Binding: Hardcover
Dewey Decimal Number: 823.912
Edition: 1
Format: Bargain Price
Label: Houghton Mifflin
Languages: Array
Manufacturer: Houghton Mifflin
Number Of Items: 1
Number Of Pages: 1193
Publication Date: 1991-11-12
Publisher: Houghton Mifflin
Studio: Houghton Mifflin

Celebrating the birth of J.R.R. Tolkien, this centenary edition of the classic volume is illustrated with fifty specially commissioned paintings by an artist whose vision matches Tolkien's own. One Ring to rule them all, One Ring to find them, One Ring to bring them all and in the darkness bind them. In ancient times the Rings of Power were crafted by the Elven-smiths, and Sauron, The Dark Lord, forged the One Ring, filling it with his own power so that he could rule all others. But the One Ring was taken from him, and though he sought it throughout Middle-earth, it remained lost to him. After many ages it fell, by chance, into the hands of the hobbit, Bilbo Baggins. From his fastness in the Dark Tower of Mordor, Sauron's power spread far and wide. He gathered all the Great Rings to him, but ever he searched far and wide for the One Ring that would complete his dominion. On his eleventy-first birthday Bilbo disappeared, bequeathing to his young cousin Frodo the Ruling Ring and a perilous quest --- to journey across Middle-earth, deep into the shadow of the Dark Lord, and destroy the Ring by casting it into the Cracks of Doom. The Lord of the Rings tells of the great quest undertaken by Frodo and the Fellowship of the Ring: Gandalf the Wizard, Merry, Pippin, and Sam, Gimli the Dwarf, Legolas the Elf, Boromir of Gondor, and a tall, mysterious stranger called Strider.
A Christian can almost be forgiven for not reading the Bible, but there's no salvation for a fantasy fan who hasn't read the gospel of the genre, J.R.R. Tolkien's definitive three-book epic, the Lord of the Rings (encompassing The Fellowship of the Ring, The Two Towers, and The Return of the King), and its charming precursor, The Hobbit. That many (if not most) fantasy works are in some way derivative of Tolkien is understood, but the influence of the Lord of the Rings is so universal that everybody from George Lucas to Led Zeppelin has appropriated it for one purpose or another.

Not just revolutionary because it was groundbreaking, the Lord of the Rings is timeless because it's the product of a truly top-shelf mind. Tolkien was a distinguished linguist and Oxford scholar of dead languages, with strong ideas about the importance of myth and story and a deep appreciation of nature. His epic, 10 years in the making, recounts the Great War of the Ring and the closing of Middle-Earth's Third Age, a time when magic begins to fade from the world and men rise to dominance. Tolkien carefully details this transition with tremendous skill and love, creating in the Lord of the Rings a universal and all-embracing tale, a justly celebrated classic. --Paul Hughes

Customer Rating:
Summary: Marvelous book, with masterful illustrations by Alan Lee.
Comment: This is an edition that any Tolkien lover should have. Not only are all three volumes of the original included in one well-bound hardcover, but Alan Lee's classic watercolor illustrations add rich dimensions for adults and young readers alike. (Lee is a worthy successor to illustrators like Edmund Dulac and Arthur Rackham, who enriched the so-called Golden Age of illustration.) The book is an amazing value, and especially so at the remaindered price. After I received my own copy, I was so impressed I ordered another for a family member.

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Customer Rating:
Summary: nice gift
Comment: This was a gift; but I was told it was in good condition. It arrived in a timely manner. No complaints, good service.

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Customer Rating:
Summary: Not what it appears to be
Comment: The bargain hardcover ($29.99) has the identical cover as the illustrated hardcover ($44.10). It also has the same illustrations, but it is nothing more than a paperback wrapped in a hardcover binding. Worst of all are the maps, which are not foldout maps and are the same as the maps in the trade paperback! I have returned the copy I ordered. This is extremely deceptive on the part of both the publisher and Amazon.

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Customer Rating:
Summary: Amazing trilogy
Comment: This has to be one of the greatest contributions to English literature in a long, long time. It is a twentieth century classic.

Tolkien has managed to create an entirely real, tangible, and absolutely enchanting world through sheer characterization, detail, and passion for a people and a place, even if he created them.

The plot itself is entirely epic and exciting, perfect for the people that like action galore. But it also has everything else: great characters, humor, romance, charm. It's very real, even if they are hobbits and elves and whatnot. They'r real people, and Tolkien has made sure of that.

The story is also timeless in that this is simply a great battle between good and evil. I know it's a plot that has been done countless times, but it's still a great plot and I dare say Tolkien was one of the first.

Also of note are the wonderful appendixes going, adding more depth to the incredible world of Middle-Earth.

Excellent writing and wild adventure. What more could you want out of a great book?

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Customer Rating:
Summary: Lord of the Rings Book Review
Comment: Hello there,

I am about half-way through the first book of the Lord of the Rings trilogy and I am loving it. I am amazed at how Tolkien is so descriptive in his writing and puts so much thought to it. The first one-hundred pages are a little rough, but after that it is impossible to put the book down. Obviously, there are no questions asked about how good this book is.

Thank you!

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