Lord Of The Rings Book Limited Edition

Introduction

This page documents the many copies of J.R.R. Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings that I've collected over the years. I appear to have something of a compulsion with regard to this book: at the moment, I own twenty-five (twenty-five!) different copies of LotR. And I'm not even certain why: as much as I love the book, I really can't explain my irrational urge to acquire so many different releases of it.

To stave off some of the e-mails I get, I should stress that I'm not a collector in the true sense. I don't pay attention to resale value or frequency of appearance, so I'm afraid I really can't tell you how rare your copy of the book is, or how much it's worth. Nor do I have any secret sources for tracking down a particular edition or impression you're hunting for: I suggest trying Abe Books, Alibris, Amazon (US or UK), eBay, or more specialised sites such as Tolkien Bookshelf or The Tolkien Shop, to see whether they can help you.

If you'd like to sell an edition not listed here to me, please feel free to contact me via the e-mail link at the bottom of this page, but I'm really not much use on general market consultations.

Catalogue

These are all the copies on my shelves, in something at least approaching chronological publication order.

Entries are listed by publisher and year of publication, with a brief summary followed by the full catalogue entry and cover images. Click any image to view it at a larger size.

Notes on Catalogue Entries

Version & Edition and Impression(s): See the Brief Glossary section, below, for an explanation of terms used in these fields.
Format: The listed page counts distinguish prefatory material (such as copyright and title pages, tables of contents, lists of other works by the author, textual and editorial notes, and the Foreword); the text itself (including the Prologue, appendices, and index, plus synopses in multi-volume releases); and addenda (material appearing after the text, such as maps, advertisements, or blank pages). Pages outside the numbering sequence are listed by count (e.g. '8 pp. addenda' indicates 8 unnumbered pages appearing after the text).
Maps & Illustrations: Unless otherwise stated, the line drawing of the Ring-inscription is by J.R.R. Tolkien; the line drawings of the Doors of Durin and the inscription on Balin's tomb are by an uncredited printer's assistant after J.R.R. Tolkien; and the maps are by Christopher Tolkien after J.R.R. Tolkien and printed in black ink.

Cover (The Fellowship of the Ring)

Cover (The Return of the King)

Cover (Bored of the Rings)

New York: Ballantine Books, October 1965.

Revised version with 'Foreword to the Second Edition', 1965.

Ballantine edition, 1965. (No edition information on copyright page.)

Mass-market paperback (178 mm × 107 mm); three volumes, 1538 pp. total:

The Fellowship of the Ring: 528 pp. (i–xviii prefatory; 19–527 text; 1 p. addendum).
The Two Towers: 448 pp. (1–14 prefatory; 15–447 text; 1 p. addendum).
The Return of the King: 544 pp. (i–xvi prefatory; 17–544 text).

Set in Times (typeface not specified on credits page).

The Fellowship of the Ring: Thirty-fifth impression, 1971.
The Two Towers: Eleventh impression, 1967.
The Return of the King: Seventh impression, 1966.

The Fellowship of the Ring:

pp. 16–17: North-western Middle-earth (map redrawn by uncredited artist, 1965).
p. 40: 'A Part of the Shire' (map redrawn by uncredited artist, 1965).
p. 80: Ring-inscription.
p. 399: The Doors of Durin.
p. 416: Inscription on Balin's tomb.

The Two Towers:

pp. 12–13: North-western Middle-earth (map redrawn by uncredited artist, 1965).

The Return of the King:

pp. 14–15: Rohan, Gondor, and Mordor (large-scale map redrawn by uncredited artist, 1965).

None. Front covers and spines include Ballantine Books product codes:

The Fellowship of the Ring: 01533.
The Two Towers: 01534.
The Return of the King: 01535.

List price 95¢ per volume; also sold as slipcased set (Ballantine Books product code 59224), list price $2.85.

First authorised paperback release, rush-issued with 1965 revisions to re-assert US copyright claim after release of unauthorized Ace Books 1965 mass-market paperback edition. Published 'by arrangement with Houghton Mifflin Company': covers bear red 'Dolphin Edition: Houghton Mifflin with Ballantine Books' escutcheons.

Cover art by Barbara Remington, with green-boxed 'statement from the author' text on back cover. Page edges stained yellow (Hammond's Descriptive Bibliography says 'orange').

Lacks the introduction by Peter S. Beagle present in current Ballantine Books mass-market paperback releases (added in 1973).

Parodied by the original 1969 Signet mass-market paperback edition of the Harvard Lampoon's Bored of the Rings, which includes cover art by Michael K. Frith (above) and a somewhat different 'statement from the authors' (Henry N. Beard and Douglas C. Kenney).

Revised edition (1965), entries A5d.i‒iii, pp. 105‒20.

Dust jacket (The Fellowship of the Ring)

Dust jacket (The Two Towers)

Dust jacket (The Return of the King)

London: George Allen & Unwin, 27 October 1966.

Revised version with 'Foreword to the Second Edition', 1965.

Allen & Unwin second edition, 1966.

Hardcover (227 mm × 148 mm); three volumes with dust jackets, 1216 pp. total:.

The Fellowship of the Ring: 428 pp. (4 pp. plus 1–5 prefatory; 5–423 text; 1 p. addendum).
The Two Towers: 352 pp. (1–352 text).
The Return of the King: 436 pp. (5–440 text).

