The Fireside

🎅🎄❄️🎁⛄ It's that time of year! I'm going to detail some Christmas Gift Ideas (not for me, for you - the reader) to spotlight certain items of fantasy anyone  would enjoy getting under their tree this year!  ` 2024 William Morrow Tolkien Collector's Editions First up, are these splendid editions of The Tolkien Trinity ( The Hobbit, The Lord of the Rings  and The Silmarillion ) by William Morrow.  The ISBNs for each are as follows: The Hobbit:  9780063396203 The Fellowship of the Ring:  9780063412613 The Two Towers:  9780063412620 The Return of the King :  9780063412637 The Lord of the Rings  Boxed Set (includes a Map of Middle-earth in the set. the books do, but this is separate, detached map is only found (in terms of these titles) in the boxed set):  9780063421240   The Silmarillion :  9780063396197 These are attractive 'everyday' editions. They are dustjacket-less hardcovers, not super expensive, have foil stamped covers, ...

The 4 titles in the Tolkien Treasury set will be completely available in paperback (part of the Tolkien Signature Collection). Here’s the info for all 4: The Adventures of Tom Bombadil : 9780008700195 Farmer Giles of Ham : 9780008705275 Smith of Wootton Major : 9780008737672 Roverandom : 9780008737689 Speaking of the Tolkien Signature Collection, here’s hoping Letters From Father Christmas and Tree and Leaf also join that style, hopefully next year sometime.  Here's the cover art for each: I won't put in the description for each, as the contents are the exact same as these titles in The Tolkien Treasury Boxed Set.  I will, however, link the updated Master List for The Signature Paperback Collection: https://insurrbution.blogspot.com/2024/05/the-tolkien-signature-paperback.html .  I shifted Tales From the Perilous Realm  from Set VII to Set VIII to solely dedicate these four books to Set VII. The reason for this, was that Set VII contained Tales From the Perilous Rea...

  This is a day I've long anticipated.  Farmer Giles of Ham  has finally arrived on eBook. That statement has a few meanings to me.  First, the fact that it  actually exists  as an eBook.  Secondly - and this is the big one for me - is that this release was delayed a few times. I'd have to dig through my e-mails (correspondence with HarperCollins) to find out the past release dates, or how many times, though I believe it was initially supposed to come out Fall 2023. Then, it was delayed to Winter 2024, then Spring 2024, and now, finally  it's out.  You may be wondering 'ok, it got delayed a few times. That's unfortunate, but now it's finally out. But why is that a big deal?' I'll go into it.  Back in 2008, HarperCollins re-issued Tales From the Perilous Realm  and integrated Roverandom  into it. It featured 'On Fairy-Stories' as an appendix (great placement) and some words from Alan Lee as well as Tom Shippey. The artwork was d...

  In a rather surprising move, the US Tolkien publisher (now William Morrow) are offering their own Collector's Editions of the primary Tolkien Middle-earth books. However, they are different - and better! - than HarperCollins' (UK) variation of them! Not to speak ill of any particular publisher, though typically  the UK editions have been overall nicer - even when both publishers offer the exact same version, the UK one tends to favour better materials or production.  This has changed (a possible one-time thing) by William Morrow offering better binding, a ribbon-marker and stained edges to line of publisher-labelled 'Collector's Editions.'  The item that has the publication date the farthest away is The Lord of the Rings  Boxed Set, coming out Nov 5. Below are some photos (courtesy of Amazon (US site: .com), along with the ISBNs of the titles in this format.  The Hobbit :  9780063396203 The Lord of the Rings  (Boxed Set):  9780063421240 The...

  This post will examine (by way of speculation) some titles yet to be published in the Signature Paperback Collection by HarperCollins.  HarperCollins is in the process of reissuing a vast number of Tolkien paperbacks into a new style, 'The Tolkien Signature Collection.' So far, roughly 90% of the various paperbacks have been released into this style. There's the odd title here and there yet to come to that format.  It's up to HarperCollins to decide which titles will be arriving in this new, unifying paperback format. The ones that will be mentioned here are certainly candidates, either way of receiving new ISBNs, or by having future print runs use the new covers - if they've already been published in paperback format by HarperCollins, that is.  Letters From Father Christmas   I can picture how this could look in my head: it would feature the image above (which has adorned the front covers in shape or form of various editions over recent years) and the book's ...

