Rating: 
Summary: My #1 Book
Review: This is a "Must Buy" item if you are even slightly interested in the LOTR movie. His writing style and imagination is brillant. The best book I've ever read. So much detail that only Tolkien could dream. So much better than the movies.
Rating:
Summary: Leatherette Edition
Review: Although this review is for the leatherette edition, I have rated the book as a Tolkien novel.I owned a John Howe illustrated 3-1 version of LOTR about 5-6 years ago when I first read a newspaper article about the book. Between Alan Lee and John Howe, I prefer the latter's depictions of Middle Earth and its characters. Howe's illustrations are more detailed and they never fail to ignite some fantasy daydreaming wherelse Lee's illustrations (after being so familiar with Howe) just seem a mite childish. And because I loved my paperback one-volume John Howe-illustrated version, it gradually (as all paperbacks go) fell apart after 6 years of passing around and continuous readings. I decided to look for a new edition (preferably a hardbound one-volume edition with Howe's illustrations but there is apparently none in the US market, though UK seems to have some.) Before I elaborate on the leatherette edition that I now own, let me tell you about my experience with LOTR. Like I said, I first read of this book in a newspaper article and was curious as to whether the quote about the english literary population having been divided between those who have read it and those who have not, held up. Admittedly I did not jump with awe at the first few attempts of reading LOTR. It took me 1 1/2 years before I actually restarted again after a few tries to get through the first few chapters. This time I attacked it, I read it properly, looking at the appendices, and maps. And after awhile, the story just kept getting better and I was hooked. It was just incredible, I couldn't put down the book. I went through a reading marathon. I slept, ate and dreamnt the book for days and when it came to an end, I was actually disappointed. Really disappointed that it has come to an end. The movie to me was great because it helped visualized some of the scenes and plot that were lost to me when I was reading the book. If any, it helped make LOTR more meaningful and understandable. And if it were Jackson's intention to complement the book and not rival it, that the movie is a ranging success. As for the leatherette edition, I cannot fathom what all the negative reviews about its terrible terrible quality is about. The book is very nicely bound, the paper quality is indisputable and the text neatly aligned to the sides as it should be. The map at the back is very nice and clear. The only gripe I have is that the text colour (both red and black) tend to vary from pages to pages and I had only noticed this because I was reading the reviews and everyone kept complaining about its shortcomings. Otherwise, I did not find any badly-printed characters on its own, just whole pages of text with varying colours, some lighter or darker than others. I'd like to think it gives the book a little character and rawness which goes with the creamish paper and the imperfection of most ancient books. All in all, I am happy with what I have bought.
Rating:
Summary: Try not to think of the films, if you can...
Review: From this point on, for better or worse, it will probably be impossible to read The Lord of The Rings without the very successful film trilogy (currently still a duo until next December) looming in the background. Probably the best thing about the films is that they will likely entice the reading of the book. The book is very different in some spots, verbatim in others. For example, after seeing the films, it's hard to think of Frodo as being 50 years old when he leaves the Shire (Elijah Wood, Frodo Baggins in the films, barely looks out of his teens), but in the book he is well aged by the time Gandalf sends him on his way. This is only one of many many examples. It's interesting to read the one-volume edition. It's how Tolkien intended it to be presented, as one large novel (Tolkien's publisher divided the story into three parts against his wishes). With the one-volume edition you feel like you're reading something hefty, an old tome from mythology, something with real weight and umph. It's a massive 1008 pages (not including the appendices and index), but it's a fast fast neckbreaking page turning read. It isn't difficult reading (i.e., not much unfamiliar vocabulary apart from terms coined by Tolkien and the passages in Elvish or Mordor), but it is detailed, far more detailed than a film could ever hope to be. It is a book that will reward many repeated readings. Some of the basic themes of the book seem to be hope, despair, singularity, and plurality. There are many places in this book where things seem beyond hope for the heroes. In some places this leads them to despair, which does them no good. Finding hope in despair seems to be one of the book's main themes: we don't know what will happen, so why despair before the fact? All you can do is keep going. In a way the book is an analogy for our lives which are filled with hope and despair, but we keep going on even against