Thought I'd share some more insightful information to supplement my previous post. Mine appears to be a tapered gap, with a roughly 7mm gap at the top and 9mm gap at the bottom.

Edit: Took upright pictures first, then realized pictures on its side would show the gap better. Now I can't figure out to remove the others though, so sorry for the conflicting images!

The late Stu wrote:

Honestly, that slipcase sizing is so far from being acceptable, it isn't funny. Those should never have left Rotolito. I still wonder if they are all like that - Mr. Underhill said his set was spectacular / 'no issues', and I don't think anyone with eyes could really look at the oversized slipcases shown here and not think it a pretty major production error worthy of mention (with the set as a whole).

Looks like about 1/2 a centimeter on mine. Really no big deal for me.

ǽc ælf wrote:

Thought I'd share some more insightful information to supplement my previous post. Mine appears to be a tapered gap, with a roughly 7mm gap at the top and 9mm gap at the bottom.

Edit: Took upright pictures first, then realized pictures on its side would show the gap better. Now I can't figure out to remove the others though, so sorry for the conflicting images!

Thanks - 9mm is simply way beyond what I would consider acceptable (5mm would be beyond what I would personally find acceptable on anything I made, but like I said, OKish for mass-market). I'm glad the UK one is just a bit too loose (3 or 4mm).

Got the collected poems, and I can confirm that it is not only the WM edition that have the gap in the box. Thought it wasn't that bad until I turned it on it's side. (The sides sway in when upright) Also have print problems reported by others. Mine manifests as a bit faded ink in most of volume 1. Not as much that I would consider returning it though. Looks a little more faded than my camera were able to catch so not posting a picture of the text

Customers receiving sets that have different colored spines:

https://www.reddit.com/r/tolkienbooks/s/Ye0iTOZTYg

Halbarad wrote:

Customers receiving sets that have different colored spines:

https://www.reddit.com/r/tolkienbooks/s/Ye0iTOZTYg

They linked to our review and pictures of my copy, which does have a slightly different blue colour for the first volume, though I only noticed it when it was pointed out to me.

It is very subtle.

Does anyone have access to a pdf or the full text of this review? https://www.the-tls.co.uk/literature/p ... en-book-review-john-garth (For non-TLS subscribers)

I received my Harper Collins copy today. There is a few mm gap in the slipcase, about 5 when I lie it on its side but I think that gap will be gone when the slipcase is upright and I have read through all three volumes.

I haven't found any printing errors as of yet but the paper has a quite unpleasent woody stench to it. Did anybody else experience this?

Erithamrod wrote:

I haven't found any printing errors as of yet but the paper has a quite unpleasent woody stench to it. Did anybody else experience this?

Yes, I noticed the paper in mine had an unusually strong smell, though I quite enjoyed it and did not find it unpleasant. It made me want to pull out my Tolkien's Pine coaster for a drink while reading. Which, now that it's Friday perhaps I will.