It's a standard hardback (as well as price, etc) so I highly doubt it. I believe it uses similar paper to the great tales books.

My understanding is that trade hardcovers have been using acid free paper since the early 1990s. The stats I have found say 99% by 1995 or so (it was less than 25% in 1989). Also, most accounts state that the cost is the same or cheaper to use acid free paper vs. horrible wood pulp, so I cannot imagine that HC is still using non-acid-free paper.

Urulókë wrote:

My understanding is that trade hardcovers have been using acid free paper since the early 1990s. The stats I have found say 99% by 1995 or so (it was less than 25% in 1989). Also, most accounts state that the cost is the same or cheaper to use acid free paper vs. horrible wood pulp, so I cannot imagine that HC is still using non-acid-free paper.

Interesting that marketing never fails to mention "acid-free" given its relative ubiquity...

Johnykwst wrote:

Does anyone know if this set is printed on acid free paper?

Very few things aren't acid-free these days, to the extent that it is very rarely stated. (Edit: I see everyone else has posted the same thing!]

A question regarding the illustrations in this edition: have the sketches at the beginning of each chapter been published before? I assume those in The Hobbit are the same as in the 1997 illustrated edition? The centenary illustrated edition of The Lord of the Rings from 1991/1992 does not contain these sketches, but perhaps this edition does?

All artwork has appeared in prior illustrated editions. Nothing is missing here, nor is anything added.

Éarendel wrote:

A question regarding the illustrations in this edition: have the sketches at the beginning of each chapter been published before? I assume those in The Hobbit are the same as in the 1997 illustrated edition?

Yes they are the same.

Éarendel wrote:

The centenary illustrated edition of The Lord of the Rings from 1991/1992 does not contain these sketches, but perhaps this edition does?

No additional sketches are in the Alan Lee illustrated Lord of the Rings only the colour plates, which are the same in all editions.

Thanks for your replies, insurrbution and Trotter. Thought I saw pictures of vignette sketches in LotR as well, but must have been mistaken.

Hello all, I am new to this forum so if I'm not using it correctly feel free to tell me. I am also fairly new to collecting Tolkien, so excuse my ignorance.

Is this box set going to be published through HMH as well or is it only HC? I ask because I have the box set of the Great Tales of Middle-earth (HMH) and would like to get a matching HMH set. I'm pretty sure the Great Tales were published by HC as well so I don't know if there's any licensing issues with that or not.

If these are only HC editions, what's the cheapest way to get these shipped to the US? Amazon.com lists them for about $130 but if I bought on the UK site it amounts to about $100 USD. Will UK sites ship these books to a US address?

Thank you for your help!

Faramond wrote:

Hello all, I am new to this forum so if I'm not using it correctly feel free to tell me. I am also fairly new to collecting Tolkien, so excuse my ignorance.

Welcome!

Faramond wrote:

Is this box set going to be published through HMH as well or is it only HC? I ask because I have the box set of the Great Tales of Middle-earth (HMH) and would like to get a matching HMH set. I'm pretty sure the Great Tales were published by HC as well so I don't know if there's any licensing issues with that or not.

If these are only HC editions, what's the cheapest way to get these shipped to the US? Amazon.com lists them for about $130 but if I bought on the UK site it amounts to about $100 USD. Will UK sites ship these books to a US address?

Thank you for your help!

I have not heard anything from Houghton Mifflin about a US release of the new Alan Lee illustrated boxed set. There is always a possibility that it is in the works and I just haven't heard anything about it.

Amazon.com currently has a set at $105 but it is marked "only one left at this price!"

Blackwells does a much better job than Amazon.co.uk for shipping well packed books to the USA, but their prices can be a bit more expensive.

Amazon.co.uk currently has this set listed for £66.91 plus about £7 shipping to the USA. (about $95 according to google currency conversion today).

Blackwells says about $119 including shipping to the USA right now

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The Hobbit & The Lord of the Rings

J. R. R. Tolkien (author), Alan Lee (illustrator), J. R. R. Tolkien

9780008376109

(hardback (slipcased))

$161.08

Availability: Usually dispatched within 48 hours

Check at Blackwell's