Set in Imprint, 11/12-point.

First impression, 1966 (all three volumes).

The Fellowship of the Ring:

p. 26: 'A Part of the Shire' (1954 map, red and black).
p. 59: Ring-inscription.
p. 319: The Doors of Durin.
p. 333: Inscription on Balin's tomb.
Oversized leaf tipped in on rear free endpaper recto: North-western Middle-earth (1954 map, red and black).

The Two Towers:

Oversized leaf tipped in on rear free endpaper recto: North-western Middle-earth (1954 map, red and black).

The Return of the King:

Oversized leaf tipped in on rear free endpaper recto: Rohan, Gondor, and Mordor (1955 large-scale map, red and black).

None in my copies.

Retroactive ISBNs for this edition were created in 1970, though they are not specific to this impression:

The Fellowship of the Ring:

ISBN-10 0-04-823045-6.

The Two Towers:

ISBN-10 0-04-823046-4.

The Return of the King:

ISBN-10 0-04-823047-2.

List price 25/– (£1 5s.) per volume; also sold as slipcased set, list price £6 6s.

First UK release of the 1965 second-edition text. Dull-green dust jackets, with ring-and-eye motif on front. Top page edges (only) stained red.

Second Allen & Unwin edition (1966), entries A5e.i‒iii, pp. 120‒38.

Cover (The Fellowship of the Ring)

Cover (The Return of the King)

London: Unwin Paperbacks, 9 March 1981.

Revised version with 'Foreword to the Second Edition', 1965.

Unwin third edition, 1979, listed as 'Fourth edition 1981' on copyright page.

Mass-market paperback (172 mm × 110 mm); three volumes, 1552 pp. total:

The Fellowship of the Ring: 544 pp. (1–8 prefatory; 9–529 text; 15 pp. addenda).
The Two Towers: 448 pp. (1–10 prefatory; 11–442 text; 6 pp. addenda).
The Return of the King: 560 pp. (1–14 prefatory; 15–556 text; 4 pp. addenda).

Set in Times (typeface not specified on credits page, but earlier impressions specified '10 on 11 point Times', per Descriptive Bibliography entry).

Seventh impression, 1984 (all three volumes).

The Fellowship of the Ring:

p. 38: 'A Part of the Shire' (1954 map).
p. 77: Ring-inscription.
p. 398: The Doors of Durin.
p. 416: Inscription on Balin's tomb.
Addenda (5 pp.): North-western Middle-earth (1954 map), small-scale key plus 4 sections.

The Two Towers:

Addenda (5 pp.): North-western Middle-earth (1954 map), small-scale key plus 4 sections.

The Return of the King:

pp. 12–13: Rohan, Gondor, and Mordor (1955 large-scale map).
Addenda (4 pp. plus inside back cover): North-western Middle-earth (1954 map), small-scale key plus 4 sections.

The Fellowship of the Ring:

ISBN-10 0-04-823185-1.
ISBN-13 978-0-04-823185-7.

The Two Towers:

ISBN-10 0-04-823186-X.
ISBN-13 978--04-823186-4.

The Return of the King:

ISBN-10 0-04-823187-8.
ISBN-13 978-0-04-823187-1.

List price £2.50 per volume; also sold as slipcased set.

'Triptych' cover art by Pauline Baynes (uncredited); black spines and rear covers. Titles stamped in gold foil on front cover and spine.

'Fourth edition' (1981), revised impression of 'Third edition' (1979), entries A5n.i‒iii, pp. 153‒56.

London: Unicorn (Unwin Paperbacks), 21 February 1983.

Revised version with 'Foreword to the Second Edition', 1965.

Allen & Unwin single-volume edition, 1968 (emended 1983), listed as 'Third edition 1983' on copyright page.

Trade paperback (195 mm × 128 mm); single volume, 1200 pp. (2 pp. plus 1–12 prefatory; 13–1193 text; 5 pp. addenda).

Set in Pilgrim (typeface not specified on credits page, but earlier impressions specified '10 on 11 point Pilgrim' per Descriptive Bibliography entry).

Eighth impression, 1986.

p. 8: North-western Middle-earth (1954 map, small-scale key).
p. 30: 'A Part of the Shire' (1954 map).
p. 32: North-western Middle-earth (1954 map, NW section).
p. 63: Ring-inscription.
p. 234: North-western Middle-earth (1954 map, NE section).
p. 323: The Doors of Durin.
p. 337: Inscription on Balin's tomb.
p. 432: North-western Middle-earth (1954 map, SW section).
p. 626: North-western Middle-earth (1954 map, SE section).
pp. 774–5: Rohan, Gondor, and Mordor (1955 large-scale map).

ISBN-10 0-04-823229-7.
ISBN-13 978-0-04-823229-8.

List price £7.95.

Cover art by Roger Garland, depicting Barad-dûr. First UK single-volume paperback release to include the full appendices, according to listing on TolkienBooks.net.

'Unicorn' edition (1983), entry A5o, pp. 156‒57.

Slipcase front

Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 1 November 1974; revised for 13th impression, April 1987.

Revised version with 'Foreword to the Second Edition', 1965.

