The Fireside

  More details have come through for the upcoming Lord of the Rings  70th Anniversary Limited Edition. Info follows below: "Since it was first published seventy years ago,  The Lord of the Rings  has been a book people have treasured. Steeped in unrivalled magic and otherworldliness, this work of sweeping fantasy has touched the hearts of young and old alike. No edition has proved more popular than the Centenary edition illustrated by award-winning artist, Alan Lee. Now, for the first time since its publication in 1992, it has been revised and expanded with new paintings and illustrations, and is presented in a stunning three-volume boxed edition, numbered and signed by the artist and with many unique and exclusive features. This very special three-volume edition of The Lord of the Rings has been printed by Graphicom S.p.A. in Vicenza, Italy, on Munken L...

  I’d like to take a moment of appreciation for this edition of LotR , from back in 2014 (ISBN 9780007525546). This edition is now out of print, and is no longer sold new from the likes of Waterstones, Blackwell’s, Amazon directly, etc . Description: “A sumptuous new one-volume edition of Tolkien’s classic masterpiece that is fully illustrated throughout in watercolour by the acclaimed and award-winning artist, Alan Lee, and housed in a special transparent slipcase. Since it was first published in 1954, The Lord of the Rings has been a book people have treasured. Steeped in unrivalled magic and otherworldliness, its sweeping fantasy has touched the hearts of young and old alike. Well over 100 million copies of its many editions have been sold around the world, and occasional collectors’ editions become prized and valuable items of publishing. With the epic trilogy now an acclaimed, award-winning and billion-dollar success, images of the characters and landscapes have become iconic...

Earlier today, it was announced that there would be a clamshell boxed set of The Lord of the Rings , celebrating its 70th Anniversary.  It will be limited edition and if interested, sign up for notices here:  https://signup.harpercollins.co.uk/join/6n7/signup-tolkien-clamshell-waitinglist?fbclid=IwQ0xDSwMAh-tleHRuA2FlbQIxMQABHjE92MmKi9w2wE0ikk89jkv8bpFPpvB1lByU9w1ur2LxJac8plJQ7CKf7Y9X_aem_e7NcBW1HPC2vAHv9A31reQ More details will come through this blog (via follow-up posts), hopefully in a timely manner. But, to get the most up-to-date info, please check out the above link as opposed to relying on me!  It will be a 'more deluxe' edition of the deluxe edition that was published in 2024, and definitely  for the most ardent of fans. As of this writing, the 202 set is the best overall, wit regards to quality and cost. The higher these tiers go, the more they cost - but is that cost justified? That comes down to individual preference and taste. What I meant earlier is, you...

  Coming this November is a deluxe edition of The Hobbit, illustrated by Alan Lee. This edition will match the 70th Anniversary Deluxe Edition of The Lord of the Rings . It's great that this edition will exist, as it'll mean that the recent edition of LotR  won't be "alone." Perhaps in the near future a Ted Nasmith illustrated deluxe edition of The Silmarillion  - in this style , that is - will exist....?   The ISBN for this (for the HarperCollins edition) is  9780008779900  . Note that it will also be available in the States from William Morrow.  Deluxe slipcased hardback edition of The Hobbit, illustrated throughout by acclaimed Tolkien artist, Alan Lee. Features exclusive new paintings and black & white designs appearing for the very first time, together with a removable art card and two foldout maps. Whisked away from his comfortable, unambitious life in his hobbit-hole in Bag End by Gandalf the wizard and a band of dwarves, Bilbo Ba...

  Coming this August, is The Great Tales Trilogy as a boxed set! Finally! Both HarperCollins and William Morrow will be publishing this: HarperCollins:  9780008360108 William Morrow:  9780063447981 The Great Tales of Middle-earth  is a beautiful box set of the three final novels of Middle-earth:  The Children of Húrin ,  Beren and Lúthien , and  The Fall of Gondolin , packaged together and ready for gifting. Completing Christopher Tolkien’s lifelong achievement as the curator of his father J.R.R. Tolkien’s manuscripts,  The Great Tales  features handsome color plates and maps by famed illustrator Alan Lee and a map by Christopher Tolkien. The Children of Húrin  was the first standalone story by J.R.R. Tolkien since the 1977 publication of  The Silmarillion . Six thousand years before the One Ring is destroyed, Middle-earth lies under the shadow of the Dark Lord Morgoth. The greatest heroes among elves and men have perished, and all ...

