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  • The Return Of The King: Being the Third Part of the Lord of the Rings
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Customer reviews

4.8 out of 5 stars
4.8 out of 5
23,980 global ratings
5 star
91%
4 star
6%
3 star
2%
2 star
1%
1 star
1%
The Return Of The King: Being the Third Part of the Lord of the Rings

The Return Of The King: Being the Third Part of the Lord of the Rings

byJ.R.R. Tolkien
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Top positive review

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Rick
5.0 out of 5 starsTable of Contents works perfectly (Kindle edition).
Reviewed in the United States on August 3, 2017
The hard-copy versions look nice and all, but I wanted to know more about the Kindle edition. And I wasn't looking for reviews of the story. That's been the subject of glowing praise for decades. I got tired of trying to find a review that would answer the only question I had. Couldn't find one, so I finally broke down and BOUGHT the Kindle one-volume edition. And the answer is: Yes, the table of contents is all bundled together at the beginning, as opposed to having a separate T-o-C for each "volume" (stop sneering, I've seen other one-volume e-books where you have to skip through the whole first section to get to the table of contents for the second section). More importantly, the T-o-C actually works. That's right, I can go straight to any chapter by tapping that chapter on the T-o-C (again, other e-books had a static T-o-C where no amount of tapping would take me anywhere and I had to keep flipping pages to get to the chapter I wanted). Everything else seems to be functioning without problems. Dictionary, highlighting, synching between my Kindle and my phone, etc., all work perfectly. And in addition to being about half the cost of the three separate volumes, the one-volume edition helps to keep the scrolling at a minimum when searching through my library.
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964 people found this helpful

Top critical review

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Chris R
1.0 out of 5 starsCash Grab
Reviewed in the United States on November 3, 2021
As a Lord of the Rings fan, I was incredibly excited about this product. Unfortunately, the product did not live up to my expectations. I've listed the negatives below:

- Very few illustrations that add zero value to the experience. If you were expecting "Harry Potter Illustrated Version" levels of content, you won't find that here.
- The pages are concerningly thin. I'd compare them to the colorful tissue paper you put in gift bags.
- The book is prepared with little to no care (examples in pictures). Make sure you go through your book before it finds your bookshelf, as I was amazed at how many pages were misprinted or cut.
Read more
161 people found this helpful

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From the United States

Rick
5.0 out of 5 stars Table of Contents works perfectly (Kindle edition).
Reviewed in the United States on August 3, 2017
Verified Purchase
The hard-copy versions look nice and all, but I wanted to know more about the Kindle edition. And I wasn't looking for reviews of the story. That's been the subject of glowing praise for decades. I got tired of trying to find a review that would answer the only question I had. Couldn't find one, so I finally broke down and BOUGHT the Kindle one-volume edition. And the answer is: Yes, the table of contents is all bundled together at the beginning, as opposed to having a separate T-o-C for each "volume" (stop sneering, I've seen other one-volume e-books where you have to skip through the whole first section to get to the table of contents for the second section). More importantly, the T-o-C actually works. That's right, I can go straight to any chapter by tapping that chapter on the T-o-C (again, other e-books had a static T-o-C where no amount of tapping would take me anywhere and I had to keep flipping pages to get to the chapter I wanted). Everything else seems to be functioning without problems. Dictionary, highlighting, synching between my Kindle and my phone, etc., all work perfectly. And in addition to being about half the cost of the three separate volumes, the one-volume edition helps to keep the scrolling at a minimum when searching through my library.
964 people found this helpful
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Blake
5.0 out of 5 stars Finally, my own hard cover set!
Reviewed in the United States on October 26, 2018
Verified Purchase
Searching on amazon for a hard cover Lord Of The Rings box set was not easy. Everything was out of stock, would take weeks to ship, or were ludicrously expensive. But I found this set, with only a single stock photo of the set, reviews for a completely different print version, I took the gamble and was very pleasantly surprised.

I added as many photos as i thought were needed to give everyone more insight on this version.

The box was beautiful and well glued together, no peeling. The books themselves feel sturdy, nothing ripped, and the covers are also beautiful. The Print is large and legible without glasses (because wear reading glasses).

Overall, if this is the set that appears before you, I'd not hesitate on buying this.
Customer image
Blake
5.0 out of 5 stars Finally, my own hard cover set!
Reviewed in the United States on October 26, 2018
Searching on amazon for a hard cover Lord Of The Rings box set was not easy. Everything was out of stock, would take weeks to ship, or were ludicrously expensive. But I found this set, with only a single stock photo of the set, reviews for a completely different print version, I took the gamble and was very pleasantly surprised.