Allen & Unwin second edition, 1966 (emended 1987), listed as '1965/1966 edition' on copyright page.

Hardcover (242 mm × 162 mm); single volume with gold-stamped cover and matching slipcase, 1216 pp., paginated as three separate volumes:

Prefatory material: 19 pp. (i–x, 1–9).
The Fellowship of the Ring: 417 pp. (10–27, 1 p., 28, 1 p., 29–424 text).
The Two Towers: 342 pp. (11–352 text).
The Return of the King: 426 pp. (15–440 text).
Addenda: 12 pp.

Set in Imprint with Libra ornaments printed in red (typefaces not specified on credits page).

Twenty-seventh impression, undated (but likely from period 2004–6: see Notes, below.)

The Fellowship of the Ring, p. 26: 'A Part of the Shire' (1954 map).
The Fellowship of the Ring, p. 59: Ring-inscription.
The Fellowship of the Ring, p. 319: The Doors of Durin.
The Fellowship of the Ring, p. 333: Inscription on Balin's tomb.
Oversized leaf tipped in on rear free endpaper recto: 'The West of Middle-earth at the End of the Third Age' (1980 Unfinished Tales map, emended 2004, red and black).

All impressions (1974, 1987, and more recent):

ISBN-10 0-395-19395-8.
ISBN-13 978-0-395-19395-2 (not present in my copy).

No list price specified: Descriptive Bibliography gives list price as $50.00 at time of release. (Newer impressions list for $75.00 at time of writing.)

Collector's Edition bound in red leatherette with gold, blue, and green foil stamping; matching red leatherette slipcase.

Revised 13th impression of April 1987 incorporates editorial corrections from Ballantine Books mass-market paperback editions; adds 'Note on the Text' by Douglas A. Anderson (who oversaw the editorial work); and replaces 1954 map of north-western Middle-earth with 'The West of Middle-earth at the End of the Third Age' (1980 Unfinished Tales map).

The 2004 emended Unfinished Tales map interchanges labels for rivers Celos and Sirith in Gondor, placing Celos as the western tributary and Sirith as the eastern, to agree with the 1955 large-scale map of Rohan, Gondor, and Mordor.

Wayne G. Hammond and Christina Scull date the Unfinished Tales map emendation to 2004 in The Lord of the Rings: A Reader's Companion (p. 588, third note to p. 875); if correct, this means my copy is from no earlier than 2004. Since the book lacks an ISBN-13 code (introduced on 1 January 2007), it is most likely an impression from the period 2004–6.

Omits large-scale map of Rohan, Gondor, and Mordor.

'Collector's edition', revised impression (1987), entry A5r, pp. 162‒63.

Cf. original impression, 'Collector's edition' (1974), entry A5k, pp. 148‒49.

Dust jacket (The Fellowship of the Ring)

Dust jacket (The Two Towers)

Dust jacket (The Return of the King)

Boston: Houghton Mifflin, April 1987; revised impression, 3 March 1988.

Revised version with 'Foreword to the Second Edition', 1965.

Allen & Unwin second edition, 1966, emended 1987, listed as '1965 edition' on copyright page.

Hardcover (246 mm × 157 mm); three volumes with dust jackets and slipcase, 1232 pp. total:

The Fellowship of the Ring: 432 pp. (i–viii plus 1–9 prefatory; 10–423 text; 1 p. addendum).
The Two Towers: 352 pp. (1–12 prefatory; 13–352 text).
The Return of the King: 448 pp. (1–16 prefatory; 17–440 text; 8 pp. addenda).

Set in Imprint (typeface not specified on credits page).

The Fellowship of the Ring: forty-eighth impression, undated.
The Two Towers: forty-seventh impression, undated.
The Return of the King: forty-eighth impression, undated.

Impressions probably from 2007 or later; see Notes, below.

The Fellowship of the Ring:

p. 26: 'A Part of the Shire' (1954 map).
p. 59: Ring-inscription.
p. 319: The Doors of Durin.
p. 333: Inscription on Balin's tomb.
Oversized leaf tipped in on rear free endpaper recto: 'The West of Middle-earth at the End of the Third Age' (1980 Unfinished Tales map, emended 2004, red and black).

The Two Towers:

Oversized leaf tipped in on rear free endpaper recto: 'The West of Middle-earth at the End of the Third Age' (1980 Unfinished Tales map, emended 2004, red and black).

The Return of the King:

Oversized leaf tipped in on rear free endpaper recto: Rohan, Gondor, and Mordor (1955 large-scale map, red and black).

Three-volume set with slipcase:

ISBN-10 0-395-48932-6.
ISBN-13 978-0-395-48932-1.

The Fellowship of the Ring:

ISBN-10 0-395-48931-8.
ISBN-13 978-0-395-48931-4.

The Two Towers:

ISBN-10 0-395-48933-4.
ISBN-13 978-0-395-48933-8.

The Return of the King:

ISBN-10 0-395-48930-X.
ISBN-13 978-0-395-48930-7.

List price $43.35 when released; $65.00 at time of purchase. Also sold as individual volumes, list price $22.00 at time of purchase.

Purchased for $40.19 on 29 March 2014.

Released to mark the 50th anniversary of publication of The Hobbit.

