The Fireside

There are some exciting things happening next year with regards to Tolkien.  The main event, is that throughout the year and ending in November, is that the 12-book (13, counting the index book) History of Middle-earth series will be published in hardback format.... as  12 individual hardbacks. This is in celebration of Christopher Tolkien's centenary. There will be other releases throughout the year too, that remain to be seen.  For the sake of this post, I wish to examine two areas or aspects:  - will certain styles of books continue past The Silmarillion? - will there be a 70th Anniversary Edition of The Lord of the Rings ?  Will Unfinished Tales arrive in the special edition format? (Unjacketed hardback collector’s edition) And, illustrated by the author?   That's what I'm curious about. In 2021, the 'illustrated by the author' format began with The Lord of the Rings. Then, next year, The Silmarillion  came out. Lastly, this year, The Hobbit ...

  The History of Middle-earth: Boxed Set II will be published on March 28. It's ISBN is  9780008669232 .  The contents, as you may be able to see from the photo, will be:  ~ The Lays of Beleriand ~ The Shaping of Middle-earth ~ The Lost Road With regards to these sets, I'll post again once the info for Boxed Set III is revealed. That post will follow with the fourth and final set. Possibly, in the same post as Boxed Set IV, I may recap the previous 3, or dedicate a post to all 4.  While not History of Middle-earth related, I'll be sure to post about anything else that comes along or is announced in 2024. 

It's that time of year for me to suggest and feature some particular editions of Tolkien's works. I think this typically happens, because the films were released right around Christmas time. So, I've come to associate that time of the year with Tolkien (and fantasy overall, when there hasn't been much happening, Tolkien-wise). So let's get into it! First we have what I like to call the 'landscape' paperback covers. These are pretty basic, though are the 'footprint' for pretty much all editions and settings of the text. Also, the covers are different then what we typically see for a Tolkien book. Some think in a bad way, others in a good way. I believe it's due to many stating that they resemble general or average fantasy books, self-help books etc, as opposed to what we typically see for a Tolkien cover.  Boxed set ISBN:  9780008387754 The Hobbit  ISBN:  9780008376055 The Fellowship of the Ring  ISBN:  9780008376062 The Two Towers ISBN:  97800083...

  In a few months, there will be a new edition of The Silmarillion  joining the.....I don't know how to call them! Joining the new versions of the 2013 re-issues of The Hobbit , and The Lord of the Rings  (as 3 parts). I am referring to these editions:  What follows is the info. I'm surprised, as I'd thought they were going to put out a boxed set of those editions (now that The Hobbit matches. Remember, with The Hobbit  they reprinted it to match the re-issues (new ISBNs) of The Lord of the Rings ). ISBN:  9780008669140 Special unjacketed hardback edition of the prelude to J.R.R. Tolkien’s epic masterpiece,  The Lord of the Rings . This edition of  The Silmarillion  features the complete work with a unique cover design and black and red endpaper maps. The Silmarillion  is an account of the Elder Days, of the First Age of Tolkien’s World. It is the ancient drama to which the characters in  The Lord of the Rings  look back, and i...

  With the announcement of The History of Middle-earth series, more information has come to light, and I'll share thoughts/opinions afterwards.  Part of HarperCollins' official announcement reads: "B eginning in November, and continuing throughout 2024, a series of four boxed sets of hardbacks will acknowledge Christopher Tolkien’s remarkable literary achievement, with the final set appearing on what would have been his 100 th  birthday in November 2024." So now we know that the fourth and final of the HoM-e (History of Middle-earth) sets will be released then. Once it's been released, I'll showcase the 4 boxed sets here more: between the first and the third, I'll announce them, pass on info, etc; though for my Tolkien Christmas post next  year they'll be featured then, as they'll all be out at that point.  Worthy of note, is that part of the facebook post announcing the sets formally:  These boxed sets will be accompanied by a wealth of exciting n...

