
Your books look amazing. I think I saw that you have the 4th printing of the 2020 box set here. I ended up with a 5th printing and sent it back because it looked awful (and was also Used instead of New despite Amazon's claim that it was a brand new set). I've read elsewhere that the 5th printing was badly done by the publisher. Indeed, I got a 2nd copy of the box and it was also 5th printing and also pretty bad, so I'm returning it too. Looking for a prior printing now since I thin Harper Collins screwed this up and went cheap after those first printing runs.
Thank you for sharing! I have a few different editions including a one volume "deluxe" edition with gold pages, however it's a shame they don't use indian or bible paper more often in these books, so they aren't so bulky (There is one edition available that uses indian paper and it cuts it down by half) . Aside from the font, the type of paper they use varies from edition to edition, I almost wish we could have these books custom made:) I love the box with the alan lee troll painting which is my favorite, but the paper they use for the actual books is too thick it seems (at least it's in three volumes)
I've always wanted to read lotr since I never got into the films but I wanted them to look appealing and these look beautiful I am definitely going to get these
I ordered the new illustrated all in one edition of The Lord of the Rings and I am reading through the Hobbit while it gets here. I am very tempted to pick up a copy of the Hobbit that comes in this set.
Christopher Tolkien had high regard for Alan Lee’s illustrations and artwork in The Lord of the Rings. Lee’s interpretations aligned well with the vision Christopher felt his father, J.R.R. Tolkien, intended. Alan Lee’s work was seen as capturing the subtlety, atmosphere, and authenticity of Middle-earth without imposing overly dramatic or fantastical interpretations. This respect for the text and the world of Tolkien was something Christopher appreciated, and it contributed to Alan Lee being chosen as one of the main illustrators for The Lord of the Rings editions and later for The Hobbit and The Children of Húrin projects.
In the video the books look immaculate, I'm wondering if there is any text bleedthrough, where text on either side of a page is readable/comes through onto the other side. I'm wondering about the Illustration Verson, the collection on the right side of video, any info would be awesom :) TY
I've never owned the books so I decided to get the Jemima illustrated hobbit and pre ordered the new lotr illustrated edition coming out in November. When I bought the hobbit, I wasn't aware of Alan Lee and his versions didn't come up on Amazon unless specifically searching for his editions. I do wanna eventually get that boxset because it's beautiful but it's like 200 bucks now lol. I'm curious if the illustrations are the same in the boxset version as the standalone hobbit book with smaug on the cover. Or if he drew new pieces for this set. If they're the same, I'll happily buy the standalone book for now.
i also have a copy of lord of the rings in very thin paper. the way i and everyone around me describes it as is ‘bible paper’ because that’s the only other book where you can see the letters through the pages
Thank you for this review, I want to buy the lotr books because the ones I have right now the font is way too small so it hurts to read it, these ones look perfect especially with the addition of the illustrations!
I read all these books in 6th grade (1982). I still have the books. They are the soft back yellow, blue, green, red versions. The print is small and not super aesthetic. I'm going back to re read them and feel like I'd like a nicer version. Thanks for the review. I think I'll throw down for this set.
This was very helpful. Because GOD do I hate small print. The set on left, seems publisher cheaped out in an insulting way. Maybe it was published during the recession. Going to buy the set on the right. Really appreciate this Silverkyle.
I just got this edition. One thing that surprised me (but not an issue) is that the pages are not white (I came back to this video to check). Just FYI.
this might be a dumb question. i’ve been wanting to get this set because i love Alan Lee’s artwork. but do the books in this set still have the original artwork that Tolkien did on some of the pages? i know some books have them
thanks for showing and comparing both versions. i have the mariner paperback edition. i have to gripes with it: 1) font size sucks 2) notes are concentrated only on last book. which sucks. Are the notes on the most deluxe version devided per book or all concentrted on the last one? thanks in advance.
It's a nice set. I would buy it as a gift for someone, and I probably will. But, the recent Illustrated by The Author editions are the only versions I will ever need.
Odd. I never thought small book vs bigger book. Bigger book will have larger print and more spacing. That never occurred to me when buying books. I like big print and spacing. I received the volumes on the right in his video. Very pretty. Well done. I'm looking forward to reading Hobbit and LOTR for the first time. If Silverkyle could recommend a readers companion book, that would be helpful. Some people say LOTR can be confusing. And I'm easily confused.