Dust-jacket and slipcase art by Alan Lee (original impression had no dust jackets and different art on covers and slipcase). Includes first appearance of 'Note on the Text' by Douglas A. Anderson.

Emended Unfinished Tales map, 2004, interchanges labels for rivers Celos and Sirith in Gondor, placing Celos as the western tributary and Sirith as the eastern, to agree with the 1955 large-scale map of Rohan, Gondor, and Mordor.

Wayne G. Hammond and Christina Scull date the Unfinished Tales map emendation to 2004 in The Lord of the Rings: A Reader's Companion (p. 588, third note to p. 875); if correct, this means my copies are from no earlier than 2004. Since the books include ISBN-13 codes (introduced on 1 January 2007), they are most likely impressions from 2007 or later.

Second impression (1988) of Houghton Mifflin edition, revised impression (1987), entries A5q.i–iii, pp. 160‒62.

Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 12 November 1991.

Revised version with 'Foreword to the Second Edition', 1965.

Allen & Unwin single-volume edition, 1968 (emended 1983), listed as '1965 edition' on copyright page.

Hardcover (251 mm × 169 mm); single volume with dust jacket and ribbon bookmark, 1200 pp. (1–12 prefatory; 13–1193 text; 7 pp. addenda) plus 48 colour plates (see Maps & Illustrations, below).

Set in Pilgrim (typeface not specified on credits page).

No impression or date specified (but certainly pre-2004: see Notes, below.)

p. 30: 'A Part of the Shire' (1954 map).
p. 63: Ring-inscription.
p. 323: The Doors of Durin.
p. 337: Inscription on Balin's tomb.
Addenda (2 pp.): Rohan, Gondor, and Mordor (1955 large-scale map).
Addenda (5 pp.): 'The West of Middle-earth at the End of the Third Age' (1980 Unfinished Tales map), small-scale key plus 4 sections.
Leaves tipped in opposite pp. 1, 33, 64, 96, 128, 144, 176, 192, 208, 224, 240, 272, 304, 336, 352, 368, 384, 416, 448, 480, 496, 512, 528, 560, 576, 608, 640, 656, 672, 688, 704, 736, 768, 784, 800, 816, 832, 848, 880, 912, 929, 944, 960, 976, 992, 1008, 1024, and 1040: colour illustrations by Alan Lee.

ISBN-10 0-395-59511-8.
ISBN-13 978-0-395-59511-4.

List price $70.00.

Hardcover (252 mm × 174 mm) with brown boards, stamped with gold foil JRRT monogram on front cover, monogram and credits on spine. Peach endpapers; red silk ribbon bookmark. Dust jacket stamped with gold foil for title, illustrator credit, and runic strips at top and bottom. Jacket art (depicting Frodo, Sam, and Sméagol at the Black Gate on front cover, vignette of Battle of Helm's Deep on spine, River Isen on rear cover) and interior colour plate illustrations by Alan Lee.

Later revised impressions include the 2004 '50th Anniversary Edition' emended text, set in a different typeface (Birka?). These do not appear to be the 2004 edition: possibly the same as the Houghton Mifflin 2002 illustrated edition?

New Houghton Mifflin (trade) edition (1991), entry A5y, p. 175.

Cf. listings for New (trade) edition (1991), entry A5w, pp. 172–4, and New Houghton Mifflin (limited) edition (1991), entry A5x, pp. 174–5.

Slipcase front

London: HarperCollins, 15 December 1997.

Revised version with 'Foreword to the Second Edition', 1965.

HarperCollins reset edition, 1994 (emended 2000).

Hardcover (230 mm × 154 mm); single volume with slipcase, 1152 pp. (i–xiv prefatory; 1–1137 text; 1 p. addendum).

Set in Linotron Plantin.

Second impression, 2000.

The Fellowship of the Ring:

Front endpaper: 'The West of Middle-earth at the End of the Third Age' (1980 Unfinished Tales map, red and black).
p. 16: 'A Part of the Shire' (map redrawn by Stephen Raw, 1994).
p. 49: Ring-inscription.
p. 298: The Doors of Durin.
p. 311: Inscription on Balin's tomb.
Rear endpaper: Rohan, Gondor, and Mordor (1955 large-scale map).

ISBN-10 0-261-10368-7.
ISBN-13 978-0-261-10368-9 (not present in my copy).

No list price specified.

Purchased for £90.00 on 31 October 2000.

Quarter-bound hardcover: black cloth-bound boards with gold-stamped JRRT monogram on front, black leather spine with gold-stamped monogram and credits. Printed on India paper with gilt edges. Matching black cloth-covered slipcase has gold-stamped JRRT monogram on front cover.

Does not include 'Note on the Text' by Douglas A. Anderson, unlike most releases of the 1994 HarperCollins edition.

p. 49: Omits the first line of Gandalf's two-line quotation from the Ring-inscription – 'One Ring to rule them all, One Ring to find them' – in Book I, Chapter 2 ('The Shadow of the Past').

Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 30 June 1999.

Revised version with 'Foreword to the Second Edition', 1965.

HarperCollins reset edition, 1994.

Trade paperback (208 mm × 139 mm); single volume, 1168 pp. (i–xviii prefatory; 1–1137 text; 13 pp. addenda).

Set in Plantin (typeface not specified on credits page).