I added as many photos as i thought were needed to give everyone more insight on this version.

The box was beautiful and well glued together, no peeling. The books themselves feel sturdy, nothing ripped, and the covers are also beautiful. The Print is large and legible without glasses (because wear reading glasses).

Overall, if this is the set that appears before you, I'd not hesitate on buying this.
Images in this review
Customer image Customer image Customer image Customer image Customer image
Customer imageCustomer imageCustomer imageCustomer imageCustomer image
390 people found this helpful
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Jon Helberg
4.0 out of 5 stars Not illustrated
Reviewed in the United States on December 1, 2020
Verified Purchase
This is a review of The Lord of the Rings: 50th Anniversary, One Vol. Edition Hardcover – January 1, 2005.

CAUTION - Do not purchase this book based on the first of the 10,160 ratings which pop up under this title. For example, the third rating/review of this book is from 2015, and states that the book includes “65 beautiful illustrations by Alan Lee that bring the story to life,” followed by fingernails of said illustrations which 1,053 people found helpful. Sorry, but this edition includes not one single illustration, let alone anything by Alan Lee.

Other than that it’s still a bargain as the hard cover is standard stock, and the paper and print are both fine and quite readable even with ageing eyes and trifocals.

There are a series of black and white maps inside the back cover which do not fold out (nothing in the book folds out), and the appendix includes all the standard stuff like family trees, the Shire Calendar, characters of The Tengwar and Angerthas, etc.

I had a paperback set of these books which was printed back in the 60’s or 70’s which I gave away long ago, but which had very some very nice illustrations dispersed throughout the book which I very much miss in this edition, other than that it’s a nicely done yet plain, nondescript hardcover book like most any other.
149 people found this helpful
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Chris R
1.0 out of 5 stars Cash Grab
Reviewed in the United States on November 3, 2021
Verified Purchase
As a Lord of the Rings fan, I was incredibly excited about this product. Unfortunately, the product did not live up to my expectations. I've listed the negatives below:

- Very few illustrations that add zero value to the experience. If you were expecting "Harry Potter Illustrated Version" levels of content, you won't find that here.
- The pages are concerningly thin. I'd compare them to the colorful tissue paper you put in gift bags.
- The book is prepared with little to no care (examples in pictures). Make sure you go through your book before it finds your bookshelf, as I was amazed at how many pages were misprinted or cut.
Customer image
Chris R
1.0 out of 5 stars Cash Grab
Reviewed in the United States on November 3, 2021
As a Lord of the Rings fan, I was incredibly excited about this product. Unfortunately, the product did not live up to my expectations. I've listed the negatives below:

- Very few illustrations that add zero value to the experience. If you were expecting "Harry Potter Illustrated Version" levels of content, you won't find that here.
- The pages are concerningly thin. I'd compare them to the colorful tissue paper you put in gift bags.
- The book is prepared with little to no care (examples in pictures). Make sure you go through your book before it finds your bookshelf, as I was amazed at how many pages were misprinted or cut.
Images in this review
Customer image Customer image Customer image
Customer imageCustomer imageCustomer image
161 people found this helpful
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this-past-spring
3.0 out of 5 stars The Dubious Quest for Illustrations
Reviewed in the United States on May 18, 2020
Verified Purchase
I bought this from Amazon, there is no way anyone could have known, but the books were not illustrated. They were as shown, all vacuum sealed in wrapping. I could take this really badly, but I did a ton of research ahead of time and almost feel like this was a critical learning experience that only goes to prove some of my heavy research.

HERE IS MY RESEARCH TO HELP FUTURE BUYERS OF ANY ILLUSTRATED LORD OF THE RINGS EDITIONS:
1. J.R.R. Tolkien only had HIS illustrations published in 'The Hobbit'.
2. No illustrations by Tolkien appeared in the original books, he felt his were not good enough. Therefore, it is maybe impossible or extremely difficult to find a series with his outside of strictly art books of his illustrations and visual works.
3. There are very few illustrators Tolkien himself praised for making illustrations for his books, all of these came some time after the LOTR books had been published. Making it seem that Tolkien may have accepted the original lack of illustrations but what open to the idea of them having pictures but was, with good reason, picky about what the illustrations should be like.
4. So, if you want the authentic, original experience. Your LOTR series will not have illustrations.
5. The only way you can be sure that your books will be illustrated, should you want illustrations, may be to hold them, in your hands, and see that they are illustrated... or have a direct verbal confirmation with the store/seller that they are (if purchasing online). Online purchasing of illustrated copies appears to be a dubious, if not almost entirely wholehearted shot in the dark. You just don't know what you will get.