I'm going to pin this because I really like the idea of having a reader's companion, and I found two!
Simple short summaries:
lotr.fandom.com/wiki/Portal:The_Lord_of_the_Rings_Chapters
Longer with more detailed summaries:
tolkiengateway.net/wiki/The_Fellowship_of_the_Ring
Have you seen the films? It helps and will make it easier for you to get into the story. The novel starts really slow, but really builds up tension and by the end of "book one" (of six, so midway through Fellowship of the Ring) I was hooked.He really uses language to an incredible effect, but as some of the words aren't exactly everyday-use, having a dictionary nearby can be helpful, especially if you aren't a native speaker like me.
In case you wanted a physical compa ion: Tolkien's world A-Z the complete guide to Middle earth by Robert Foster. Lauded by the tolkien estate too. Stay away from David Day
@@cebolaameaca Thank you.
@@silverkyle which dimensions those books have? I want to get a complete set of Tolkien books include the Silmarillion, Fall Of Gondolin and other. However as I can see, most of those books has dimension around 150x230mm, while with that set I'm not sure. It has same dimensions 150x230, but I can't understand is that books itself or books with the box? I don't need to outer box.
"In a hole in the ground there lived a Hobbit."
-Tolkien's future was sealed.
This gave me chills lol.
I love your "geeking out" in this video as you go through the illustrations, and that's not meant in any way to be insulting. Your love of the material really comes through and its a joy to see.
Geeking about the things is one of the main reasons why I created my channel. Glad you enjoyed it 😊
Alan Lee was born for these illustrations. His work for Easton Press and Folio Society is equally stunning and worth a look just to appreciate his remarkable vision of 'antiquity'.
I ordered these the other day. I've been itching for a deep reread of all four of these books recently and I decided that if was time to invest in a good set that I can read for years and to my future children. Shipping from UK to Vermont, they're currently in Boston making their way north. In just a few days I'm sure I will be drooling over these.
I hope they arrived safely and are now nestled comfortably in your home library 😊
so how is it? :)
"The drool stains are a feature!"
@@eleneelene7188 The one they offer currently does not feature Alan Lee illustrations. Instead there are monochrome prints. Hard pass. From what I understand, FS used to offer books of the same quality WITH those plates. Why did they stop?
@@eleneelene7188just seen them for $3,000.00 I won’t touch them for that price much less open them if they are for investment
I appreciate the way you demonstrate preparing a brand new book to be read. Oxford used to include a guide with many of it's books back in the 19th and early 20th century explaining this precise technique. I use it for every new sewn-binding book I buy, and encourage others to do so.
I really loved how you said there's a history to books we read and love and constantly keep with us when we are children. There's so much comfort in having book friends.
Fantastic books..the Alan Lee set One really captures the magical feel of lord of the Rings and the Hobbit..the attention to detail and overall style is lovely.
Thanks for this! I've been considering getting a new set to match my copy of the Silmarillion (my original set is older than I am!) and though I love Tolkien's works, the price point had me on the fence. But the care you had in explaining the components, down to the page material, the binding type, and the font, was really helpful in choosing whether or not to buy! Thanks a ton! I think I'll get them for myself for a graduation present this April :)
I'm glad I helped you out then! Enjoy your graduation present! 😊
Your absolute joy for this set has me going to buy it! Truly gorgeous.
Absolutely gorgeous books especially the art makes reading this fantastic trilogy even more enjoyable when you have the magnificent art of Allan lee to complement it. Honestly these are one of those books where I wouldn't mind the dust jacket being off and putting it on the shelf
I got the set of three LOTR books all illustrated by Alan Lee for my Christening present in 2001, literally have touched them and perfect condition. Will keep this forever
With the boxset on the left, it might be worth mentioning that there has been two different printings of this. The one you have is the most recent which is the 60th Anniversary which was printed and bound in China which gives it a pretty cheap look and feel for the dust jackets and paper (the text on the dust jackets and spine isn't shiny). Whereas the older 50th Anniversary Editions from 2005 are really excellent quality with shiny gold text on the fronts and spine printed and bound in Europe (mine were bound in Italy). But they did have an odd issue where the spines didn't quite line up and there'd be some white space on the side. But overall the covers are gorgeous with their minimalist design with their jacket designs done by Tolkien himself
Thank you for this!! I just ordered this and I'm very very excited to see them! This will be my first time reading the Lord of the Rings (read the Hobbit) and I'm stoked that these will be the ones I get to experience!
