The Lord of the Rings 3-Book Paperback Box Set

I throughly enjoyed reading the trilogy for the first time the artwork of the covers are superb and the way in which the story is presented it beautifully charming presented in the classic way of tolkiens work. The only criticism I have overall lies within the boxset comes to fitting the book back inside which is virtually impossible to which I am displeased with as it means I can't display them on my book shelf as a trilogy As they won't fit in the cover.

This is a beautiful boxset, with the cover designs of the incorporated three volumes of the novel repeated on the outer sides of the box. The paperback editions of the aforementioned three volumes are the latest editions (2005) and therefore contain the presently definitive text.What can I write about The Lord of the Rings that has not already been written? It is, I believe, a magnificent novel which will appeal to many different types of reader, whether they be fans of fantasy / science-fiction / adventure or not. The only people I would not recommend this book to are those who do not enjoy reading at all. Assuming that you still partake to any extent in this sadly dwindling pastime, I suggest that although the novel can be somewhat challenging in the sheer number of locations and characters it presents, this should mean no great difficulty for adult readers. Younger readers may find it heavy-going (as I did at age 14), but as Tolkien himself pointed out, one cannot expand one's vocabulary by reading a book aimed at one's own age-group, but rather, by reading a book aimed above it. I did not myself know that Tolkien said this before reading so in the accompanying 'The Lord of the Rings: A Reader's Companion'.Which brings me nicely to the aptly described "definitive annotated guide". This volume is indeed a 'companion' of the highest order. It not only contains comprehensive notes on the text, but also includes the 'Nomenclature' and time-schemes penned by Tolkien as an aid to himself and others, as well as a list of the differences between the original and more recent editions (errors present from the beginning as well as those due to ill-managed reprints and revisions throughout the book's history, and the emendments made to correct these).Never in my not-inconsiderable experience of my favourite novel have I found any guide so utterly useful and interesting.I have but one minor gripe, being this: I assumed that the page numbers heading each of the notes in the Reader's Companion would refer to the pages of the edition it accompanies in this package. This is, however, not the case. This is no great problem, though, as the authors of the Companion had the foresight to also precede each note with the first line of the paragraph to which it belongs. Since the notes are also divided into the appropriate chapters of the relevant Books and Volumes, this does not even begin to tarnish the fifth star I have awarded this excellent set. I heartily recommend this to any reader, old or new, but most especially to those who either do not already possess the definitive text of the novel, or have yet to sample the delights of Hammond and Scull's guide to its intricacies.

No quibbles, the books came on time and They look nice in the box, print size is fine.

Great quality set of books that now have pride of place on our bookshelf - bought as a gift and had a very happy recipient

Beautiful designed book covers/box although the box fits the books to perfectly, the books are incredibly difficult to get out

Really good quality and excellent illustrations, the covers are stunning aswell

As most people are aware of the story and its influence in the fantasy genre, as well as the recent movies that were released in the past few years, I will stray away from praising the significance of the story and its content, that can be found anywhere.What I will discuss is the quality of this particular edition versus various others. I have several editions of The Lord of the Rings. I have the Illustrated edition by Alan Lee in one giant omnimbus. That particular edition has several hand drawn paintings and works by Alan Lee throughout the book as the story progresses, but it makes ease of travel and reading a bit difficult at times, as the book is quite large and heavy. I also have an all in one omnimbus that is not as large and lacks the paintings of the other omnimbus. While that is lighter and more compact, it is still an issue at times to carry this book around.So now we come to this 50th Anniversary Edition. This particular set splits up the books in the way they were published, using the original jacket dustcover, designed by Tolkien Himself. The paper quality of this set is phenomenal. They're light and easy to carry, and the Guide to Middle Earth that is included offers many unique observations and essays concerning all things Tolkien. While this set is a bit expensive, it's worth it for the true Tolkien Fan. I highly reccomend the 50th Anniversary Edition, cheers.