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Summary: Or maybe a *genuine* leather OR Largeprint version?...
Review: Here's a British edition LOTR which I bought over at Amazon.UK :)ISBN: 0261103687, Harper Collins published, soft genuine leather & cloth binding - black in color, fine India parchment pages gold edged and very thin (lightweight). Printing very high quality. Cloth slipcase. This HC edition from England is more costly, nicer in appearance, but less bullet proof than the red American (Houghton Miflin) published, leatherette collectors edition ISBN: 0395193958 Also at Amazon.uk you can find a matching Harper Collins luxury edition _Simarlian_ (soft black leather/cloth, gold edged India pages, etc.) ISBN: 0007136609 .... Or for something easy on the eyes when reading, instead of when admiring: basic cloth bound editions in huge *Largeprint* from Thorndike Press: The Hobbit ISBN: 0786251778 The Fellowship of the Ring ISBN: 0786251786 The Two Towers ISBN: 0786251751 The Return of the King
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Summary: Greatest fantasy novel of all time
Review: Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings is definately the most well-known fantasy novel of all time. I belive it is also the best written. I have read fantasy novels by many authors, but I keep coming back to The Lord of the Rings. Tolkien seems to write in such a way as to include incredible amounts of detail and imagry, without making the book too long and drawn out. The plot is incredibly complex, but it is not boring, because there are continually things happening. The action never stays still, and yet it is not an action story. If you are a fan of Tolkien, this is the edition of The Lord of the Rings that you want. It has many beautiful colour illustrations that somehow were suprizingly close to how I visualized the scenery in the book. Having the story all in one large volume is very convenient, as I never just read ONE volume of The Lord of the Rings, I read it straight through from The Fellowship of the Ring to The Return of the King, and I dont like to carry 3 books with me at once.
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Summary: A 41 y old Tolkien fancier writes about two deluxe editions
Review: This is a comparative review of the two "deluxe" editions of "The Lord of the Rings" available at this store. I assume that, like me, you have read and liked this book, so I do not want to talk about the author's words, but the relative merits of the single-volume red "leatherette collector's edition" (ISBN 0395193958) and the version illustrated by Alan Lee. (ISBN 0618260587) Maddened by the inaccuracies of the lavish but perhaps unavoidably "Hollywoodish" film version, I wanted to get back in touch with Tolkein's much more complex, dramatic, but more leisurely paced original text. The copies I bought in junior high were long gone, so I put this on my birthday list, and two people gave me these different versions. I know they both came from Amazon.com because of the wrapping paper. Both versions have things to recommend them. The leatherette covered one is covered with a durable nubbly plastic with a Tolkeinesque star on the cover (the star of F¸anor?) and drawings meant to indicate the hinges on some large, antique books. It comes in a plain red leatherette box, which I find only fills up precious book shelf real-estate, but some would like. It also has a large, clear fold-out map in the back. The paper is a nice, creamy vanilla color that is fittingly the same kind of paper "The New Jerusalem Bible" is printed on. Because it is a single volume, it has about twelve or thirteen hundred pages with the introductions and the appendices, so reading it gives one the impression that one is setting off on a quest of one's own. I am not one of these people, but some would complain that it is a bit too heavy and unwieldy, particularly for reading in bed. It is a handsome volume, and my only complaint about it is that the type, which is perhaps the result of some photographic process, is of varying darkness, and this detracts from the overall feeling of quality.
The other version I was given was the set illustrated by Alan Lee. He was a consultant on the recent Peter Jackson film version, and his illustration of Orthanc on the cover of "The Two Towers" looks just like the movie poster. Lee is a very competent illustrator, and I like his pictures, but there aren't enough of them. There seems to be an average of one picture every two chapters, and Mr. Lee's choice seems to be to shy away from the vulgarly dramatic, like Gandalf confronting the Balrog in Moria, in favor of pictures that depict the incredibly overgrown nature of Middle-Earth locales like Fangorn Forest.
The three volumes of this version are printed on glossy paper of such heavy duty thickness that I constantly had to glance at the page number to make sure I'd only turned over only one page. They come in an illustrated case, and because of the thickness of the paper, it gives the impression of weighing about thirty pounds. The reservations about weight that applied to the previous version apply to this one too.
The typeface of this volume is excellent: dark and precise, although I think it would benefit from the occasional touch of ornamental flair.
This version does not have the large fold-out map of the leatherette edition, but a map printed inside the cover. Therefore, it is not as big and clear as that map, but much more accessible. (BTW, I think Tolkien's maps badly need revision. What's needed is a reworking that follows his basic look and design, but is more detailed and more closely follows the text.)