Really hope you end up enjoying them!! 😊
I couldn't thank you enough for doing this comparison. I've been having trouble deciding which one to buy for my birthday. Great review!
Same here! I was happily surprised!
Great overview of the set and it might steer me into its direction as I am looking for a nice set of the books. Also, really appreciate the word of caution and demonstration of how one should open such books without damaging them! :)
If I buy this edition ,it's 50% bec of the way u portray the books , u sound so happy describing them 😄
I'm very passsionate when it comes to things I love, and this set is incredible! 😊
Watched a couple reviews on this bookset already but yours was the one I was looking for. Thank you for your video. Just bought this set for my Bday! Beautiful, can't have a fantasy collection without Tolkien! 💙👍
Thank you.... well done. It's something how these books gain such a place in our hearts. Just ordered this edition.
Those are beautiful books! Thank you, for sharing!
by far the best review i’ve seen on these. have loved the movies my entire life and been wanting to finally read them, and figured getting a good edition that will last is best… these look absolutely gorgeous and i think will fit me perfectly. appreciate the video, you’re awesome!
Incredible box set and lovely review. Detailed. Need to add this box set to my Tolkien collection!
Thank you for this review and mentioning the paper thickness
Great video! Hoping to get these for Christmas 2024.
Interestingly, what you do with the bookmark is correct for another reason. Bookmarks right in the gutter are harder on the binding, prising the binding slightly apart at that page. You should always angle them like that, even when not putting them in a slipcase or box. And removable bookmarks should be placed out away from the spine, as well.
125k people wanted to see this. Thats awesome. And those books are absolutely beautiful. Update 171k.
and want to have this😢
@@moshimoshi251Thank you for bringing me back! These books are so cool.
These editions really are excellent. They really look and feel like something from a bygone era. I remember reading my grandparents' Victorian era books when I was a child. There were illustrated plates in some of them that looked very much like the plates in this edition of The Lord of the Rings. This is a set that would make an excellent family heirloom.
P.S.: I do wish that they had separate maps like the illustrated single volume Lord of the Rings and The Silmarillion have, but that's only a small nitpick.
Thank you for your advice on opening the book from both sides working inwards. I bought the Alan Lee hard back edition a few months ago; now I can make sure it stays in mint condition.
Thank you so much for your passionate review. I am graduating this year and my best friend has offered to buy me a LOTR boxset as a graduation present. You have really convinced me this is the one to go with!
“I already own more than one edition of these books. Can I financially justify buying ANOTHER edition!?”
*watches your review*
“…. YES” 😍
I'd say these are perfect books to read/get if your fresh off coming from the movies and you want to further explore the story the way Tolkien wrote it
Thank you for this review! I was planning on getting the 60th edition but upon seeing your video I am definitely going to get the Alan lee one!
Glad to have helped! It's part of the reason why I make these videos, to help people decide on if material is worth purchasing or not.
@@silverkyle Just be careful that there are often reprints that are done in China, that aren't nearly the same quality as this. If for example the binding is different, and the art seem like they're from a copy machine, then you know (sadly) it's a reprint. The worst part is, the ISBN is the same.
the quality of the dustjackets is very poor though. Otherwise a gorgeous set
@@checkyourfaxhow and where did you hear about this.
@@rafael6693 just Google counterfeit book china
I've been thinking of picking this up. Thank you for a great and thorough overview.
You're very welcome! Hopefully I've helped in your decision on picking it up or not!
I adore Alan Lee's work: here in Sweden, we had (prior to the movies at any rate) the same theme and artist for everything Tolkien wrote regarding Middle-earth (so the Hobbit, LotR, Silmarillion, Lost Tales...): gold on the top and bottom edge of the books, with a map, somewhat faded, meant to look like parchment I imagine, across the entire book, and then, framed by runes, a smaller cover by Alan Lee. The Hobbit had Smaug on his hoard, the Fellowship had a Black Rider in the Shire, the Towers had a fellbeast flying towards one of said towers, and the Return had Frodo and Sam infront of the Black Gate (and the Silmarillion had Gondolin). To me, they made the books so very, very vibrant and special.
