I like the design but the price was too much for me. At this point I'm quite happy with my collection and it would take something really special for me to spend that much on another LOTR set.

If the split isn't a one-off then it's simply the quality &/or thickness of the leather. There shouldn't really be any issued blind-stamping near or on the shoulder of any leather book. I might have missed it, but I don't recall FS stating anything about the leather, either in promotion or on that limitation plate. Which seems a bit odd for £1000 set of books. One would suspect that is because the leather isn't great.

Khamûl wrote:

If the split isn't a one-off then it's simply the quality &/or thickness of the leather. There shouldn't really be any issued blind-stamping near or on the shoulder of any leather book. I might have missed it, but I don't recall FS stating anything about the leather, either in promotion or on that limitation plate. Which seems a bit odd for £1000 set of books. One would suspect that is because the leather isn't great.

That's a good point, given the lengths they went to to describe everything else. I really hope these don't suffer delayed problems with the leather (i.e. if there are copies with this splitting, hopefully it is something that occurs out of the gate, rather than down the line*).

*e.g. like the white-spine quarter bound editions where the white turns into a powder and basically falls off if the book is handled.

wrote this on the TS FB:

Some thoughts after briefly inspecting my set.
1) The quality of paper and binding seem very good. The quality of the illustrations is unsurpassed in the world of Tolkien books and this alone marks this as quite an event.
2) Alan Lees new work is stunning.
3) The books are huge. This makes them very unusual and for me as a collector that in combination with the quality makes this edition a thing of joy.
4) As with large atlases, reference works and large academic tomes these books are best read in a corner of a sofa with the book resting against your thighs/knees. This is the best way to read anyway, and i plan on reading this set because it just begs to be read.

Is it the definite edition of the lord of the rings? Yes. If the limited deluxe 1992 3-volume set has been the LOTR bid at superdeluxe status so far I would say we now have 2 bids and this last one is actually a step up even from that beautiful limited edition. The 1992 is quite a bit rarer though so still a jewel for a tolkien collector. Oh and check out the podcast from Tolkien collectors guide with Jeremy Edmonds, Chad High and Andrew Ferguson were they discuss this new edition and the possible plans of HC and the Folio Society.

my two cents

PS! no issues with the leather on my copy

Someone who has purchased this should ask FS what leather they used, inc. source. The answer might be quite revealing. Not an unreasonable request at this price point.

My set arrived yesterday ( at 7:03 AM, the earliest I’ve ever had a parcel delivered!).
First rate packaging by Folio, it would take extreme effort for this to get damaged in transit. I got copy #220.
Like others have commented, I was stunned by the sheer size of these books. I don’t feel like it will hamper the reading experience, however.
I’m not sure I like the way the illustrations have been tipped-in; if you’re not careful it seems the bottom corners of the plates would be prone to bending/creasing when turning the pages, since they’re free floating/not glued down. And I will most definitely be reading this!
Is it worth the $1580 US I paid? Value is perceived differently from person to person, but I feel I got my money’s worth. While I have no intention of selling this in my lifetime, I have no doubt my family could do so if need arise in the future.
I do so hope Folio will produce matching editions of The Hobbit and The Silmarillion. An added perk would be if you could reserve matching numbers based on your copy of LOTR, if ordered within a defined window, but I’m sure that would be a logistical nightmare.
Now to find shelf space! I’m amazed when I see how my Tolkien collection has grown over the past 2 years. Blame the pandemic!

Although a £1000 is a lot of money to me at the moment, I was quite disappointed to have missed out on this set. I only learned about this release a few days after it sold out. It doesn't help that we've now got several copies on eBay for nearly double the retail price.

I reached out to Folio and they've put me on a waiting list, in the slim chance someone cancels or returns their order. I'm kicking myself a bit, because it was only a few months previous that I sent Folio an email suggesting a new edition...I'm currently talking to someone with a copy who is considering a trade for one of my rare old books and a few other collectibles. We'll see.

Friends!
I received my FS LotR 22 today. I have made a most unprofessional video documenting my unboxing and first look.
I am very impressed. It’s massive and I have never seen Alan Lee’s illustrations printed in this quality. The details are exquisite and I have during this look discovered a lot of details that I have missed in previous editions. Despite it’s size the books actually feels very readable.
The video is really shaky so if you are prone to sea-sickness you are warned. I focused on a general look of the books and then on the illustrations. I missed some of the new chapter headings but I’m sure that someone will soon create a more professional overview.
It you haven’t received your copy yet I suppose there are spoilers here.
You can access the video here:

Roäc wrote:

Friends!
I received my FS LotR 22 today. I have made a most unprofessional video documenting my unboxing and first look.
I am very impressed. It’s massive and I have never seen Alan Lee’s illustrations printed in this quality. The details are exquisite and I have during this look discovered a lot of details that I have missed in previous editions. Despite it’s size the books actually feels very readable.
The video is really shaky so if you are prone to sea-sickness you are warned. I focused on a general look of the books and then on the illustrations. I missed some of the new chapter headings but I’m sure that someone will soon create a more professional overview.
It you haven’t received your copy yet I suppose there are spoilers here.

Thanks for the great video - very interesting.

This made me look at my older HarperCollins Centenary editions (both one and three volume), and it really is notable just how much better the old editions that used different paper for the illustrations and the text were, rather than trying to use the same paper for both, which has never worked (either the text is too glossy or the images are too dull). No comparison between the current HarperCollins offerings and the 1992 editions. If the new Folio is a step up again (hard to see from the video), I'm sure it will be a real pleasure for those who purchased it.

It's interesting just how low the bar has been set here that we're now comparing a £1000 edition to standard HBs by HC from the 1990's. This is from a publisher that published its Shakespeare by letterpress priced at ~£300. Those editions can still be had for under £500 on secondary markets. Something like that for Tolkien would have been impressive.