  The info for next year's calendar (going on sale later this  year) has been revealed! Since that William Morrow is now practically identical to HarperCollins (since  The Fall of Numenor  and the Author Illustrated Trilogy), I will now showcase them  both . Each new Tolkien release since those titles has been the same - when offered by publishers, that is - has been the exact same, except for the publisher name and logo.  HarperCollins, July 17:  9780008737771 William Morrow, August 12:  9780063443716 The official Tolkien calendar, this year containing 13 breathtaking paintings inspired by J.R.R. Tolkien’s three 'Great Tales' of Middle-earth: THE CHILDREN OF HÚRIN, BEREN AND LÚTHIEN and THE FALL OF GONDOLIN. Featuring beautiful artwork by Alan Lee, including a selection of stunning new paintings and drawings appearing here for the first time. The official Tolkien calendar has become an established publishing event, eagerly anticipated by Tolkien ...

  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...

The Folio Society's limited-edition of The Lord of the Rings has sold out in about 36 hours after it was announced. Sadly, I didn't get the chance to write about it here, as I often enjoy doing about new Tolkien books/editions. In their catalogue, they've been publishing editions of The Hobbit, The Lord of the Rings , and The Silmarillion . With the release of the limited-edition of The Lord of the Rings by Alan Lee, there's obviously been requests for matching editions of The Hobbit and The Silmarillion . THE HOBBIT For The Hobbit , they have four artists they could go with to produce a similar edition which would match the recent Lord of the Rings . First up, is John Howe, whose Smaug (above) is among my favourite Tolkien pieces. John Howe has sort-of-but-not-really illustrated The Hobbit before: he did the infamous pop-up book. This would be a wonderful occasion to include some of his newer pieces related to The Hobbit that haven't been published yet (aside ...

Today marks a special occasion: it's now been 30 years since Alan Lee's illustrated edition of The Lord of the Rings first appeared. It proved so popular when it first appeared, that according to the documentary J.R.R. Tolkien: A Video Portrait , it sold out within minutes of hitting the bookshelves. Often called 'the centenary edition' (due mostly to when it came out, though there are other Tolkien books that feature the centenary emblem published around this time, so 'centenary edition' isn't limited to The Lord of the Rings in this sense) it has been a favourite among Tolkien fans since it first appeared. Also, to movie-goers, many of his illustrations may look familiar; as he was a conceptual artist (along with John Howe) for the Peter Jackson films. The original edition is an over-sized hardback, featuring a total of 50 illustrations. Since 1991, it has been published a few times in various formats. All editions illustrated by Lee contain the same im...

The artwork for the Unfinished Tales 40th Anniversary Illustrated Slipcased Collector's Edition has *finally* been revealed! From the looks of things: - Ted Nasmith's 'The Blue Wizards Journeying East' is being used for the illustrated slipcase - John Howe's Black Rider (rear of the standard edition dustjacket) is used on the cover of the book - Chances are, Alan Lee's new illustration of the Numenorean ship will be used as a (foldout?) frontispiece. (Typically, whatever image the dustjacket of the standard edition uses is replicated as a frontispiece with its corresponding slipcasd collector's edition.) Remember, this is a UK edition, so you're best off ordering off Blackwell's, Waterstones, or The Book Depository. ISBN: 9780008387969 "Sumptuous, 40th anniversary collector’s edition of this collection of tales which takes readers further into the stories told in The Hobbit, The Lord of the Rings and The Silmarillion, featuring 18 full-co...

At long last, HarperCollins has revealed the cover art for the upcoming 40th anniversary illustrated edition of Unfinished Tales . As you can see from the above image, it'll 'match', design and measurement-wise with The Great Tales books ( The Children of Hurin, Beren and Luthien and The Fall of Gondolin ) and the forthcoming new editions of The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings (as 3 books). There will be a slipcased collector's edition as well, though no image for that one yet. I was hoping that the above image ("The Blue Wizards Journeying East" from Ted Nasmith) would be used for the cover, going by the fact that it will be used for the 2021 Calendar. I still like the Alan Lee cover art, though I guess I got my hopes too high. Expect this edition to come out October of this year. US fans, yes, you'll be getting it as well, though from Houghton Mifflin. Here's the info for the standard edition. I'll provide it again on publication day, as the ...

Very recently, it was announced that there would be a forthcoming illustrated edition of Unfinished Tales , as well who the artists would be for the 2021 Tolkien Calendar. It was assumed - and it turned out to be true - that the calendar will be based on the forthcoming edition. Here in one spot are ordering links for the upcoming releases, as this information has come out over time. I will update with cover art, etc, once revealed. I'd be willing to bet that the image I've used for this post ("The Blue Wizards Journeying East" by Ted Nasmith) will be the cover of the standard edition, and possibly appear as a frontispiece in the deluxe edition. - Unfinished Tales illustrated edition (standard hardback) : https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/0008387958/?coliid=I2XHCI1JCKVYK5&colid=2H2WN2XWM72NV&psc=1&ref_=lv_ov_lig_dp_it - Unfinished Tales illustrated edition (deluxe edition) : https://blackwells.co.uk/bookshop/product/9780008387969 - 2021 Tolkien Calenda...