Fourth impression, 1999. (See Notes below.)

p. 18: 'A Part of the Shire' (map redrawn by Stephen Raw, 1994).
p. 49: Ring-inscription.
p. 298: The Doors of Durin.
p. 311: Inscription on Balin's tomb.
Addenda (5 pp.): North-western Middle-earth (map redrawn by Stephen Raw, 1994), small-scale key plus 4 sections.
Addenda (2 pp.): Rohan, Gondor, and Mordor (large-scale map redrawn by Stephen Raw, 1994).

ISBN-10 0-395-97468-2.
ISBN-13 978-0-395-97468-1.

List price $20.00.

Purchased for $16.00 on 1 October 2000.

First US single-volume trade paperback release. Cover art by Alan Lee, depicting Minas Tirith after the Battle of the Pelennor Fields. Prefatory material includes 'Note on the Text' (emended 1993) by Douglas A. Anderson.

Earlier impressions had more saturated cover art, with roundel proclaiming 'One-volume edition/First time in paperback'. My copy has desaturated cover art and roundel proclaiming 'An epic motion picture trilogy coming soon from New Line Cinema'.

p. 49: Omits the first line of Gandalf's two-line quotation from the Ring-inscription – 'One Ring to rule them all, One Ring to find them' – in Book I, Chapter 2 ('The Shadow of the Past').

Cover (The Fellowship of the Ring)

Cover (The Return of the King)

Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 15 September 1999.

Revised version with 'Foreword to the Second Edition', 1965.

HarperCollins reset edition, 1994.

Trade paperback (208 mm × 139 mm); three volumes, 1216 pp., paginated continuously:

The Fellowship of the Ring: 432 pp. (i–xvi prefatory; 1–398 text; 18 pp. addenda).
The Two Towers: 352 pp. (i–x prefatory; 399–726 text; 14 pp. addenda).
The Return of the King: 432 pp. (i–xii prefatory; 727–1137 text; 9 pp. addenda).

Set in Plantin (typeface not specified on credits page).

The Fellowship of the Ring: Eighth impression, 1999.
The Two Towers: Third impression, 1999.
The Return of the King: Third impression, 1999.

The Fellowship of the Ring:

p. 18: 'A Part of the Shire' (map redrawn by Stephen Raw, 1994).
p. 49: Ring-inscription.
p. 298: The Doors of Durin.
p. 311: Inscription on Balin's tomb.
Addenda (5 pp.): North-western Middle-earth (map redrawn by Stephen Raw, 1994), small-scale key plus 4 sections.
Addenda (2 pp.): Rohan, Gondor, and Mordor (large-scale map redrawn by Stephen Raw, 1994).

The Two Towers:

Addenda (5 pp.): North-western Middle-earth (map redrawn by Stephen Raw, 1994), small-scale key plus 4 sections.
Addenda (2 pp.): Rohan, Gondor, and Mordor (large-scale map redrawn by Stephen Raw, 1994).

The Return of the King:

Addenda (5 pp.): North-western Middle-earth (map redrawn by Stephen Raw, 1994), small-scale key plus 4 sections.
Addenda (2 pp.): Rohan, Gondor, and Mordor (large-scale map redrawn by Stephen Raw, 1994).

The Fellowship of the Ring:

ISBN-10 0-618-00222-7.
ISBN-13 978-0-618-00222-1.

The Two Towers:

ISBN-10 0-618-00223-5.
ISBN-13 978-0-618-00223-8.

The Return of the King:

ISBN-10 0-618-00224-3.
ISBN-13 978-0-618-00224-5.

List price $12.00 per volume; also sold as slipcased set including matching trade paperback edition of The Hobbit (published 15 October 1999, ISBN-10 0-618-00225-1, list price $45.00).

Cover art by Alan Lee, depicting Rivendell on The Fellowship of the Ring, Orthanc on The Two Towers, and Minas Tirith on The Return of the King. Prefatory material includes 'Note on the Text' (emended 1993) by Douglas A. Anderson.

p. 49: Omits the first line of Gandalf's two-line quotation from the Ring-inscription – 'One Ring to rule them all, One Ring to find them' – in The Fellowship of the Ring, Book I, Chapter 2 ('The Shadow of the Past').

Cover (The Ring Sets Out)

Cover (The Ring Goes South)

Cover (The Treason of Isengard)

Cover (The Ring Goes East)

Cover (The War of the Ring)

Cover (The End of the Third Age)

Slipcase with volume spines

Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 10 October 1999.

Revised version with 'Foreword to the Second Edition', 1965.

HarperCollins reset edition, 1994.

Hardcover (184 mm × 117 mm); seven volumes with slipcase, 1624 pp. total:

The Ring Sets Out: 304 pp. (i–xx prefatory; 1–283 text; 1 p. addendum).
The Ring Goes South: 260 pp. (6 pp. prefatory; 5–253 text; 1 p. addendum).
The Treason of Isengard: 260 pp. (6 pp. prefatory; 5–252 text; 2 pp. addenda).
The Ring Goes East: 196 pp. (6 pp. prefatory; 5–189 text; 1 p. addendum).
The War of the Ring: 212 pp. (6 pp. prefatory; 5–197 text; 9 pp. addenda).
The End of the Third Age: 196 pp. (6 pp. prefatory; 1–182 text; 8 pp. addenda).
Appendices: 196 pp. (6 pp. prefatory; 5–180 text; 10 pp. addenda).