If you are reading this during the COVID-19 pandemic, I can understand the difficulty here. A lot of us are almost dependent on online purchases in some way or another. Going to a bookstore and holding the books and seeing that they are illustrated is a near impossibility at the time. Should you purchase and receive (pictured here) books, and they are NOT illustrated as mine are, I can verify they are well make and the hardcover addition is nice. You would also be reading them almost as they were originally published. So, at least you can take it from that stance. I gave this a 3 because of the quality and the fast shipment and I DID get what was pictured. But docked a few stars for the complexity of the matter. I don't feel like it is anyone's fault, it is just a confusing, and as I said, apparently dubious quest for illustrations in LOTR... if you want them.
113 people found this helpful
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J. Kougl
5.0 out of 5 stars Beautiful edition, a book to be displayed prominently
Reviewed in the United States on November 3, 2021
Verified Purchase
Why are almost all the reviews about damage the book received during shipping? That's a shipping issue. It has no business affecting reviews of the item itself.
Anyway, this tome is hefty, quite sturdy, and has beautiful stenciled edges and a gorgeous naked spine. The sound of opening the spine for the first time was quite satisfying, and I love having a ribbon page marker included. The pages are very thin, so I worry about ripping them, but I can't imagine how big the book would be with thicker pages, so it's good they're so thin. There are a good number of illustrations included, plus two maps that are loose, not printed into the book.
This is a fantastic edition to own, and I'm glad to have it. 5 stars for the book.
52 people found this helpful
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Nom de Plume
2.0 out of 5 stars Only a handful illustrations.
Reviewed in the United States on November 3, 2021
Verified Purchase
I started flipping through the book as soon as I received it. It almost half the book before I saw the first illustration. When the illustrations are the main selling point you should have more than a handful of illustrations.
75 people found this helpful
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Wesley K.
1.0 out of 5 stars Book Is Bound Wrong?
Reviewed in the United States on November 2, 2021
Verified Purchase
So around page 540~ my book turns into page 1140 appendix and is entirely flipped upside down. Wondering if everyone's is like this or is mine just a misprint?
93 people found this helpful
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threeofsix
3.0 out of 5 stars Very low quality images in the One Volume Kindle edition
Reviewed in the United States on November 26, 2018
Verified Purchase
Tolkien's content is great. This review is for Kindle formatting.

The maps & images in the One Volume are very low quality. Some text in the maps is completely unreadable, and some elvish script is very tiny. And file size isn't an issue today--Oathbringer is 5x bigger than the One Volume and looks great. Anyone else bothered by this please click "report poor quality" and set the issue as "Has low quality images or tables" at the bottom of the product page. Perhaps with enough feedback it'll be fixed.

But, the One Volume has links between appendices and the main text, is cheaper, and is the way Tolkien intended anyways (LOTR is a single novel often published in three volumes, not an omnibus of a trilogy). So I'd still recommend it over the 3 separate volumes for Kindle. If high quality images is more important to you, get the HMH editions of the separate volumes, they have the highest quality and look great.

Far less important is that on e-ink devices, the go-to menu only supports 2 layers of nesting, but the One Volume has 3 layers: volume, book, chapter. This means you can only jump directly to a book, but have to go through the table of contents to get to a specific chapter. This isn't an issue for the app. Admittedly this is minor, but I wish they had not separated the volumes (Fellowship, Towers, Return) in the One Volume, since it isn't a trilogy anyways, and gotten around this issue. Or that Kindle would update their software to support 3 layers of nesting in the go-to menu.
150 people found this helpful
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Nick Anderson
1.0 out of 5 stars Not the Edition with illustrations.
Reviewed in the United States on November 3, 2019
Verified Purchase
This edition is not the one with all the illustrations. I do not know why they are showing pictures of illustrations on this edition. That is false advertising. I bought this thinking it had all the cool drawings I see pictures of advertised on this set. I was wrong. No illustrations at all but a map.
140 people found this helpful
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