I don't know what it is. I tell myself I need to sell most of my collection. I don't need so many copies of the same book. I don't read them (I have reader copies and digital versions), rarely even open them. But with each new release my brain says - this is the one you need.

Trotter wrote:

insurrbution wrote:

The timing of this is odd - 2024 is the 70th anniversary, so that would've been the perfect time.

Looks sweet, but seems as if they picked a random date out of a hat, considering how luxurious both of them look.

I don't really see how the release of a $1 billion TV series, called "The Lord of the Rings" can be construed as a random date picked from a hat.

Is this confirmed? Do we have a trailer? It may very well debut in 2022, or even 2023 the rate covid's been affecting the entertainment industry. So...yeah, as of now it is a random date.

insurrbution wrote:

Trotter wrote:

insurrbution wrote:

The timing of this is odd - 2024 is the 70th anniversary, so that would've been the perfect time.

Looks sweet, but seems as if they picked a random date out of a hat, considering how luxurious both of them look.

I don't really see how the release of a $1 billion TV series, called "The Lord of the Rings" can be construed as a random date picked from a hat.

Is this confirmed? Do we have a trailer? It may very well debut in 2022, or even 2023 the rate covid's been affecting the entertainment industry. So...yeah, as of now it is a random date.

Maybe HarperCollins know a little more than us about that. I don't think the timing is off personally. Especially right now when Tolkien is gathering pace again and the fan base is growing.

onthetrail wrote:

Maybe HarperCollins know a little more than us about that. I don't think the timing is off personally. Especially right now when Tolkien is gathering pace again and the fan base is growing.

They almost certainly do as they are part of the TV series.

My frustration with this is that they had a chance to make it match the recent Silmarillion and UT deluxe illustrated editions, and instead they went for... well, that.

Don't get me wrong - I like the look of it on its own, and I'm certainly going to buy it. It's just a shame.

Both look magnificent. I don't have any deluxe edition, but I think this one will be The One, the red and black combination is stunning. $200 though, I've never bought a book so expensive. I have some months to think about it .

That's a definite possibility, though we've heard no tell in quite some time via Prime Video themselves.

If the show isn't ready to debut around the time the book is published, perhaps the trailer will be, at the least? Production wise (and post-production) it seems that they have a lot of ground to cover and work ahead to get it out this year.

Thorongil wrote:

My frustration with this is that they had a chance to make it match the recent Silmarillion and UT deluxe illustrated editions, and instead they went for... well, that.

Don't get me wrong - I like the look of it on its own, and I'm certainly going to buy it. It's just a shame.

Good point there.

Thorongil wrote:

My frustration with this is that they had a chance to make it match the recent Silmarillion and UT deluxe illustrated editions, and instead they went for... well, that.

Don't get me wrong - I like the look of it on its own, and I'm certainly going to buy it. It's just a shame.

I get the frustration but for me personally this is why I rarely go for deluxe series of books. The recent illustrated series is the first time I have been interested in a uniform look because I don't usually buy into the uniform look on a shelf. I would rather a book be published in the format that best suits that specific title.

That's my thoughts about it anyway. Others will feel just as you do and neither approach is wrong.

These (the collector's and standard) appear to be 'Unique Editions'. Other Unique Editions that stand out, design-wise, from other Tolkien books include:

- The Hobbit (illustrated by Jemima Catlin. Both the standard and the collector's edition)
- The Lord of the Rings (Alan Lee illustrated slipcased edition from 2014). While technically not part of the 'deluxe lineup', it has some features from them.