Personally I don't like dustjackets and I think the maps should be fold-outs, but maybe that's for those special editions only. Also really nice that they kept red for the three volumes: the red book of Westmarch and all - I wasn't a fan of that electric blue they used for the single volume special edition from 2014.
These are the illustrations I grew up with. My father bought me a cloth-bound edition of LOTR when I was 8 and it contained all the books (not the Hobbit though) with the full-color glossy illustrations. And I must have spent hours staring at them while I read those books, they were just so vivid and detailed. It made me so happy when the moves came out like 8 years later, and Peter Jackson had apparently based his entire film trilogy on the visual look of these illustrations - except perhaps with more vivid colors. But all the characters and places looked more or less as they did in the illustrations, which made the films so much more special to me at the time.
So thankful for beautiful scenes to help us go there for our imaginations to grow & expand with fun for it, our imaginations. Love to look at the beautiful books I have mine as well. I love stories & others' imaginations. They are incredible like Wizards teaching us the truth of God.
Calling the 6 parts "books" is an old tradition that has been lost to time. It's meant to indicate the transition of a significant pivotal moment in the story, much like chapters but on a larger scale. I particularly appreciate the much older tradition of terms like "Book the First" rather than "Book 1".
I only watched the Lord of the rings when I was young, Hobbit just few years back but I am just finding out now that these are actually among the greatest fiction books. Yesterday in the evening, I was writing down great books that I need to read in different genres, then I searched for Lord of the rings because I wanted to see if Hardcover is available, that's how I found this amazing box set and I immediately fell in love with how it looks.
i just bought the Lord of the Rings Special Edition, you know the red one where its in one book. It should be here in 14 days and I'm SO! excited. I do though also love these you have here because of the much more colorful and vivid illustrations
Great video - so respectful and inspiring Thankyou!
I use brodart archival covers for the dust jackets. As the dust jacket is a thin flimsy paper and will definitely tear while handeling the book.
I always take off the dust jackets when reading, so I'm hoping they'll last longer. It's worked for most of my other books. HOWEVER, I have a few books with the brodart archival cover and I kind of like them more.
@@silverkyle I took the dust jackets off to read and washed my hands before reading and the covers still grabbed fingermarks SO easily. I have no idea how to remove them and now I'm gutted
Thank you for showing the binding!! That's exactly what I wanted to know. :)
I got this set last year myself.
I ordered it from Amazon, but sadly the outer box got damaged quite a bit during delivery. I was able to fix it up at least. Amazon was being a bit of a pain and wanted me to order another copy first, and then send back the damaged one. Obviously this would be at the risk of the second one also being damaged... So I just tried to repair the box myself, which luckily turned out quite ok. The books themselves were perfectly fine at least. It was purely the box with the art on it that was damaged.
Other than the crappy delivery from Amazon - it truly is an amazing set. Super detailed art, great quality of the paper, etc. Well worth the money and definitely a 'definitive edition' imo.
same experience, wouldn’t recommend ordering these on amazon
These are beautiful. Saw them available on Amazon, for sure going for them :)
Thinking of getting my friend this for Christmas. He never read the hobbit or LOTR so i want him to start with some buetiful illustrations
It's the best way. The art really adds, and honestly, just the paper quality alone on this set is incredible.
Thanks for teaching me how to open the books I have never done that
Just ordered these myself. I only saw your video after, but it definitely proves that I made a good decision.
I have both of those sets. I like both for different reasons. The set on the left features the books with the covers Tolkien wanted as well as the fold out maps with red ink. They’re essentially Tolkien’s ultimate vision for the books. They also match the 2006 editions of The Hobbit, The Silmarillion, and Unfinished Tales. The ones on the right are the ultimate illustrated editions, they have among the best quality, and they match all the other Alan Lee illustrated hardbacks from HarperCollins/William Morrow. For me though, the best ones to actually read are just the standard trade paperbacks. I have these mainly for looks and to skim through occasionally.
There are now two separate illustrated editions for collectors: one set with the Alan Lee artwork and a second set with the original illustrations by J.R.R Tolkien himself.