The details of the 2021 Tolkien Calendar have been revealed! I had a feeling it would be centered around the upcoming illustrated edition of Unfinished Tales . The cover, 'The Blue Wizards Journeying East' by Ted Nasmith, was previously seen as the cover for a paperback in 2010. Slight speculation: I believe that the image used as the calendar's cover will also be the image used for the cover of the illustrated edition of Unfinished Tales . Oh and for the deluxe, it would appear as the frontispiece. "The official Tolkien calendar, this year containing twelve stunning paintings inspired by the stories collected in UNFINISHED TALES by J.R.R. Tolkien. Three of the world’s finest Tolkien artists present the Three Ages of Middle-earth in breathtaking glory. The official Tolkien calendar has become an established publishing event, eagerly anticipated by Tolkien fans the world over. Previous Tolkien calendars have become much sought after collector’s items, and this...

It has been revealed that there will be a new, illustrated, edition of Unfinished Tales . It will feature artwork by Ted Nasmith, Alan Lee and John Howe. As of this post, I am unsure if they will be new illustrations, or a compilation of their existing material. I'm guessing the size dimensions will be the 'standard' size; and not over-sized like The Lord of the Rings 60th anniversary illustrated edition or Jemima Catlin's illustrated Hobbit (reg or deluxe). The info below follows. Also, remember that these are UK editions, and as such, should be ordered off Amazon UK, Blackwell's or Waterstones for example: Illustrated Hardback (Standard Edition) Published: Oct. 1 ISBN: 9780008387952 Illustrated Hardback (Special Slipcased Deluxe Edition) Published: Oct. 1 ISBN: 9780008387969 Once more info is revealed (cover art, synopsis reflecting these editions, and possibly size dimensions) I'll relay the info here. Two parting thoughts: 1) it can be assumed that the 20...

I had previously reported that HarperCollins will be (re)publishing Alan Lee's illustrated editions of The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings. In this post, I'll provide the cover art, ISBN info (key to ordering those exact copies) and the official product description. Remember that these are UK editions - the US won't be getting them. Buy from Amazon UK, Blackwell's, Waterstones, etc using the ISBN's to ensure you get them.  THE HOBBIT ISBN: 9780008376116 Publication date: May 14 "A great modern classic and the prelude to The Lord of the Rings. Smaug certainly looked fast asleep, almost dead and dark, with scarcely a snore more than a whiff of unseen steam, when Bilbo peeped once more from the entrance. He was just about to step out on to the floor when he caught a sudden thin and piercing ray of red from under the drooping lid of Smaug’s left eye. He was only pretending to sleep! He was watching the tunnel entrance! Whisked away from his co...

HarperCollins looks set to re-publish the Tolkien illustrated editions. These have been in print ever since 1997, 2002 and 2004 from Houghton Mifflin (the US Tolkien publisher), though HarperCollins has discontinued these for a bit. Note these are the "UK editions" and as such, should be bought off of a UK-based bookseller: (Amazon UK, Blackwell's Waterstones, etc) to garuntee stock actually arriving to those retailers. There is no official cover art yet, but it looks to be very close to the 1997, 2002 and 2004 publications of the illustrated titles. The price seems to be indicative that that's the case. In that sense, they should all 'match.' I know that's important to some of you - myself included - so I'll be following this until it's published to see what the size dimensions are, and relay the info here. Images used are from the illustrated editions of the '00s. All titles are to be released May 14, 2020. Here are the ISBN #s - a direct ...

Earlier today, this limited-edition, numbered, slipcased signed edition was announced. Only 3,000 will be printed! Official description follows below: Presenting two richly illustrated books in one elegant slipcase, this deluxe, limited edition boxed set celebrates in words and pictures the beautiful work that award-winning artist Alan Lee has created for J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings. Sumptuously bound in full cloth, with a miniature colour image embossed into the front board, each large-format volume overflows with hundreds of delicate pencil drawings and conceptual sketches, and dozens of haunting watercolour paintings, including many brand-new Hobbit paintings and drawings that take us deeper into the magical world of Bilbo Baggins. This very special set unlocks the secret of how Alan creates his own Middle-earth magic and provides a fascinating insight into the imagination of the man who breathed new life into Tolkien...