  Don't they look great together?! All four History of Middle-earth Boxed Sets are now out.  For those waiting until all the boxed sets are out, this post is for you. Here are their ISBN's: ~ I:  9780008663162 ~ II:  9780008669232  ~ III:  9780008669294 ~ IV:  9780008669393 WORTHY OF NOTE Matching Hobbit + Lord of the Rings  Boxed Set:  9780008376109 Other Notable Titles: ~ The History of The Hobbit:  9780007440825 ~ The Nature of Middle-earth :  9780008387921 All of those titles above get you pretty much all the major Middle-earth related titles - with little to no duplication. 

  It was announced earlier this week that Bloomsbury will publishing a boxed set of the currently-available Harry Potter books in hardback. (see image above).  The ISBN for the new set is  9781526676511. The description follows: A stunning wizarding package for readers to enjoy - the complete collection of J.K. Rowling's Harry Potter adventures presented in hardback, with fun character stickers! This starry book trunk, decorated with magical owls and postmarks, is the ultimate way to escape to Hogwarts! Seven beautiful hardbacks are collected inside, featuring spectacular cover illustrations by Jonny Duddle, as well as quizzes, listicles and fun facts at the back of each story. This special delivery arrives in a protective cardboard sleeve and also includes a sheet of colourful stickers. There's even a special name label for readers to personalise their own Harry Potter set. J.K. Rowling's unmissable series has sparked a lifelong reading journey for children and families ...

  Recently, HarperCollins has been re-issuing most of the Tolkien titles in a new paperback style. Since that a vast majority of these share ISBNs with other covers, eventually the older covers will be replaced with the new. I wanted to provide head's up for that. If ordered via Amazon UK, Blackwell's, or Waterstones, you'll very likely have the newer/Signature cover. If possible, it may be best to actually visit  the bookstore so you can see which one they actually have on their shelves.   This post is a Master Post, collecting ISBNs of the titles released in this style. I have made them into 'groups' or 'sets' for ease of reference, as well as possibly assist in purchasing them, if one were to get more than one book at once. Over the course of time, this post will get updated. Once a new title comes to this format, I'll do a separate blog post focusing on that title; and provide it's ISBN, cover art, and description. Enough of these have come out t...

  While this was announced initially a few months ago, when I post about Tolkien books, I prefer to do it with all  (or as much as possible) info. Since that today the product image was released, now I'll post about it! Arriving in September, is a 3-book boxed set of poems by Tolkien. Before I relay the info about this release below, I wanted to point something out: if we look at a larger version of the image of this post (I shrink my images down so they'll fit within the confines of the blog template) we can see what of the books has on their spines, which offers insight to the contents. We have: Book 1: 1910-1919 , Book 2: 1919-1931 , and Book 3: 1931-1967 .  The ISBN is  9780008628826 Here follows the press release, and then the official description: Press Release COLLECTED POEMS OF J.R.R. TOLKIEN TO BE PUBLISHED FOR FIRST TIME London, Tuesday 12 March HarperCollins has announced it is to publish The Collected Poems of J.R.R. Tolkien, edited by Christina Scull ...

  I've stated before that I'm a fan of Prime's Rings of Power  series, though it's been a bit since I've mentioned it; due to when the previous season finished.  Before I continue, I wish to address my verdict (as of now): I like it more than The Hobbit  films, but nowhere near as much as The Lord of the Rings  films. I am able to compartmentalize books and their adaptations. There's more things that I do  like about this series than things I don't . I like it enough to watch each season, wondering what will happen next, and what will happen to the characters. While I like both, I recognize that House of the Dragon  is the superior show.   So Season 2 is set to debut on August 29. It will be 8 episodes (like Season 1), so going on that, we can expect the season finale to be October 17 - on the assumption that we get one episode per week, each week, non-stop. With essentially all the TV shows I watch, no matter how much I'm interested in them,...

Tree and Leaf. The Tolkien Reader. Poems and Stories. Tales From the Perilous Realm. Much of this content has appeared in various titles over the years, with no single title containing EVERYTHING. So, I have pieced together possibly the best order (opinion only, that is) to read all of the various material, and to get the fullest experience possible: ~ Roverandom (Tolkien Treasury edition) ~ The Battle of Maldon ~ Farmer Giles of Ham (Tolkien Treasury edition) ~ The Adventures of Tom Bombadil (Tolkien Treasury edition) ~ Leaf by Niggle (from whatever source you have this title as: Tree and Leaf, Tales From the Perilous Realm .…For a 'fuller' experience, I'd say the Tales From the Perilous Realm version, due to the artwork, and it's the 'newest' title in which the text has appeared.) ~ Smith of Wootton Major (Extended Edition. Tolkien Treasury edition) ~ On Fairy-Stories (Expanded Edition) If you have the edition of  Tree and Leaf book that includes Mytho...

