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  • The Lord of the Rings: 50th Anniversary, One Vol. Edition
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Customer reviews

4.8 out of 5 stars
4.8 out of 5
3,428 global ratings
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The Lord of the Rings: 50th Anniversary, One Vol. Edition

The Lord of the Rings: 50th Anniversary, One Vol. Edition

byJ.R.R. Tolkien
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Top positive review

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W. White
5.0 out of 5 stars21st Century Ahistorical Bibliophilia: Almost without peer, and the flaws have been been exaggerated in number and degree
Reviewed in the United States ๐Ÿ‡บ๐Ÿ‡ธ on August 12, 2007
Two points to clarify about the most popular single-volume LOTR editions:

1) The 1991 single-volume Alan Lee-illustrated edition is the "centenary" edition, commemorating Tolkien's 100th birthday (cf. "centenarian") . The "centennial" edition won't be published until 2054, which will be the 100th anniversary of the original publication of Lord of the Rings. This is a very well designed and well printed/bound edition, built to last and beatufil. Its only fault is the absence of fold-out maps (it has the black and white maps printed in sections, often seen in paperback editions).

2) The reason for the broken type in the 1974 red leatherette "Collector's Edition" (and the occurrences of this number on the order of 1 or 2 characters on every 50th page or so) is more likely that the source text from which the negatives/plates were made and this edition printed was itself flawed and originally was some form of letterpress metal type, probably Monotype [a more 'modern' version of the old LinoType system], though depending on the date of that setting [up to mid-'60s, or even later] it may have been hand-composed. All metal type gets re-used, and becomes worn and some of it cracked/chipped over time. There were many books reprinted in this way through the early '80s (and a few publishers, such as Lindsay Books, of long out-of-print, mostly public-domain or 'gray rights' titles, still do this).

The problem is unlikely to have been caused by faults in photo-typesetting strips or process-camera negs in 1973 or so (when this LOTR Collector's Edition was first printed) since that process was a fully mature, climax technology by then, and quality control was simply outstanding (this was due to that extinct beast, the unionized master-printer, especially at Houghton Mifflin, a publisher with a very large academic textbook list, and an industry reputation for quality production; just look at any ten trade hardbacks circa 1973 and earlier, and compare any element of quality to any ten current titles and it's clear the the technology and practice of printing and book binding peaked long ago, and nothing of newer technology, especially computer technology has served the interest of producing better made books, quite the opposite. 2007 tech only makes it faster and cheaper, nothing else.

Remember also that it was the Allen & Unwin type-compositors who introduced virtually all the spelling and diction errors in both the 1st and 2nd editions, some of which have only finally been fixed in the 2004-05 50th Anniversary edition; and these were errors mostly such as 'dwarves' being "corrected" to 'dwarfs', 'elven' to 'elfin', and many others, primarily linguistic, along those lines; these would have been proper corrections with any author other than Tolkien, of course.)

As for the notion that photo-reproduction is at all like printing a Word document on a laser printer, then scanning it back into a computer as a JPEG or GIF image file, and finally printing it again, that is a facile and plainly inaccurate comparison. In short, unless one starts with a bitmap or similar low quality computer 'font', prints on low-brightness (<70) recycled paper via a cheap ink-jet printer, scans using a 75-by-75 dpi setting via low-end scanning hardware and software, and repeats printing as above, the result will certainly be nothing so poor as Jeff Sun describes in his review. Photo-reproduction via PC and peripherals or via process-camera, strips, and offset printing, can easily and does commonly achieve excellent results, provided the equipment is of first quality and the operator is skilled.

If anyone is obsessed enough to try this (as I clearly am), one fairly reliable way to tell whether a book is printed (at some stage) from some form of metal type is to use at least a 20x loupe and examine the vertical straight edges (particularly of upper N's, T's, L's, and E's) for irregularity. Metal type degrades in miniscule degrees after the first few hundred impressions, and will show this by cracking/splitting/chipping/warbling/bending and otherwise appearing NOT straight, sharp, and crisp (especially machine-set monotype/linotype which was all lead/tin, since it was melted down repeatedly; hand-set type has antimony and sometimes manganese in it, which makes it much harder to start and also casts more sharply; parts of letters break off but usually don't deform). It's a challenge to tell these apart, since photo-reproduction of letterpress can be hard to distinguish from original letterpress printing, if the latter is done by a highly skilled compositor and press operator. Some letterpress books show the impression of the type on the page, like a light embossing, from the force of the type striking the stock. Really good printing avoids this. So, if you have a book without this feature that does show feathering, breaks, waviness, etc. it may be either letterpress or photo-repro of LP, but if these traits are present it is almost certain metal type was used at some point in the life of the typesetting.

