The History of Middle-earth Box Set #1: The Silmarillion / Unfinished Tales / Book of Lost Tales, Part One / Book of Lost Tales, Part Two―The First ... (The History of Middle-earth Box Sets, 1)

Perfect!

This review is about the edition of the books themselves and not about the contents of The History of Middle-Earth. (not a book/story review)These books are a beautiful edition of Tolkien‘s History of Middle-Earth. All of them hardback with dust jackets, which can be turned inside out for a more classic look. I like separate volumes for the History of Middle-Earth series for a more laid back reading style, instead of lugging around the massive three volume set size books. The word print size is also larger in these books. The quality of the spine is not the best, so be sure to carefully break in each book before attempting to open them all the way. I like how the Silmarillion and The Unfinished Tales of Numenor and Middle-Earth were included in this set, if you don’t own them, but know you want them and The History of Middle-Earth, then you can have them both in one set. The box that they came in is very nice, it has art on three sides, and is thick and sturdy. Of course I would recommend this, not only of the stories that they contain, but also for an edition that better suits the monumental work of Tolkien, and the great world of Middle-Earth.

You may be wondering about the difference between The Silmarillion and Unfinished Tales included in the box set and the individually available editions with similar matte covers but different proportions. Simply put, they are different books.The books in the four box sets (The History of Middle-earth, The Silmarillion, and Unfinished Tales, with the index aside, which is new) are photo-offset prints of the first (and only) editions of their respective works. These are not newly typeset editions.Specifically, The Silmarillion and Unfinished Tales in the box set are identical to the versions available when The History of Middle-earth was first published. This is because The History of Middle-earth frequently references these books by page number. To maintain consistency, the publishers reissued within this set the then-current editions of The Silmarillion (1977 First Edition) and Unfinished Tales. Like the rest of the books in the box sets, there are no interior illustrations.The newer illustrated editions of The Silmarillion (2004 Second Edition) and Unfinished Tales, as well as the 2004 Second Edition without illustrations of The Silmarillion, feature updated typesetting and different page numbers. Consequently, The History of Middle-earth's page reference numbers are incompatible with them.Think of The Silmarillion and Unfinished Tales in this box set as companion reference books, aligning with the page citations in The History of Middle-earth. If you're looking for the most up-to-date and "best" versions of these works to actually read, consider purchasing the individual illustrated editions instead. A complete collection of Tolkien publications in this matte-dustjacket with painted art format would include both versions of both books.

Item arrived on time and came in perfect condition; the inside of the box that holds the books had some black marks on it from the black hard cover books being in there but it's not a problem since it'll be covered up the whole time and are hardly visible otherwise. (Don't try to wipe off the marks with a wet paper towel or anything since the box is cardboard and will get messed up from a source of liquid.) I checked the books, and they all seem to be in perfect condition, I have always been a big fan of LotR and Tolkien, so I have been looking forward to getting some middle earth books for a while and I'm super excited to read these, I plan to get all of Tolkien's books eventually. Would definitely recommend getting this set to add to your collection if you are a fan of Middle Earth.

Very good read

What beautiful books. My husband loved them and they are a treasure to add to our book collection!

Beautiful set and wonderful books!

These books are an incredible value for the money! The cover art is some of the most gorgeous I've ever seen, and the raised gold title text beautifully contrasts with the art. They come in a sturdy box that also features art, and doubles as a convenient storage container. The paper is thick and feels high quality, and the binding is sturdy.Now that the price has fallen significantly, I'd highly encourage any Tolkien aficionado to grab a set of these books!