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So, it's taken me about 20 years but I finally want to get around to reading these books. I started having a bit of a look / read about what print / edition to get and I found that some people reviewing the books comment that some books have errors in their recent prints changing the meaning of things (not just spelling errors).

So for those who own and have read them, are there a particular editions which are truer to the originals than others? I had been tempted by getting ones with Alan Lee's illustrations but is there another print I should consider? I'm not concerned whether I get them individually or as part of a collection.

Or should I just pick a print and be done with it because it's probably a storm in a tea cup and I won't notice anything?

I have never heard of any difference in the editions, but I for one really enjoyed the illustrations you mentioned. I'd get those.

May I help you out with a suggestion of which CC members would be best to ask this question of?

When it comes to Tolkien, there are some resident experts here. You may want to get in contact with Maedhros or Formendacil or Bruce. They all have a vast knowledge.

I hope this helps you find your answer.

I also don't know of any differences in The Hobbit versions, I'd get any one you like. LOTR on the other hand has many a version with various errors (mostly inconsistencies of names and dates), so I'd get a newer print (after 1994 I guess)... If you like hardcovers and reading at home, I'd recommend the leather bound 50th Anniversary Edition (amazon - although these got expensive) - it's a whole different feeling reading a book with a bound bookmark - not to speak of gilded pages. This is my 3rd and favorite version, it demands respect while reading (alone the weight of the book) and dedication (you can't read it in bed or anywhere else than a reading chair or reading desk)

In the end there are so many opinions out there on which editions are better or worse - you could spend a whole day on the Amazon forum and be none the wiser. Pick a fairly new edition (with appendices - you don't want to have to buy them separately) and you should be fine.

Medieval Guy wrote:...but I for one really enjoyed the illustrations you mentioned. I'd get those.

That's what I had been leaning towards.

Bluesecrets wrote:May I help you out with a suggestion of which CC members would be best to ask this question of?

Sure thing so thanks. I might give that a go. One of them hasn't been online since I started this thread so I might see if they chance across this over the next day or so.

mitah wrote:LOTR on the other hand has many a version with various errors (mostly inconsistencies of names and dates), so I'd get a newer print (after 1994 I guess)...

That sort of rings a bell that it could be LotR moreso than The Hobbit.

mitah wrote:If you like hardcovers and reading at home, I'd recommend the leather bound 50th Anniversary Edition (amazon - although these got expensive) - it's a whole different feeling reading a book with a bound bookmark - not to speak of gilded pages. This is my 3rd and favorite version, it demands respect while reading (alone the weight of the book) and dedication (you can't read it in bed or anywhere else than a reading chair or reading desk)

That one looks like a wonderful book. I don't get hardcovers myself as I'm usually reading on the train. It would certainly look awesome on the bookshelf on a desk Which two versions do you like better?

mitah wrote:In the end there are so many opinions out there on which editions are better or worse - you could spend a whole day on the Amazon forum and be none the wiser. Pick a fairly new edition (with appendices - you don't want to have to buy them separately) and you should be fine.

That's what I'm thinking. It's easy to miss the forest for the trees. Here's two options I guess?

The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings [Paperback Box set, 1999]
Alan Lee cover art and map(s)
Train friendly

The Lord of the Rings [Hardcover Box set, 2002]
Alan Lee artwork and I guess map(s)
Not as train friendly?


Any thoughts?

Hey,

Sorry I've not been around the forum much lately - lots of life has been happening lately.

I'm not aware of printing problems, but I've got a dog-eared set of Ballantine Books paperbacks that are about 30 years old. My wife has an all-in-one-volume paperback by Houghton Mifflin that came out when the movies were released, and I don't notice anything different in it.

On the Hobbit, if you're of a scholarly mind and like to get into how the book was written, I've heard good things about the Annotated Hobbit, but that might distract from the simple reading of the story (for instance, Tolkien actually changed the parts of the book quite a bit from the initial writing to make it fit better with the sequel he was writing that became the Lord of the Rings - the annotated version would note all of those changes where they occur).

Another consideration on the Hobbit is that this year is the 75th anniversary, so there is a new printing with Tolkien's art, a new intro by his son, etc. Oddly I only find the Kindle edition on Amazon. I'm sure we'll also see some paperback version with cover art from the upcoming movie very soon as well timed for release this fall.

Both of those boxed sets you linked to look very nice in the store.

Oh, as long as we're on it, I'm also very much looking forward to Corey Olsen's Exploring J.R.R. Tolkien's "The Hobbit". It's coming out Sept 18 (the actual 75th anniversary of the original release). He's got a podcast called the Tolkien Professor on iTunes that I highly recommend.

Bruce
Bruce

Bluesecrets wrote:May I help you out with a suggestion of which CC members would be best to ask this question of?

When it comes to Tolkien, there are some resident experts here. You may want to get in contact with Maedhros or Formendacil or Bruce. They all have a vast knowledge.

I hope this helps you find your answer.

Can't believe you forgot to mention me blue :p I only have nearly every book Tolkien has written and all the history of mIddle earth series

Bruce N H wrote:Sorry I've not been around the forum much lately - lots of life has been happening lately.

No probs, appreciate you jumping on.

Bruce N H wrote:I'm not aware of printing problems, but I've got a dog-eared set of Ballantine Books paperbacks that are about 30 years old. My wife has an all-in-one-volume paperback by Houghton Mifflin that came out when the movies were released, and I don't notice anything different in it.

Okay, that's encouraging.

Bruce N H wrote:On the Hobbit, if you're of a scholarly mind and like to get into how the book was written, I've heard good things about the Annotated Hobbit, but that might distract from the simple reading of the story (for instance, Tolkien actually changed the parts of the book quite a bit from the initial writing to make it fit better with the sequel he was writing that became the Lord of the Rings - the annotated version would note all of those changes where they occur).

Ah, that's an interesting point. Part of my wouldn't mind reading it like that. Mind you, I'm thinking that I might read them as they are now and see whether I get attached to the stories and then think about this. Good to know, thanks.

Bruce N H wrote:Another consideration on the Hobbit is that this year is the 75th anniversary, so there is a new printing with Tolkien's art, a new intro by his son, etc. Oddly I only find the Kindle edition on Amazon. I'm sure we'll also see some paperback version with cover art from the upcoming movie very soon as well timed for release this fall.

You'd expect that might happen. There's always something new to put out.

Bruce N H wrote:Both of those boxed sets you linked to look very nice in the store.

Yeah, I've managed to see them in bookstores too and I think they look pretty good but they cost four times as much as what Amazon lists them for but I have a suspicion that Amazon might not ship to AU. We'll see. A mate just tried to get some hardcovers through Amazon but they wouldn't.

richardanthonyc wrote:Can't believe you forgot to mention me blue :p I only have nearly every book Tolkien has written and all the history of mIddle earth series

Well, I'm happy to hear more

Oh, you're down under. I should have noted that Houghton Mifflin is the official publisher in the US, but Allen & Unwin is (or at least was) in the UK. Not sure about Australia, but you might want to look for printings by Allen & Unwin.

Bruce

Bruce N H wrote:Not sure about Australia, but you might want to look for printings by Allen & Unwin.

Okay, shall do. Cheers!

Although there's a slight discount from the Book Depository at the moment and they ship very quickly. Still not as cheap as the 30 bucks from Amazon.
http://www.bookdepository.co.uk/Hobbit- ... 0007355143