Two caveats to even to this: feathering alone does not definitely mean deformed metal type. Feathering,, or little veins and stream-like projects away from the character is often caused by excessive inking and watery ink, and also by cheap papers that are unsized (meaning a starch like substance is added during the paper's manufacture to prevent feathering and bleedthrough; newsprint is unsized and you can see how feathering works buy lightly touching a fountain pen to a piece of it for a minute or so). The other caveat is that some computer fonts, especially some high end ones for MAC typesetting systems, have been photographically captured/reproduced from books printed mostly before 1800, and their designers often deliberately retain some of the source type's imperfections (which are due mostly to the more primitive metallurgy of that era) to achieve a particular design effect. You might be surprised how much theory and psychology underlies type-design and typography; there is a lot. Need a dissertation topic?

This has become, I see now, a rant, and a really long one. First as a reader, then as a writer, then as apprentice in a letterpress print shop and bindery, I've always held the book as art-object or craft-work in very nearly as high esteem as the words contained within. I do think these issues are worth some ink, and I expect (or hope) that those interested in fine editions such as this so-called "Collector's " (Ugh! I so hate that term, it's like "deluxe" or "premier" and is mildly patronizing to the reader/buyer) edition of LOTR might also find at least some of the above ramble of interest and use. I do regard this red leatherette slipcased edition (ISBN 0-39-519395-8) as my favorite. It was this edition in which I first read LOTR, and though the Centenary hardcover and the HC 50th Anniversary editions (slipcased US and UK, different designs, both excellent) are on the whole and in most particulars better printed and bound, this edition is a nostalgia item for me. I also very much like the red binding, evocative as it is of the "Red Book of Westmarch," the foil-stamping on the spine, of the White Tree of Gondor, (which must be by either Pauline Baynes or by Tolkien himself) is a delight, and the two color printing, in spite of the ocassional bad character and slightly inconsistent inking, makes me feel like I'm reading an incunabulum. All of these speak across from the old world, though perhaps very long after the Third Age had concluded. I recommend it, highly and without reservation, even to a casual collector, especially now since it has recently gone out of print(ca. 2003-2005, around the time the slipcased, black bonded-leather, US 50th Anniversary edition [ISBN 0-618-51765-0] was published), and is very unlikely to be reissued. It (the Red) listed for $75, and Amazon last sold new copies for $47.50 last January. Now however, fine, used copies are nearing the original list price for the new, and new copies are nearing $100, and very hard to find. Buy one now, as soon as you find one available fine or better.
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Top critical review

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S. V.
3.0 out of 5 stars5 star story. 3 star book quality
Reviewed in the United States ๐Ÿ‡บ๐Ÿ‡ธ on April 10, 2023
Iโ€™ve read this series many times but needed a new cheap copy for adventures away from home. Only issue is about 30 or so pages were cut incorrectly in manufacturing.
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From the United States

Michael T Arnesen
1.0 out of 5 stars I want a replacement copy for this misprint
Reviewed in the United States ๐Ÿ‡บ๐Ÿ‡ธ on July 23, 2021
Verified Purchase
The content of this book was great, obviously, but this specific product is fundamentally defective. At least, the copy I received was. Due to what I assume was a misprinting, nearly 10 pages throughout the chapter "A Knife in the Dark" are completely blank. The pages are 192, 193, 197, 198, 200, 201, 204, 205, 208.

I got this deluxe version of the book to read with my young daughter, so by the time we actually got to these missing pages (it took us a few months of bedtime reading) the Amazon return window had passed and I have no way to request a refund or exchange.
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Michael T Arnesen
1.0 out of 5 stars I want a replacement copy for this misprint
Reviewed in the United States ๐Ÿ‡บ๐Ÿ‡ธ on July 23, 2021
The content of this book was great, obviously, but this specific product is fundamentally defective. At least, the copy I received was. Due to what I assume was a misprinting, nearly 10 pages throughout the chapter "A Knife in the Dark" are completely blank. The pages are 192, 193, 197, 198, 200, 201, 204, 205, 208.