  Arriving in August, with the ISBN of  9780008655679 is the paperback edition of The Fall of Numenor : J.R.R. Tolkien’s writings on the Second Age of Middle-earth, collected for the first time in one volume. Guided by the Dark Lord Sauron, the Elves of Eregion forge the Rings of Power. Yet in secret he has begun building the Barad-dûr in Mordor, and here, in the fires of Mount Doom, he makes the One Ring. Seeking to rule Middle-earth, Sauron begins to wage terrible war upon them. On the island-kingdom of Númenor, the Men of the West become mighty, building great ships to increase their influence throughout Middle-earth. But as their power grows, the seed of their downfall is sown. Only by uniting in alliance with the Elves can they hope to overcome Sauron. Adhering to ‘The Tale of Years’ timeline in The Lord of the Rings, Brian Sibley assembles a new chronicle of Middle-earth, a tragic tale of pride, envy and downfall told substantially in the words of J.R.R. Tolkien from the...

  Well, this is certainly a surprise! Via the Tolkien Newsletter from HarperCollins, they've announced that later this year there will be a 70th Anniversary Edition of The Lord of the Rings !  Sometimes, the time window can vary for when a book release is announced to when it's going to be published. I had thought that that 'window' has closed for future editions of The Lord of the Rings , especially considering how packed HarperCollins' Tolkien publishing schedule is.  I had also thought that should there be another edition of The Lord of the Rings , that it would essentially be the Author Illustrated 1-book standard hardback, divided into 3. I was wrong! It is refreshing to see HarperCollins offer a deluxe release of The Lord of the Rings  as 3 books as opposed to 1.  For those who don't subscribe to the newsletter, here's the portion pertaining to the new edition: We're thrilled to share an exclusive first look at this deluxe, three-volume slipcased h...

  Mr. Bliss  will be joining the ever-growing range of new hardbacks by HarperCollins!  It will be published in Nov, and the ISBN is  9780008705312.  The contents will be the exact same as the 2011 edition, the only difference is that it will be the size that the rest of the hardback editions are in. To gauge what that might look like, we can use the 2023 editions of Letters From Father Christmas  compared the the 2012 (2009?) hardback edition to see how Mr. Bliss  could look, going from the 2011 edition to the 2024 one.  I really hope that HarperCollins and The Tolkien Team do a hardback edition of Sir Gawain and the Green Knight : it could even be the most recent paperback 'replicated' in hardback format!  Anyway, Mr. Bliss  is worth checking out: definitely one of Tolkien's more charming and whimsical tales: it will fit comfortably next to works such as Tales From the Perilous Realm  and Letters From Father Christmas  (both ...

  With the publication of The Silmarillion  in this format, this completes HarperCollins' series of collector's editions.  In terms of their construction and features, these editions don't really offer anything that other hardbacks don't - beyond the attractive cover and exterior design. While it's not my business to tell others' what 'place' or 'purpose' a particular edition has on their shelves; it's my belief that these editions are targeted towards those that want something nicer than a paperback, but not paying usual hardback prices. Perfect as reading copies, and make great gifts to give, without breaking the bank.    The info for these editions is: ~ The Hobbit:  9780007487301 ~ The Fellowship of the Ring:   9780008567125 ~ The Two Towers:   9780008567132 ~ The Return of the King:   9780008567149 ~ The Silmarillion :  9780008669140 Sadly, there is no boxed set - though one can always get a custom-made one. I wanted to showcase the...

I may be a bit late to the game (meant to do this post a few days ago) though the info for The History of Middle-earth: Boxed Sets III & IV have recently come out, seemingly at the same time.  Arriving June 6 (that's the scheduled date as of this post) with an ISBN of  9780008669294, is Box III.  Box III contains: The Return of the the Shadow, The Treason of Isengard, The War of the Ring  and (spoiler alert! Kidding) Sauron Defeated . All of those are immediately associated with Tolkien writing The Lord of the Rings .  Next, and lastly for these History of Middle-earth Boxed Sets, is Boxed Set IV. Arriving on August 15 (again, that date is as of this post) with an ISBN of  9780008669393, is Boxed Set IV. It contains Morgoth's Ring, The War of the Jewels, The  Peoples of Middle-earth  and the very handy Index  to the entire series.  Once History of Middle-earth: Box IV is out, I'll do a post with all their ISBNs collected into one pos...