impossible odds. Concerning singularity and plurality, on one side there is the fellowship of the ring which is made up of a diverse cast of beings: hobbits, a dwarf, humans, and an elf. They set out to meet their task together while trying their best to put behind their differences. On the other side you have Sauron and the One Ring or singularity. Sauron is trying to bind the world to his single will which is embodied in the ring of power. It ruins those who try to possess it (Humans are particularly susceptible to it). It is pure self-obsession and self-importance. This singularity is put forth as evil, while the plurality of the fellowship is presented as good. It's an interesting dichotomy. Fans of the films will be shocked to see the differences in the story line, especially in "The Two Towers." In terms of suspense, the book is far superior to the film (I'm sure the filmmakers would completely agree). I literally could not wait to begin reading "The Return of The King" and I could not put the book down until I reached page 1008. The book sometimes kept me reading obsessively until 3 or 4 in the morning (such as when I was reading the chapters with Shelob in "The Two Towers" - amazing). This book deserves its place amongst the greatest works of the 20th century. It is a story that can re-invent itself in terms of the time it is read in or the perspective it is read from. It is this ambiguity and multi-facetness that makes the book timeless. Doubtless people will be reading this for hundreds of years while they face the hope and despair of their own lives and times. It will be fascinating to see how "The Return of The King" turns out. Unfortunately, I had a hard time not thinking about this while I read the book. I tried. Nonetheless, the book will likely prosper beyond the films. Technology will develop and this book will be presented again in film or some other medium, of that you can be sure. At the heart of it all, regardless of the hype, will be the book by J.R.R. Tolkien.
Rating: 
Summary: Great book, dreadful edition
Review: As so many others have said, this is not a "Collector's Edition".
A real collector's edition has: a quality binding that will stand up to multiple readings; readable, consistent print that is correctly aligned on every page; acid-free paper. This edition has none of these qualities - don't waste your money. Strangely enough, the collector's edition of the Hobbit IS a quality product.
Someone should bring a class action suit against Houghton Mifflin for passing off this "book".
Rating: 
Summary: Where are all these errors spoken of?
Review: I can't see what all these complaints about the "Red Leatherette Edition" are about. I have maybe found a dozen letters in the entire 400 plus pages that weren't printed entirely. The margins are parallel with the edge of the pages. There aren't any spots smattered on the pages with the exception of the blank page opposite the Foreword. All in all this is a very nice printing. Maybe the others that have complained just got "lemons". It happens in every manufacturing process. I agree that they should have been pulled in quality control before they were shipped, but a total damnation of the volume is not called for. I personally would have liked larger letters and larger pages that one can lay the book open and it stay that way. The book isn't perfect, but is still quite nice. I feel that it is, all in all, a good buy and a very pleasureable book. I also recommend the Hobbit (collector's edition) which I also purchased. As for the grammatical "errors", I have read that Tolkien meant to make those "mistakes" and that they were erroneously "corrected" in the first printings of his work. But whatever printing you choose, you will no doubt enjoy Tolkien's genius. Happy Reading!
Rating:
Summary: A great version of a great book
Review: I got this for my wife for Christmas (and because I could not wait until next December to see how the story ended). This is a beautiful volume that is well made with an elegant type font and a handy map. Well worth the money.
Rating: 
Summary: Don¿t be Fooled, This Edition is not so Good as It Seems.
Review: I agree with the reviewer above about the low print quality of this particular edition. When I received the book from Amazon I was delighted with the book cover drawings and its slip case but when I began to glance through it I realised that the print quality was well below average. Then, I said to myself; ¿Is this the print quality that a collector's edition deserves? No, not by a long shot. You would think that this is a problem concerning only to my own copy but I've been recently checking the Amazon's excerpts of the book and they all contain the same misprints which my copy has. I really regret having spent more than fifty bucks on this book. I should've been purchased a paperback edition or the big one which contains Alan Lee's illustrations and not this waste of money. What a disappointment. Did Houghton Mifflin run out of ink when the book was being printed or what? Avoid this edition at all costs and don't believe the hype, it is not worthy. I don't know why or how it is so popular among other reviewers.
Rating:
Summary: *Quality* - Leatherette bound!