Such a beautiful set, I literally just ordered this exact set!
Hey hii can you help me with some questions how the quality of the art on jackets n inside too + I saw a video where some one said the quality of materials ain't that good so can you help me ?
You convinced me to buy hard cover, It looks gorgeous!
You've convinced me; I'm getting this set. Actually I'm halfway through LOTR right now, but it's in Norwegian, and I feel much is lost in translation. This looks like the ultimate Hobbit-LOTR experience. Thank you for the review👍🏻
It's a beautiful set, I hope you enjoy it!
@@silverkyleI bought it - it’s absolutely marvelous! 😃
WOW it is a beautiful box set
Got this set for around 70 dollars on an amazon sale 2 years ago. It really is beautiful. Thanks for the advice on opening them a few pages at a time (no idea if i've already messed them up, but i took your advice now)
NOTE: The dustjackets aren't very durable, so be careful with them, everybody!
Got these for myself as a Christmas gift this year, love the Peter Jackson films but I’ve never read the books and I wanna finally read them. These books look amazing, and something I could read to my children when they are old enough
I have the older set where orthanc takes the front cover of the second book and was momentarily disappointed seeing it was no longer there (def my favorite illustration), but then I saw it was on the back!😮💨 Such an awesome set, a must have!
Sold, I will be getting this... I bought the pocket bundle a few years ago, but that doesn't sit right in my opinion... I had the hardback versions in Swedish when I was younger, with the Alen Lee illustrations and everything... But it got left behind when I moved out from my mom, and got sold or something at somepoint.. So I will be getting this soon! :D Thanks for showing it
Thank you for this detailed review, definitely a beautiful book set.
I just received this box set in and it is AMAZING! So glad I bought it! Beautiful quality books!
Beautiful set. Looking forward to picking it up.
Thanks for your review! I tried reading this about 30(?) years ago, but only had the trade paperback with the mostly white cover (very common one). I was put of after a few pages and stopped. I realize now that part of the issue was font size and line spacing, as well. So, I just ordered this edition from Amazon ($80 US). I’m looking forward to reading this and not having the font be an issue. Wish me luck!
I just finished listening to fellowship n decidedly gonna read the rest. What better way to do it then on these. Thanks for the review. 😁
I absolutely LOVE this set.
I like the Alan Lee boxset. I'm not a big LOTR fan but I am glad I bought it. The paper, text and illustrations are nice. I like how the header to each page is printed in red. Some people have complained that the illustrations are kinda flat and I can see that argument. Also I was peeved to find one of the pages in my copy of The Two Towers had a jagged/miscut top corner, so quality control was evidently not as high as you'd get from The Folio Society. It's not a dealbreaker though, even with the price of the set.
Just ordered the revised Atlas and my next two purchases are the complete history of Middle Earth and The Great Tales, now I guess I've got a 3rd purchase bc my copies of The Hobbit and The Trilogy were destroyed in a house fire unfortunately when I was like 16 years old.. I'm excited lol
They look excellent.
Awesome boxset! I read the Fellowship of the Ring as a kid. I have the 2002 version of this set, which has different coverart.
Great review, it was very helpful! Thank you so much. Will be buying these for sure. My fav editions so far!
Your books look amazing. I think I saw that you have the 4th printing of the 2020 box set here. I ended up with a 5th printing and sent it back because it looked awful (and was also Used instead of New despite Amazon's claim that it was a brand new set). I've read elsewhere that the 5th printing was badly done by the publisher. Indeed, I got a 2nd copy of the box and it was also 5th printing and also pretty bad, so I'm returning it too. Looking for a prior printing now since I thin Harper Collins screwed this up and went cheap after those first printing runs.
Aw that's too bad, sorry to hear you aren't getting a good version of this yet. I guess I lucked out when I bought it with the 4th printing.
I love Alan Lee and his work on Lotr/Hobbit.
Thank you for sharing! I have a few different editions including a one volume "deluxe" edition with gold pages, however it's a shame they don't use indian or bible paper more often in these books, so they aren't so bulky (There is one edition available that uses indian paper and it cuts it down by half) . Aside from the font, the type of paper they use varies from edition to edition, I almost wish we could have these books custom made:) I love the box with the alan lee troll painting which is my favorite, but the paper they use for the actual books is too thick it seems (at least it's in three volumes)
Thanks for the tip on how not to destroy the binding!