The above image was created by Astral_Taurus on reddit on the tolkienbooks reddit, so first: many thanks for your work, and posting that. As such it is fanmade and not real . This post is 'for fun and games' only.  So: the 'illustrated by the author' edition arriving in 2024. This format began in 2021 with The Lord of the Rings , continued in 2022 with The Silmarillion  and will see another release this year with The Hobbit . But ,what about next year? Will The Lord of the Rings  get divided into 3 and get a refreshed 70th Anniversary Edition boxed set? (2024 will be the 70th anniversary). Or, would that instead be saved for 2025? Another approach, could be that the next title (if there were to be a 'next title') would Unfinished Tales , arriving in standard hardback and as a slipcased edition. Many may (rightfully so) decry that there isn't enough artwork for Unfinished Tales  to exist in this format. Perhaps, though what may happen is that Unfinished Ta...

  Recently, it was announced that The History of Middle-earth 12-book series (13, which includes Index ) will be getting new hardback editions.  Thanks to various posters and users on the TCG (Tolkien Collector Guide) forums and Reddit, I have further info to pass along as well.  This is the first of four boxed sets coming out. What follows is the official description (and ISBN) for set 1 of 4: First in a series of hardback boxed sets celebrating the literary achievement of Christopher Tolkien, featuring double-sided dustjackets. Set 1 contains special editions of THE SILMARILLION and UNFINISHED TALES reproducing the first edition text, together with the two volumes of THE BOOK OF LOST TALES. The Silmarillion  is an account of the Elder Days, of the First Age of Tolkien’s World. It is the ancient drama to which the characters in  The Lord of the Rings  look back, and in whose events some of them, such as Elrond and Galadriel, took part. The tales of  T...

  Well, it's Hobbit Day!  That is the most celebrated day (and the week, as well) across the Tolkien fandom. How one celebrates is entirely up to them. It can range anywhere from going on a nice nature walk, having a cup of tea, having a hobbit-y meal (complete with ale). Some make a day of it, with doing marathons of Peter Jackson's Lord of the Rings  trilogy, etc. However you celebrate, let's take a look at the book at which the day is named after (note that day isn't named after "THE" Hobbit , the book, but rather the race in Tolkien's worlds). The Hobbit  was responsible for The Lord of the Rings  existing, so, in a way, it was really The Hobbit  that re-defined the fantasy genre. Not to undermine The Lord of the Rings , but if The Hobbit didn't exist first.....  So there are a few ways to celebrate, book-wise.  Of course, one can (re)read the book itself, or examine some titles about it or related to it.  There are a wide variety of edit...

 I have been holding off on this post until the slipcased edition had been revealed (cover art, description, ISBN). Some may go 'but wait! aren't most editions of The Hobbit already illustrated by Tolkien??' Indeed, many do feature some of the artwork he created for the book. Some of the artwork he created. This new edition greatly expands on the included imagery, as well printing the text in two colours, as well as a ribbon-marker (likely white for the standard edition, and green for the slipcased edition.) Following the 'illustrated by the author' series that began with The Lord of the Rings and continued with The Silmarillion , now The Hobbit will be among them, in terms of design and style. You'll see in this post. As is my usual custom, I'll provide the cover art, ISBN and description below for both the standard edition and the slipcased one. ISBN: ‎  9780008627782 For the first time ever, a special enhanced edit...

  This October marks 40th years since The History of Middle-earth book series began with The Book of Lost Tales: Part 1 . To celebrate, I have an idea for the publisher, HarperCollins, to do. Please note that the following is speculation only. HarperCollins, if you're reading, please do ahead with these if it's in the cards to begin with.  Each of the 13 (12 + the Index) books will get published as 13 individual hardbacks. These hardbacks would feature the same imagery by John Howe (some of which appears in this post) that adorns the current paperback counterparts. The dustjacket would be arranged and designed in such a manner to match the latest Tolkien hardbacks, such as The Fall of Numenor and The Nature of Middle-earth . Much like The Nature of Middle-earth , there won't be any artwork inside - the only imagery would be what's currently available inside the 12 books. Each of these hardbacks would be available on their own, and there would be 3 boxed sets (of the sa...