Set in Plantin (typeface not specified on credits page).

No impression or date specified.

The Ring Sets Out:

p. 25: 'A Part of the Shire' (map redrawn by Stephen Raw, 1994).
p. 66: Ring-inscription.

The Ring Goes South:

p. 120: The Doors of Durin.
p. 138: Inscription on Balin's tomb.

Appendices:

Addenda (5 pp.): North-western Middle-earth (map redrawn by Stephen Raw, 1994), small-scale key plus 4 sections.
Addenda (2 pp.): Rohan, Gondor, and Mordor (large-scale map redrawn by Stephen Raw, 1994).

Seven-volume set with slipcase:

ISBN-10 0-618-03766-7.

The Ring Sets Out:

ISBN-10 0-618-04220-2.

The Ring Goes South:

ISBN-10 0-618-04221-0.

The Treason of Isengard:

ISBN-10 0-618-04222-9.

The Ring Goes East:

ISBN-10 0-618-04223-7.

The War of the Ring:

ISBN-10 0-618-04224-5.

The End of the Third Age:

ISBN-10 0-618-04225-3.

Appendices:

ISBN-10 0-618-04226-1.

List price $70.00.

Purchased for $49.00 on 1 October 2000.

Predates millennium by two years. One volume for each book, plus a seventh for appendices, with volume titles based on Tolkien's original book-title suggestions. Black covers with gold rings-and-eye motif and matching slipcase. Spines spell out TOLKIEN (well, that or TEN KILO, or TOKE NIL, or O, LET INK, or OINKLET, depending on owner's preference). Printed in Great Britain.

Prefatory material includes 'Note on the Text' (emended 1993) by Douglas A. Anderson.

The equivalent HarperCollins (UK) release apparently includes a CD of 'Tolkien reading excerpts from The Lord of the Rings and notes by George Sayer', per listing on TolkienBooks.net. My US release contains no such CD.

Cover (The Fellowship of the Ring)

Cover (The Return of the King)

Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 15 September 2001.

Revised version with 'Foreword to the Second Edition', 1965.

HarperCollins reset edition, 1994.

Trade paperback (208 mm × 139 mm); three volumes with slipcase, 1216 pp., paginated continuously:

The Fellowship of the Ring: 432 pp. (i–xvi prefatory; 1–398 text; 18 pp. addenda).
The Two Towers: 352 pp. (i–x prefatory; 399–726 text; 14 pp. addenda).
The Return of the King: 432 pp. (i–xii prefatory; 727–1137 text; 9 pp. addenda).

Set in Plantin (typeface not specified on credits page).

First impression, 2001 (all three volumes).

The Fellowship of the Ring:

p. 18: 'A Part of the Shire' (map redrawn by Stephen Raw, 1994).
p. 49: Ring-inscription.
p. 298: The Doors of Durin.
p. 311: Inscription on Balin's tomb.
Addenda (5 pp.): North-western Middle-earth (map redrawn by Stephen Raw, 1994), small-scale key plus 4 sections.
Addenda (2 pp.): Rohan, Gondor, and Mordor (large-scale map redrawn by Stephen Raw, 1994).

The Two Towers:

Addenda (5 pp.): North-western Middle-earth (map redrawn by Stephen Raw, 1994), small-scale key plus 4 sections.
Addenda (2 pp.): Rohan, Gondor, and Mordor (large-scale map redrawn by Stephen Raw, 1994).

Three-volume set with slipcase:

ISBN-10 0-618-15396-9.

The Fellowship of the Ring:

ISBN-10 0-618-12903-0.
ISBN-13 978-0-618-12903-4.

The Two Towers:

ISBN-10 0-618-12908-1.
ISBN-13 978-0-618-12908-9.

The Return of the King:

ISBN-10 0-618-12911-1.
ISBN-13 978-0-618-12911-9.

List price $35.00; also sold as individual volumes at list price $12.00.

Movie tie-in release with cover photographs of Frodo (Elijah Wood) on The Fellowship of the Ring, Saruman (Sir Christopher Lee) on The Two Towers, and Aragorn (Viggo Mortensen) on The Return of the King. Slipcase photograph, repeated as triptych across tops of book spines, shows Black Riders crossing the Ford of Bruinen.

Prefatory material includes 'Note on the Text' (emended 1993) by Douglas A. Anderson.

p. 49: Omits the first line of Gandalf's two-line quotation from the Ring-inscription – 'One Ring to rule them all, One Ring to find them' – in The Fellowship of the Ring, Book I, Chapter 2 ('The Shadow of the Past').

Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 1 August 2002.

Revised version with 'Foreword to the Second Edition', 1965.

HarperCollins reset edition, 1994.

Trade paperback (208 mm × 139 mm); single volume, 1168 pp. (i–xviii prefatory; 1–1137 text; 13 pp. addenda).

Set in Plantin (typeface not specified on credits page).