I've always wanted to read lotr since I never got into the films but I wanted them to look appealing and these look beautiful I am definitely going to get these
I ordered the new illustrated all in one edition of The Lord of the Rings and I am reading through the Hobbit while it gets here. I am very tempted to pick up a copy of the Hobbit that comes in this set.
Christopher Tolkien had high regard for Alan Lee’s illustrations and artwork in The Lord of the Rings. Lee’s interpretations aligned well with the vision Christopher felt his father, J.R.R. Tolkien, intended. Alan Lee’s work was seen as capturing the subtlety, atmosphere, and authenticity of Middle-earth without imposing overly dramatic or fantastical interpretations. This respect for the text and the world of Tolkien was something Christopher appreciated, and it contributed to Alan Lee being chosen as one of the main illustrators for The Lord of the Rings editions and later for The Hobbit and The Children of Húrin projects.
Just ordered this for my 62nd birthday
The best book boxset I've ever bought. Worth every single penny.
In the video the books look immaculate, I'm wondering if there is any text bleedthrough, where text on either side of a page is readable/comes through onto the other side. I'm wondering about the Illustration Verson, the collection on the right side of video, any info would be awesom :) TY
6:29 Bro creamed his pants 👖
I found this comment right when it happened😂
Bought the set couple months back, the books are great!
I've never owned the books so I decided to get the Jemima illustrated hobbit and pre ordered the new lotr illustrated edition coming out in November. When I bought the hobbit, I wasn't aware of Alan Lee and his versions didn't come up on Amazon unless specifically searching for his editions. I do wanna eventually get that boxset because it's beautiful but it's like 200 bucks now lol. I'm curious if the illustrations are the same in the boxset version as the standalone hobbit book with smaug on the cover. Or if he drew new pieces for this set. If they're the same, I'll happily buy the standalone book for now.
I just got this boxset and so happy with it being the first books ive ever brought. I also paid £58 got it on a massive discount
i also have a copy of lord of the rings in very thin paper. the way i and everyone around me describes it as is ‘bible paper’ because that’s the only other book where you can see the letters through the pages
Thank you for this review, I want to buy the lotr books because the ones I have right now the font is way too small so it hurts to read it, these ones look perfect especially with the addition of the illustrations!
ive always loved the hobbit but ive never really been a reader. might get this set so i can finally experience this trilogy
I read all these books in 6th grade (1982). I still have the books. They are the soft back yellow, blue, green, red versions. The print is small and not super aesthetic. I'm going back to re read them and feel like I'd like a nicer version. Thanks for the review. I think I'll throw down for this set.
I always say wow to entire pages. Amazing book!!! I will buy it lol
Gives that book a glimpse into that next part.
I am about to buy this, thanks so much for the review and advice on protecting the binding!!
This was very helpful. Because GOD do I hate small print. The set on left, seems publisher cheaped out in an insulting way. Maybe it was published during the recession. Going to buy the set on the right. Really appreciate this Silverkyle.
I just got this edition. One thing that surprised me (but not an issue) is that the pages are not white (I came back to this video to check). Just FYI.
I’m here because I’m soooo tempted to buy this rn.
Thank you so much, I now know which one I'll be getting 😊
this might be a dumb question. i’ve been wanting to get this set because i love Alan Lee’s artwork. but do the books in this set still have the original artwork that Tolkien did on some of the pages? i know some books have them
they look pretty cool
I just bought it. It's so beautiful. I love it!
I think i bought a second hand version of this boxset, in the LOTR books i have the illustrations at the end of each book...
I bought the Lord of the rings Sept 2022 TV edition 🔥
Looking to buy these hardcover ones in the future as well:)❤️
thanks for showing and comparing both versions. i have the mariner paperback edition. i have to gripes with it: 1) font size sucks 2) notes are concentrated only on last book. which sucks. Are the notes on the most deluxe version devided per book or all concentrted on the last one?
thanks in advance.
It's a nice set. I would buy it as a gift for someone, and I probably will. But, the recent Illustrated by The Author editions are the only versions I will ever need.
great video!
after watching this im definetly buying. thanks