I got this deluxe version of the book to read with my young daughter, so by the time we actually got to these missing pages (it took us a few months of bedtime reading) the Amazon return window had passed and I have no way to request a refund or exchange.
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8 people found this helpful
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Hannah Burkert
1.0 out of 5 stars Ok condition minus the MULTIPLE PUBIC HAIRS that were in the pages. ๐Ÿคฎ๐Ÿ˜ก
Reviewed in the United States ๐Ÿ‡บ๐Ÿ‡ธ on October 26, 2022
Verified Purchase
Iโ€™m Disgusted by the pubic hairs that were in this carefully wrapped package. They were sticking out of the book and so I donโ€™t know how this was packaged without seeing that. Also this book is definitely not in โ€œvery goodโ€ condition, more like โ€œgoodโ€
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Tracey Aldrich
1.0 out of 5 stars NOT THE RIGHT BOOK- NOR WAS IT ON TIME!!!
Reviewed in the United States ๐Ÿ‡บ๐Ÿ‡ธ on October 2, 2013
Verified Purchase
I ordered the The Lord of the Rings: 50th Anniversary, One Vol. Edition, and it was supposed to only take 7-14 business days to arrive. I ordered it about a week before my class begun, so that I may have a little chance of not being too far behind. I didn't receive it on time, actually it was 3 days late, and although I had contacted the seller on several occasions; it probably was not sent out until that last possible day. The other thing was that the book that I ordered was not the correct one. I got a very old edition of the Lord of the rings. I was very unhappy, as I pad a great amount for the book, and already was 3 weeks behind the class, and then on top of that I didnt hve the correct pages, as the book was not the right one. Very displeased, and not to mention it was not even in very good condition. I will never order off of amazon again, unless it is a brand new book, placed on order by the publishing company.
2 people found this helpful
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Button
1.0 out of 5 stars False Advertisement!
Reviewed in the United States ๐Ÿ‡บ๐Ÿ‡ธ on January 16, 2023
Verified Purchase
The book had a completely different cover than advertised and the covers paper was chipped in 1-2 places. Was meant as a Christmas gift and did not suffice.
2 people found this helpful
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Melissa Louckes
1.0 out of 5 stars This is NOT the book for the Literary Lessons for LOTR - even though Amazon has it pictured with it!
Reviewed in the United States ๐Ÿ‡บ๐Ÿ‡ธ on March 6, 2014
Verified Purchase
We purchased the 50th anniversary volume Amazon shows as the edition readers buy with the Literary Lessons. It is NOT the correct edition!!! My son is having a lot of trouble completing the assignments and I sat down with him to figure out why. It turns out the book he should be using is an entirely different edition, but you wouldn't know it the way Amazon markets the two books! Once you look carefully at the Literary Lessons you'll see that you need one of the following versions:
ISBN 0618260250 (one-volume paperback)
ISBN 0618260242 (one-volume hardback)
ISBN 0618343997 (one-volume paperback)
ISBN 0618345841 (one-volume hardback
ISBN 0618260293 (three volume paperback in slipcase with film covers

We're out the money and my son has been stressing needlessly - thanks a lot, Amazon! But I wanted to save someone else the trouble!
21 people found this helpful
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Kindle Customer
1.0 out of 5 stars Very Unhelpful
Reviewed in the United States ๐Ÿ‡บ๐Ÿ‡ธ on January 27, 2020
Verified Purchase
Item was titled 'The Lord of the Rings (Collector's Edition in Slipcase) Hardcover โ€“ Box set, 1974'. There was no slip case. Reached out to the seller & was told "it is in the description". Clearly it's not - but even if it's in the fine print somewhere - a reasonable seller might offer to send a slipcase or at least some sort of assistance?
8 people found this helpful
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Barbara
1.0 out of 5 stars Not the physical quality you may want
Reviewed in the United States ๐Ÿ‡บ๐Ÿ‡ธ on April 28, 2020
Verified Purchase
Disappointed that this is not the illustrated edition that all the reviews have but above that my dust jacket is damaged and there is smeared ink on the bottom of my book. It will be too much of a hassle to deal with a return.
7 people found this helpful
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Wayne
1.0 out of 5 stars Rip off!
Reviewed in the United States ๐Ÿ‡บ๐Ÿ‡ธ on December 9, 2021
Verified Purchase
Case was ripped! It had been taped back together. That should have been listed in poor/damaged condition. Sending back.
3 people found this helpful
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Matthew P Nerz
1.0 out of 5 stars The book that was advertised was not the book I received
Reviewed in the United States ๐Ÿ‡บ๐Ÿ‡ธ on January 28, 2022
Verified Purchase
The book that was advertised was not the book that I received
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Thunderwolf
1.0 out of 5 stars Dirty bent book jacket
Reviewed in the United States ๐Ÿ‡บ๐Ÿ‡ธ on May 21, 2019
Verified Purchase
This is not a review of the written work itself, but the 50th anniversary edition I ordered. It came with a bent up and dirty book jacket and felt very cheap, possibly a knockoff product. Very disappointed.
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Thunderwolf
1.0 out of 5 stars Dirty bent book jacket
Reviewed in the United States ๐Ÿ‡บ๐Ÿ‡ธ on May 21, 2019
This is not a review of the written work itself, but the 50th anniversary edition I ordered. It came with a bent up and dirty book jacket and felt very cheap, possibly a knockoff product. Very disappointed.
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7 people found this helpful
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