First impression, 2002.

p. 18: 'A Part of the Shire' (map redrawn by Stephen Raw, 1994).
p. 49: Ring-inscription.
p. 298: The Doors of Durin.
p. 311: Inscription on Balin's tomb.
Addenda (5 pp.): North-western Middle-earth (map redrawn by Stephen Raw, 1994), small-scale key plus 4 sections.
Addenda (2 pp.): Rohan, Gondor, and Mordor (large-scale map redrawn by Stephen Raw, 1994).

ISBN-10 0-618-26025-0.
ISBN-13 978-0-618-26025-6.

List price $20.00.

Movie tie-in release with cover photograph of Gandalf (Sir Ian McKellen) in front hall of Bag End. Prefatory material includes 'Note on the Text' (emended 1993) by Douglas A. Anderson.

Dust jacket (The Fellowship of the Ring)

Dust jacket (The Two Towers)

Dust jacket (The Return of the King)

Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 1 November 2002.

Revised version with 'Foreword to the Second Edition', 1965.

Houghton Mifflin edition, 2002, listed as '1965/1966 edition' on copyright page.

Hardcover (252 mm × 194 mm); three volumes with dust jackets and slipcase, 1216 pp. plus 50 colour illustrations, paginated continuously:

The Fellowship of the Ring: 432 pp. (i–xx prefatory; 1–410 text and illustrations, 2 pp. addenda).
The Two Towers: 352 pp. (i–x prefatory; 411–750 text and illustrations, 2 pp. addenda).
The Return of the King: 432 pp. (i–xii prefatory; 751–1170 text and illustrations).

Set in Birka (typeface not specified on credits page).

Seventh impression, undated (all three volumes).

The Fellowship of the Ring:

Front and rear endpapers: 'The West of Middle-earth at the End of the Third Age' (1980 Unfinished Tales map, red and black).
p. 18: 'A Part of the Shire' (1954 map).
p. 49: Ring-inscription.
p. 306: The Doors of Durin (graphic in white on black).
p. 321: Inscription on Balin's tomb.
pp. i, 20, 51, 82, 113, 129, 161, 177, 192, 208, 225, 257, 287, 303, 319, 335, 352, 366, and 399: colour illustrations by Alan Lee.

The Two Towers:

Front and rear endpapers: 'The West of Middle-earth at the End of the Third Age' (1980 Unfinished Tales map, red and black).
pp. 431, 464, 478, 495, 512, 542, 557, 578, 619, 631, 652, 668, 684, 717, 733, and 748: colour illustrations by Alan Lee.

The Return of the King:

Front and rear endpapers: Rohan, Gondor, and Mordor (1955 large-scale map).
pp. 763, 777, 793, 804, 826, 856, 889, 904, 912, 935, 952, 968, 984, 998, and 1017: colour illustrations by Alan Lee.

Three-volume set with slipcase:

ISBN-10 0-618-26058-7.
ISBN-13 978-0-618-26058-4.

The Fellowship of the Ring:

ISBN-10 0-618-26051-X.
ISBN-13 978-0-618-26051-5.

The Two Towers:

ISBN-10 0-618-26059-5.
ISBN-13 978-0-618-26059-1.

The Return of the King:

ISBN-10 0-618-26055-2.
ISBN-13 978-0-618-26055-3.

List price $80.00; also sold as individual volumes at list price $27.50.

Purchased for $63.00 on 30 March 2014.

Slipcase, dust-jacket and interior colour art by Alan Lee. Dust-jacket covers depict the halls of Khazad-dûm (The Fellowship of the Ring); the Tower of Orthanc after the flooding of Isengard (The Two Towers); and Minas Tirith after the Battle of the Pelennor Fields (The Return of the King).

Prefatory material includes 'Note on the Text' (emended 2002) by Douglas A. Anderson.

The Fellowship of the Ring, p. 271: Omits the final paragraph of Book II, Chapter 2 ('The Council of Elrond') – 'Sam sat down, blushing and muttering. 'A nice pickle we have landed ourselves in, Mr. Frodo!' he said, shaking his head.'

Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 24 July 2003.

Revised version with 'Foreword to the Second Edition', 1965.

HarperCollins reset edition, 1994 (emended 2003).

Trade paperback (203 mm × 139 mm); single volume, 1168 pp. (i–xviii prefatory; 1–1137 text; 13 pp. addenda).

Set in Plantin (typeface not specified on credits page).

First impression, 2003.

Front inner flap and cover: 'The West of Middle-earth at the End of the Third Age' (1980 Unfinished Tales map, colourised)
p. 18: 'A Part of the Shire' (map redrawn by Stephen Raw, 1994).
p. 49: Ring-inscription.
p. 298: The Doors of Durin.
p. 311: Inscription on Balin's tomb.
Addenda (5 pp.): North-western Middle-earth (map redrawn by Stephen Raw, 1994), small-scale key plus 4 sections.
Addenda (2 pp.): Rohan, Gondor, and Mordor (large-scale map redrawn by Stephen Raw, 1994).
Rear inner cover and flap: Rohan, Gondor, and Mordor (1955 large-scale map, colourised).

ISBN-10 0-618-34399-7.
ISBN-13 978-0-618-34399-7.

List price $20.00.

Movie tie-in release with cover photograph of the Ring on hand of Sauron (Sala Baker). Cover has extended flaps folded inside, similar to those of a dust jacket.

Prefatory material includes 'Note on the Text' (emended 1993) by Douglas A. Anderson.

