The Lord of the Rings (Collector's Edition) 
asked by corral on November 26, 2006 3:11 AM
A Christian can almost be forgiven for not reading the Bible, but there's no salvation for a fantasy fan who hasn't read the gospel of the genre, J.R.R. Tolkien's definitive three-book epic, the Lord of the Rings (encompassing The Fellowship of the Ring, The Two Towers, and The Return of the King), and its charming precursor, The Hobbit. That many (if not most) fantasy works are in some way derivative of Tolkien is understood, but the influence of the Lord of the Rings is so universal that everybody from George Lucas to Led Zeppelin has appropriated it for one purpose or another.
Not just revolutionary because it was groundbreaking, the Lord of the Rings is timeless because it's the product of a truly top-shelf mind. Tolkien was a distinguished linguist and Oxford scholar of dead languages, with strong ideas about the importance of myth and story and a deep appreciation of nature. His epic, 10 years in the making, recounts the Great War of the Ring and the closing of Middle-Earth's Third Age, a time when magic begins to fade from the world and men rise to dominance. Tolkien carefully details this transition with tremendous skill and love, creating in the Lord of the Rings a universal and all-embracing tale, a justly celebrated classic. --Paul Hughes
Reviews
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"The Lord of the Rings" book trilogy by author J.R.R. Tolkien is by far the greatest adventure story ever told. If you read this book you will learn a lot about faith, heroism, courage, and bravery. Everything that takes place in this book is very exciting and will have you reading for hours at a time. "The Lord of the Rings" book trilogy is full of a lot of suspense and drama that will captivate the reader into becoming an instant fan of Tolkien's work. The plot in the book is not very hard to understand and is very well set out and closely relates to events taking place in our own world. It is simply a fantasy story of good vs. evil and has a lot of meaning. From the beginning of the book and all the way to the end you will find the story to be very enteresting. The reason I chose Houghton Mifflin's "The Lord of the Rings" (Collector's Edition) is because, like "The Hobbit" (Collector's Edition), it is very durable and has a very nice leatherette hardback cover. It also has a cool fold-out map of Middle-earth that is rare to find in many other "Lord of the Rings" books. I highly recommend you buy "The Lord of the Rings" book trilogy by author J.R.R. Tolkien! It is the best book I've ever read and is a brilliant sequel to "The Hobbit".
reviewed by megafan on November 29, 2006 12:27 AM
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This is a comic book. Based on the the novels "The Fellowship of the Ring" and "The Two Towers". It is only 7 inches tall 4 inches wide and 3/8 of an inch thick. It is printed on thick slick paper.
reviewed by squeege on November 29, 2006 8:57 AM
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What can be said about LOTR that a million other reviewers haven't already said? This is the series that essentially created the fantasy genre as it exists today. Many others have imitated it, but LOTR stands above them all. These books were the result of a lifetime's work and it shows. The story is polished beyond the ability of most authors to achieve. Tolkien had to suffer through many bad editors, text changed by typesetters, and reviewers who just didn't get it. He perservered and we all benefit from his decades of effort.
I admit that there are aspects of the books I would have changed had I been the author. There would have been less singing and the connection between the Ent wives and the adventures of Tom Bombadill would have been much clearer. But isn't everyone glad that I DIDN'T write the series? Some people love the singing - just not me.
But there is nothing seriously critical I can say about these books. The story is sweeping yet takes place on a very personal level. We care about the characters - even the ones who don't behave as we wish. The story is the classic conflict between good and evil, but written in a way that surpasses even that comparison. Tolkien has no fear of bringing in harsh reality when called for. Not every good character lives and not every evil character dies. You can spend a lifetime trying to delve into deep symbology that many see in LOTR, but it also stands up fine as an epic adventure tale.
The world that Tolkien creates, the relationship between the characters, the dire situation that failure would bring, the constant tension, and the overwhleming challenges all add up to a story you can't put down. At the end of The Return of the King, who isn't as exhausted as the characters themselves? We walk along with Frodo and company every step of the way into Mordor. We feel the pain and the fear, the joy and the rage of these characters. What more can great literature possibly do?
If you haven't read this most epic of tales, I encourage you to choose a combined volume like this one. Having the books in three volumes does make handling them easier, but I like having them combined in one so I don't have to stop after reading the last page of one book so I can locate the next one. The three books read like one long book anyway, so why not put them all together?
I admit that there are aspects of the books I would have changed had I been the author. There would have been less singing and the connection between the Ent wives and the adventures of Tom Bombadill would have been much clearer. But isn't everyone glad that I DIDN'T write the series? Some people love the singing - just not me.
But there is nothing seriously critical I can say about these books. The story is sweeping yet takes place on a very personal level. We care about the characters - even the ones who don't behave as we wish. The story is the classic conflict between good and evil, but written in a way that surpasses even that comparison. Tolkien has no fear of bringing in harsh reality when called for. Not every good character lives and not every evil character dies. You can spend a lifetime trying to delve into deep symbology that many see in LOTR, but it also stands up fine as an epic adventure tale.
The world that Tolkien creates, the relationship between the characters, the dire situation that failure would bring, the constant tension, and the overwhleming challenges all add up to a story you can't put down. At the end of The Return of the King, who isn't as exhausted as the characters themselves? We walk along with Frodo and company every step of the way into Mordor. We feel the pain and the fear, the joy and the rage of these characters. What more can great literature possibly do?
If you haven't read this most epic of tales, I encourage you to choose a combined volume like this one. Having the books in three volumes does make handling them easier, but I like having them combined in one so I don't have to stop after reading the last page of one book so I can locate the next one. The three books read like one long book anyway, so why not put them all together?
reviewed by nutshell on November 29, 2006 1:42 PM
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My dad has had this edition on his desk for many years. I think it is the best all-in-one edition of Tolkien's classic fantasy novel.
reviewed by shirley49 on November 29, 2006 6:37 PM
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This is THE edition to get for lovers of Tolkien. You get the complete trilogy in one volume and what a volume too! It's leather bound with great gold letterings on the cover plus nice illustrations within. The fonts are of a good, easily-readable size and the binding is first class, ensuring that this tome will stay in great shape and is likely to be passed down from parent to child many times over. Recommended.
reviewed by vcedwards on November 29, 2006 7:31 PM