I'm not convinced they are prototypes (being in shrink), but they certainly do appear to copies that probably weren't meant to leave the printers as they have been produced to the wrong dimensions. That they are located in Italy and so early relative to the intended release made me think they are unintentional escapees. Hopefully the problem was caught and either any faulty slipcases were destroyed or there never were more than a few and they actual print run has been housed in correctly sized ones.

Scarlet_Sorcerer wrote:

That’s the thing: I don’t believe it’s 3/4 binding

You are right - it isn't. Odd looking thing, though hard to tell whether it "works" without a better picture - and of course the slipcase mismatches don't really help things here in terms of it all looking like a resolved design. Will wait until it comes out and there are pictures of the definite actual release before forming a judgement. This is the first set in a long time that I'm buying for the actual content, so the cosmetic side of things isn't as important to me as it is with the 800th edition of The Hobbit or LoTR.

the 800th edition of The Hobbit or LoTR.

😄😄😄

I have been informed by HarperCollins that Collected Poems is just the three volumes in a boxed set, no extras like a booklet.

Some better photos of the UK Edition here:

Mod edit - removed link

Looks very nice....

Please do not post any links to the vinted listings until after the release of the book.

Trotter wrote:

I have been informed by HarperCollins that Collected Poems is just the three volumes in a boxed set, no extras like a booklet.

H&S already stated "no booklet" months ago. I didn't think that was really the question at this point.

Edit: I haven't looked at the pictures and I can't be bothered to seek them out to try and verify the thickness vs height, but a more interesting question, given the HC books seem like a more-or-less OK fit (based on one of the pictures now removed) might be whether the WM and HC books are identical in thickness. There is prior precedent for US/UK editions not being, even when coming from the same printer. The deluxe S&G was a good example of that - the US edition being thinner (I've never bothered taking my US 1st out of the shrink to determine whether it was the paper/boards or both that differed from the UK 1st). Not saying is the case here - just questioning whether it might explain the listing, if one set of books was in the slipcase for the other.

First real pictures I have seen. Looks very nice.

https://www.reddit.com/r/tolkienbooks/ ... y_arrival_poems/#lightbox

Trotter edit - The pictures came from Joselillo3

Well, that looks beautiful. Beyond what I expected to be fair.

And even though Findegil threw me off the scent 'Bleak Heave the Billows' is included and I am ecstatic.

Those look lovely.