Mr. Underhill wrote:

The blue is nice, if the book actually ends up being that shade, and it's a nice homage to the 1st edition. The giant signature is not good and looks out of place. Just feels like an unnecessary release for this year, but I understand the logic of trying to both cash in on the Amz craziness and keep Tolkien the author in the foreground.

The reaction in most social media spaces about this release today has been mostly, "I love it and I will buy it, whatever it costs. Please give me more."

HarperCollins knows their market.

My biggest concern with some of the most recent releases is that they are all becoming (some, like one-volume editions of LR, always were) incredibly bulky. Case-binding books this thick will simply not last.

Have a look at your copy of the 2004 S, your one-volume Rateliff History of the Hobbit, or any other modern inch-plus book. The page block is too heavy, the page-block sags at the fore-edge; as a result the spine at the head (particularly if it was already square finished to begin with) moves away from the spine of the case, developing a concave shape. Often the machine sewn headbands (which are decorative only) become unattached, as they are only weakly glued. The internet is awash with people asking whether this is normal (in some book they picked up) or a manufacturing issue.

It's the inevitable consequence of poor book design; a book where all the time has been spent on the superficial look of the book and very little (or none) on the functionality of the book as a book. Most modern books are like this, all publishers guilty of it. But it's disappointing to see some of the books you love literally falling apart on the shelf despite you looking after them.

Have a look.

If you view this as a "cash grab", then don't buy it. Those who would like to have an edition of The Silmarillion featuring Tolkien's own illustrations now have the opportunity to buy one. What is wrong with that? No one is being forced to do anything they don't want to.

Aelfwine wrote:

If you view this as a "cash grab", then don't buy it. Those who would like to have an edition of The Silmarillion featuring Tolkien's own illustrations now have the opportunity to buy one. What is wrong with that? No one is being forced to do anything they don't want to.

It is a discussion forum and people are expressing their feelings about it, both positive and negative. A publishers job is to make money at the end of the day, so even though I absolutely think it is a cynical product, I can't really blame them for producing it. That's their job.

Where I will blame them is if the production quality is very poor, like last year's LoTR.

I do think calling a new edition a "cash grab" is cynical, but as I was writing this I see you've already acknowledged the point - specifically, a publisher is in the business of making money by selling books.

For this title (as an example) in particular, every change of cover art or format or additional materials (letter/illustrations) is solely meant to get more people to buy the book - sales would taper off over time without these occasional refreshes, and their job (they've essentially been hired by the Estate to do this) is to keep sales going - if they don't, then the Estate would find another publisher that will. Just like any author would - if a publisher isn't drumming up sales, find another publisher or channel! [EDIT] I don't think what I wrote here is really correct or fair. Will write some further thoughts in the thread after I do some more research.

I applaud creativity in these repackagings in general - I seriously dislike some of the results, but I love some others. And which books falls into which category is different for everyone out there.

And I agree that the quality issues are separate from design choices. None of us think the quality issues should be there. But the design choices are all a matter of taste.

Urulókë wrote:

I do think calling a new edition a "cash grab" is cynical, but as I was writing this I see you've already acknowledged the point - specifically, a publisher is in the business of making money by selling books.

For the record, I haven't called it a "cash-grab". I just don't disagree with the assessment of others that it has that feel about it (really just given there isn't the material in existence to do a good job of it). I do think the amount of repackaging is a little bit over-the-top right now, but for both the Estate and the publisher, it is about the money, and I don't think there is an estate or publisher out there for whom it isn't. Like I said, it's their jobs.

I agree with Aelfwine that people can just walk past this, and no harm, no foul. But, I don't agree that anyone should be discouraged from giving their opinion, as Caudimordax and gobbledygook have done. Their opinions are totally valid.

I don't understand the dominance of this mercenary attitude. Not everyone thinks like this or wants to live in a world where everything is a busniess decision. I don't think Stanley or Rayner Unwin thought the only job of their publishing firm was to make money. Different times, I know; and not really saying there is anything wrong or unusual with the HarperCollins approach to publishing Tolkien. I also don't think (while being perfectly interested in the sales of his father's work) Christopher Tolkien was particularly motivated by money & keeping his publisher happy. Would just like to see... some better made books, occasionally.

The "no one is being forced to do anything they don't want to" argument is also just throw-away, Aelfwine. This is a collector site. Is it really surprising that people want to discuss the quality of the books themselves or have a broader discussion around the Tolkien market HarperCollins have presided over for the past 30 years?

People being prepared to buy something is a pretty low bar, especially in Tolkien collecting.

Don't put words in my mouth, Khamûl. I said precisely nothing about "quality of the books". I was responding rather to the claim that "'I'm somewhat relieved people are seeing through this. I think it helps that it clearly isn't actually possible to produce a "Silmarillion Illustrated by the Author" that isn't a cash grab." Please read what I wrote, and respond to what I said. Thanks.

Khamûl wrote:

I don't understand the dominance of this mercenary attitude. Not everyone thinks like this or wants to live in a world where everything is a busniess decision. I don't think Stanley or Rayner Unwin thought the only job of their publishing firm was to make money. Different times, I know; and not really saying there is anything wrong or unusual with the HarperCollins approach to publishing Tolkien. I also don't think (while being perfectly interested in the sales of his father's work) Christopher Tolkien was particularly motivated by money & keeping his publisher happy. Would just like to see... some better made books, occasionally.

The "no one is being forced to do anything they don't want to" argument is also just throw-away, Aelfwine. This is a collector site. Is it really surprising that people want to discuss the quality of the books themselves or have a broader discussion around the Tolkien market HarperCollins have presided over for the past 30 years?

People being prepared to buy something is a pretty low bar, especially in Tolkien collecting.

Nail hit squarely on head.

Aelfwine wrote:

Don't put words in my mouth, Khamûl. I said precisely nothing about "quality of the books". I was responding rather to the claim that "'I'm somewhat relieved people are seeing through this. I think it helps that it clearly isn't actually possible to produce a "Silmarillion Illustrated by the Author" that isn't a cash grab." Please read what I wrote, and respond to what I said. Thanks.

I *am* relieved that people are seeing through a product that is just a marketing ploy, yes! You don't have to agree with that assessment. Again, discussion forum, not an extension of the marketing arm of HarperCollins.