Review: [Taken from a review for 'The Hobbit', this review works as well with "The lord of the rings" -Liquid K9] I only recently (Today in fact) recieved this book, and I had no doubts in my mind as to whether it was worth the expense to have it shipped here (I am located in the republic Ireland). I could have simply gone to my local Easons (pretty much *the* only bookstore, of note, in Ireland) and picked up one of the many (and I'm talking millions here) paperback editions of "The Hobbit" (or The Lord of the Rings, as I bought both leatherette editions), but instead I chose the leatherette edition, and I'm not sorry, not in the least! I'll start by describing the 'externals' (or asthestics) of the book: Let me first say, dont be fooled into believing this is some 'form' of leather that the book is bound in, it is, in fact (or at least appears to be), a form of plastic. Saying this, however, it does not cheapen the book, I'm saying merely to clarify. This 'plastic' is actually made to look 100% like real leather, if only for the feel, you would be fooled into thinking it was leather (leather is less resitant, scratches more easily and is softer under-hand). I personally dont mind, the book is most beautifully crafted with 'simulation' gold gild (more than likely its a gold ink or paint). The pages themselves are of good, rather great -quality, not cheap 'bright-white' 'mass market' pages, but rather a subtle shade of mild yellow, not to mention the pages being almost twice as thick as paperback editions (if not, in fact thicker), which makes for a much more comfortable read. I have only one 'gripe' or 'probleme' with this book, and that is that the text that is printed on the pages seems to be at an angle (rather than being 90deg to the pages edge, the text seems to be off by about 3-5 degrees). This is only a slight annoyance, and I am not totally convinced that it is either an error while printing nor that all copies have the same 'condition'; I personally dont mind too much, but for the 'perfectionistic reader' it can be quite distracting, but to be honest that is the fault of the reader rather than the book's. Finally (and perhaps most importantly?),
The book comes with a 'container' wich is, also, bound with 'leatherette', they both complement each other and the cover is a perfect protector against the day to day 'wear n tear' of life. Personally, I cant put the book down. I'm three chapters through and cant find fault in the book. All of this goes for the "Lord of the rings - Leatherette edition" just as much as for "The Hobbit - Leatherette edition". This book is a must for all!
Rating:
Summary: If you love these books, the classic edition!
Review: I've read these books and the hobbit four times each. I adored them as an adolescent and in my twenties. Always fascinated by fairy tales, mythology, and the Arthurian stories of White and others, Tolkien's tales remained the ultimate in combining these genres with exquisite writing that surpasses the years. Both my husband and I have owned a variety of paperbacks of the books, but when the movie was made and I saw this edition, I decided to splurge and get it. I went and saw the first and second movies without prereading again, and for a deaf person, seeing a film in the theater is something we rarely do, but I did to get the majesty of the film and the story. AFter the recent release of the second part of the film, I finally opened this edition, and started reading. The story has not faded with time, if anything it still remains the ultimate fictional story of good against evil. This edition is absolutely breathtaking. The map alone is worth opening again and again to understand the major work Tolkien did in writing this epic. He created an entire world that breathes, he created languages and poetry to go with this world, and characters that feel as real as our often long distant families. Every child, every adolescent deserves to be able to read these books, and become familiar with the English language as it adorns these books. For those enamored of the trilogy and movie, this is the ultimate gift. The book is complete with drawings and runes of elves. An incredibly brilliant lifetime achievement of one man's imagination, that continually feeds our own imaginations. Karen Sadler,
Science Education,
University of Pittsburgh
Rating: 
Summary: Poor print quality
Review: I just want to say that the print quality of this book is rather bad, there are many letters with tiny blank spaces and not very well printed characters; there are little black spots throughout the text as well. I was very disappointed by these annoying details as I thought that this leather bound book was the best edition available (as a matter of fact it is sold as a "collector's edition"). I think it's not worth the price, not at least until the publisher will be able to put these things right. I personally recommend to purchase a less fancy (but better printed) paperback edition. If I had known that this hardback edition contained so many typographic errors, I would have saved my money without doubt.
The Lord of the Rings is a great and challenging book but this "renowned" edition has been a letdown for me and does not do justice to this literary classic. Publishers, edit a new reprinted and revised edition please.
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