The Fireside

  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...

  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...

  At long last, the product images and description for the forth-coming collector's edition of the illustrated Silmarillion has been revealed! Here's it's ISBN, and description. Remember, this is a HarperCollins edition, and can be obtained the same way as any HarperCollins Tolkien book. Pre-order by Feb latest to ensure you get a copy. ISBN: 9780008433956 Limited to a worldwide first printing of just 4,000 copies, this deluxe edition is printed in two colours and is fully bound in cloth and stamped in gold foil. Housed in a matching custom-built slipcase decorated with stunning wraparound artwork, it also features two full-colour removable posters that are unique to this edition. The Silmarillion is the core of J.R.R. Tolkien’s imaginative writing, a collection of narratives ranging in time from the Elder Days of Middle-earth, through the Second Age and the rise of Sauron, to the end of the War of the Ring. They are set in an age when Morgoth, the firs...

This post will serve as a summary of what I like to call 'The Tolkien Illustrated Collection: Version 2.' Version 1, featured The Hobbit from 1997, The Lord of the Rings boxed set in 2002, and The Silmarillion from 2004. All of those matched one another, in terms of size dimensions and design aesthetics. I will list the following titles in the order that they were originally published. This post is done for convenience and reference purposes for those that are seeking out these editions. This collection is complete, and this post may serve well for any shoppers, due to the time of year.  THE HOBBIT ISBN: 9780008376116 "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 droopin...

  Now that I've provided the ISBN and the news that The Silmarillion illustrated edition will be joining - and completing - The Tolkien Illustrated Collection: Ver. 2, it's time for me to ponder some of the finer points about this edition in both standard hardback and collector's edition formats. - which illustrations will be included, and which new ones will there be? - which image would be used on the rear of the dustjacket for the standard edition? - what colour would be used for the book, ink, and ribbon marker? For Unfinished Tales , it was blue. Would blue be used again, or another colour? - For the collector's edition, which image would be used to wrap around the slipcase? - For the collector's edition, which image would be stamped onto the book itself? I've noticed that the image that appears on the rear of the Unfinished Tales standard edition's dustjacket was used as the front cover to the collector's edition. - For the collector's editio...

  The new illustrated edition (to match with this year's previous illustrated editions) has officially been announced! I'm going to copy+paste the announcement, and then the product description. At the end, I'll share some thoughts pertaining to artwork. From the official (UK) Tolkien facebook page: " We are delighted to unveil the cover of the new illustrated edition of The Silmarillion, featuring a dramatic painting by Ted Nasmith depicting the fall of Númenor. This new edition will be published in March 2021 in time for Tolkien Reading Day and will feature new paintings appearing here for the first time. Published originally in 1977, The Silmarillion represented, as Christopher Tolkien wrote on the dustjacket copy to the first edition, ‘the central stock of J.R.R. Tolkien’s imaginative writing, a work that he could not publish in his lifetime because it grew with him. Its origins stretch back sixty years…’ Incredible to consider now, but that sixty-year span le...

It has recently been revealed that there are two listing for forthcoming illustrated editions of The Silmarillion : a standard hardback and a collector's edition. Both are due out March 18, and their ISBNs are: Standard edition: 9780008433949 Collector's Edition: 9780008433956 Expect it to be in the format and style as the illustrated edition of Unfinished Tales . However, there's already been three illustrated editions! All by Ted Nasmith. So which one will this new edition be 'modelled' after? Here they all are: 1998 : The artwork included is: (front cover) Maglor casts a Silmaril into the Sea The Sea The Lamps of the Valar At Lake Cuivienen The Light of the Valinor on the Western Sea Fingolfin Leads the host Across the Helcaraxre  The First Dawn of the Sun Maedhros's Rescue From Thangorodrim Eoel Welcomes Aredhel Felagund Among Beor's Men By Moonlight in Neldoreth Forest Luthien Escapes Upon Huan Morgoth P...

  Aside from thinking about and speculating which Tolkien books are coming out next year (whether they be completely new or new editions of existing work), I also ponder what the calendar will be: who the artist is, what the 'theme' is, and which (if any) book it's related to. If not for the illustrated edition of Unfinished Tales that had come out this year, I was willing to bet that the calendar would be themed after John Howe's most recent (English! and Tolkien!) art book called A Middle-earth Traveller . I'm standing firm by that for the 2022 calendar. It's not exactly known when Prime's Middle-earth series is set to debut; though John Howe is the lead conceptual artist on the project. Making the calendar for that year be based off his book would generate (more) interest in Howe's artwork, as well as the Prime series because of it. Alan Lee has two art books out, for both The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit , which also got calendars themed after ...

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...

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 ...