Looks all jazzy and mismatched :-/

I agree. As always, I have an idea of what it SHOULD look like :) Maybe I will fire up the drawing package after I have sorted some thorny database queries this afternoon (having to use SQL Server, and I can't say I like it after 20 years of Oracle and PostgreSQL)

Stu wrote:
I agree. As always, I have an idea of what it SHOULD look like :) Maybe I will fire up the drawing package after I have sorted some thorny database queries this afternoon (having to use SQL Server, and I can't say I like it after 20 years of Oracle and PostgreSQL)

I feel like we have similar design sensiblities :)

I think I'd want something more like this (although I'm sure I could do better with a bit of thought). Just nice and simple and true to the original material.

I would prefer this pocket box to fit with the Tolkien Treasury given it also called "Treasury" and have a cover piece from each book, the covers used in the 2005 volumes would work well, I think they would fit more with the Tolkien Treasury covers. Either the towers or the background of Return of the King would fit the Roverandom style on the front. I think the white spines of the Rings volumes are what look out of place.

onthetrail wrote:
I would prefer this pocket box to fit with the Tolkien Treasury given it also called "Treasury" and have a cover piece from each book, the covers used in the 2005 volumes would work well, I think they would fit more with the Tolkien Treasury covers. Either the towers or the background of Return of the King would fit the Roverandom style on the front. I think the white spines of the Rings volumes are what look out of place.

The thing is that the LoTR volumes in the new set are based off the 1st Edition Dust jackets, which are all just off-white and very simple, so there isn't really a cover piece from each book to use.. I really didn't like the Tolkien Treasury box -- I thought it just looked like a hot mess (and I didn't buy it). The individual volumes were all nicely designed, though, and I have them individually.

The use of the weird box shape makes designing anything not rubbish quite difficult, in the case of the LoTR / Hobbit set. If it was a normal slipcase, it would be quite easy to do something decent inspired by the original 1st edition slipcases, with - perhaps - one side being LoTR and the other side being Hobbit inspired. The triangular shape lends itself to nothing, and I'm not sure that the 2005 covers could be used very easily (though I haven't experimented -- and I might).

The official slipcase isn't that bad compared to what it could be. To be honest, I'm more interested on how the sub-scale faux-1st edition books will turn out. I'm considering the slipcase to be incidental.

The thing is that the LoTR volumes in the new set are based off the 1st Edition Dust jackets, which are all just off-white and very simple, so there isn't really a cover piece from each book to use.. I really didn't like the Tolkien Treasury box -- I thought it just looked like a hot mess (and I didn't buy it). The individual volumes were all nicely designed, though, and I have them individually.

The use of the weird box shape makes designing anything not rubbish quite difficult, in the case of the LoTR / Hobbit set. If it was a normal slipcase, it would be quite easy to do something decent inspired by the original 1st edition slipcases, with - perhaps - one side being LoTR and the other side being Hobbit inspired. The triangular shape lends itself to nothing, and I'm not sure that the 2005 covers could be used very easily.

Good point about the 1st edition jackets. I don't like the off white with the box but I do like the map, just not the colour. I was not too fussed over the treasury box but did like the volumes.

I just think that if they are going to release another title and expect it to sit within a "treasury" scope then it should at least sit within that style.

onthetrail wrote:

The thing is that the LoTR volumes in the new set are based off the 1st Edition Dust jackets, which are all just off-white and very simple, so there isn't really a cover piece from each book to use.. I really didn't like the Tolkien Treasury box -- I thought it just looked like a hot mess (and I didn't buy it). The individual volumes were all nicely designed, though, and I have them individually.

The use of the weird box shape makes designing anything not rubbish quite difficult, in the case of the LoTR / Hobbit set. If it was a normal slipcase, it would be quite easy to do something decent inspired by the original 1st edition slipcases, with - perhaps - one side being LoTR and the other side being Hobbit inspired. The triangular shape lends itself to nothing, and I'm not sure that the 2005 covers could be used very easily.

Good point about the 1st edition jackets. I don't like the off white with the box but I do like the map, just not the colour. I was not too fussed over the treasury box but did like the volumes.

I just think that if they are going to release another title and expect it to sit within a "treasury" scope then it should at least sit within that style.

I think the map would work on a white box, probably. I'm not fussed about consistency based on the name "Treasury", personally. For me, it is just a name, and I'd prefer it to be as good as it can be, rather than consistent. Quite honestly, taking the design they have and inverting it (other than inverting the red, of course), looks pretty reasonable.

I doubt the books themselves will be off-white. my assumption is that they will be white (they aren't trying to be original with this).

I can't help thinking there is a point where re-packaging the same material, over and over again, just gets overwhelming. I have first and second editions of the UK and NA printings, along with a number of other HC and PB editions, most of which are pre-80's. There have been so many different printings since then it is almost impossible to keep track!

Red wrote:
I can't help thinking there is a point where re-packaging the same material, over and over again, just gets overwhelming. I have first and second editions of the UK and NA printings, along with a number of other HC and PB editions, most of which are pre-80's. There have been so many different printings since then it is almost impossible to keep track!

I don't disagree. I don't bother with paperbacks and I only bother with hardbacks if they take my fancy. At this stage, I'd view completism as throwing money in the bin (and I work too hard for it to do that!)...