I like both of these versions, but if forced to choose, I would probably pick the Alan Lee illustrated version. Some might find his illustrations too restrained, but I thought this characteristic made them suitably elegant for a faery tale that appealed to adults. (Also Mr. Lee's style is formal and remote enough that it wouldn't get in the reader's way if his or her conception of a certain event or character was different.) It's just too bad there weren't more illustrations, and some ornamental type. This is a good edition, but it could've been great.
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Summary: The greatest book ever
Review: Lord of the Rings was great. It is action packed and filled with adventure. I find that the character would act like I do at times. The characters were not believable at all. Elves and dwarfs, wizards, and hobbits could never exist. The book really holds you to the story. It is hard to stop because the plot is so good. It is really interesting. The plot is believable though. It is in the right sequence.
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Summary: CD Version Lacking
Review: I bought this CD version of TLOTR in order to introduce the story to my wife as we went on a road trip from Texas to Colorado a few years ago.
Although both this and The Hobbit were true to the original story, the dramatization was poor and lacked emotion. The audio value is bad, with volume problems. The music was at best loud, at worse bothersome. Still, we listened to it, and my wife was introduced to two classics of literature. (this review is for the boxed, CD recording of the books)
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Summary: Why people love them so much, I will never know.
Review: Many people belive these books to be some of the greatest books ever written. I, on the other hand have read the Lord of the Rings trilogy and do not believe them to be that good. Sure the story portrays a classic theme of good vs. evil, and the plot is a good one. However, these books are slow moving and not very exciting. In fact, the books are pretty boring overall. There isn't enough action and there are usually long, drawn-out conversations. I really don't believe that these books are worth reading, and if you really want to know what they are about, watch the movies. They are excellent and a lot more exciting.
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Summary: Magnificent reading
Review: The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring is a fantasy novel of epic proportions. Each chapter draws the you father away from the real world and deeper into the realm of Middle Earth, the fantastic setting in which the story takes place. Its author, J.R.R. Tolkien, uses detailed imagery, well-developed characters, and an ever-evolving plot line to produce a tale that has shaped the minds and styles of readers and writers all over the world. Each of Tolkien's descriptions add to the collection of imagery yet another part of Middle Earth's landscape. Middle Earth is so expansive and detailed that it seems to develop into the main character of the tale as a whole. The important characters of the novel are each unique and dynamic. They all have strengths and weaknesses that one can relate to and understand. As the story progresses, each character's personality is bent and forged, shaped by the terrors and joys faced by each as the tale fulfills itself.
The Fellowship of the Ring is only the first part of three novels in the Lord of the Rings Trilogy. It moves slower than the latter two books but is more descriptive and sets up a lot of the staging for the latter plot development. It is a wonderful story line, and is played out with exquisite results, often catching the reader off guard.
This book will entertain you if you have any kind of interest in the subject matter. It is one of the few books I've read that gave me emotional reactions from cold chills to sincere worry. Rich in characters, plot, and imagination this book is a classic.
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Summary: Wonderful collector's piece
Review: If you love this epic story and love the smell and feel of leather bound books this is perfect for your personal library
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Summary: Review for Lord Of The Rings, a good easy read
Review: I realy like lord of the rings. It had cool creatures and neat heros. I like the evil wizard Saromon and his crazy want to rule the world. The fellowship of the ring is trying to bring the ring to middle earth where it was made and destroy it. The spells in it are good because there are limintations to what the wizards can do and different races can do different things. There are Elfs, Dorfs, Hobits, Humans, Orcs, Tree monsters, huge spiders and much, much more. It is really a good read and well worth your time reading it. I had a hard time stop reading it and finished it within a fiew weeks. I also like the complex plots that seem to come to an end but don't, and things are not what they seem to be. If you like magic, monsters, and cool creatures, this is the book for you.
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Summary: Splendid.
Review: "The Lord of the Rings" by the late great Professor J. R. R. Tolkien is perhaps one of the best works of fiction written in the 20th century. I will not waste the time of anyone by going into a summary of its endearing and delightful plot, as I will talk about what is in this beautiful edition of the book. All of Tolkien's "The Lord of the Ring" is present in this one book (It is normally published in three volumes.) It is hard covered bound in leather with vibrant gold lettering on the cover. This is a must have for anyone who has read "The Lord of the Rings", and if you haven't read the book then you should seriously considering doing it. You will be very pleased with it.
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