Advertising slip

Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 21 October 2004.

Revised version with 'Foreword to the Second Edition', 1965 (emended 2004).

HarperCollins reset edition, 2004.

Hardcover (240 mm × 165 mm); single volume with slipcase, 1184 pp. (i–xxvi prefatory; 1–1157 text; 1 p. addendum).

Set in Plantin (typeface not specified on credits page).

First impression, 2004.

Oversized leaf tipped in on front free endpaper verso: 'The West of Middle-earth at the End of the Third Age' (1980 Unfinished Tales map, emended 2004, red and black).
p. 20: 'A Part of the Shire' (1954 map, red and black).
p. 50: Ring-inscription (red).
p. 305: The Doors of Durin.
p. 319: Inscription on Balin's tomb.
Colour plates tipped in between pp. 320‒21: 'Leaves from the Book of Mazarbul' (three 1947 illustrations, full colour).
Oversized leaf tipped in on rear free endpaper recto: Rohan, Gondor, and Mordor (1955 large-scale map, emended 2004, red and black).

ISBN-10 0-618-51765-0.
ISBN-13 978-0-618-51765-5.

List price $100.00.

50th Anniversary Edition bound in dark grey suede leather and stamped with gold and copper foil (rings-and-eye motif on front cover, credits on spine, JRRT signature on rear cover); interior has red endpapers, gilded page edges, and burgundy silk ribbon bookmark. Matching leather-covered slipcase has author, title, and '50th Anniversary Edition' designation on front cover and early JRRT drawing of Tower of Orthanc on rear cover. (Despite the inconsistent appearance of my scans, the book and slipcase are in fact the same colour leather.)

Incorporates almost 400 textual and typographical emendations by editors Wayne G. Hammond and Christina Scull in consultation with Christopher Tolkien.

Prefatory material includes 'Note on the Text' (emended 2004), by Douglas A. Anderson, and 'Note on the 50th Anniversary Edition' by Hammond and Scull.

Tengwar letter ungwe ( ) and G-rune ( ) printed in red on p. 25.

Emended large-scale map of Rohan, Gondor, and Mordor, 2004, corrects original 1955 spellings of three names (Kiril → Ciril, Kelos → Celos, and Kirith Ungol → Cirith Ungol) to match text.

p. 50: Ring-inscription is rejected original drawing, with an incorrect letter (hwesta in place of unque, changing word agh, 'and', to akh) in middle of second line.

A1. Houghton Mifflin one-volume hardback (2004), de luxe.

Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 12 October 2005.

Revised version with 'Foreword to the Second Edition', 1965.

HarperCollins reset edition, 2004 (emended 2005).

Hardcover (214 mm × 148 mm); single volume with dust jacket, 1216 pp. (i–xxvi prefatory; 1–1178 text; 12 pp. addenda).

Set in Plantin (typeface not specified on credits page).

First impression, 2005.

p. 20: 'A Part of the Shire' (1954 map).
p. 50: Ring-inscription.
p. 305: The Doors of Durin.
p. 319: Inscription on Balin's tomb.
Addenda (5 pp.): North-western Middle-earth (map redrawn by Stephen Raw, 1994), small-scale key plus 4 sections.
Addenda (2 pp.): Rohan, Gondor, and Mordor (large-scale map redrawn by Stephen Raw, 1994, emended 2004).

ISBN-10 0-618-64561-6.
ISBN-13 978-0-618-64561-9.

List price $38.00.

Blue cloth-bound boards; mustard endpapers.

Incorporates '50th Anniversary Edition' emendations of 2005 as detailed by Wayne G. Hammond and Christina Scull (see References, below).

Prefatory material includes 'Note on the Text' (emended 2004), by Douglas A. Anderson, and 'Note on the 50th Anniversary Edition' by Hammond and Scull. Index revised by Scull and Hammond, 2005.

Does not include 'Leaves from the Book of Mazarbul' illustrations.

A4. Houghton Mifflin one-volume trade hardback (2005), with cover art by Alan Lee.

Dust jacket (The Fellowship of the Ring)

Dust jacket (The Two Towers)

Dust jacket (The Return of the King)

London: HarperCollins, 17 October 2005.

Revised version with 'Foreword to the Second Edition', 1965 (emended 2004).

HarperCollins reset edition, 2004 (emended 2005).

Hardcover (229 mm × 154 mm); three volumes with dust jackets, 1232 pp., paginated continuously:

The Fellowship of the Ring: 432 pp. (i–xxiv prefatory; 1–408 text).
The Two Towers: 352 pp. (i–x prefatory; 409–742 text; 8 pp. addenda).
The Return of the King: 448 pp. (i–xii prefatory; 743–1178 text).

Set in PostScript Monotype Plantin.

Fifth impression, undated (all three volumes). Textual emendations suggest impression date 2005 or later: see Notes, below.

The Fellowship of the Ring:

p. 20: 'A Part of the Shire' (1954 map, red and black).
p. 50: Ring-inscription (red).
p. 305: The Doors of Durin.
p. 319: Inscription on Balin's tomb.
Oversized colour plate tipped in between pp. 320‒21: 'Leaves from the Book of Mazarbul' (three 1947 illustrations, full colour).
Oversized integral leaf tipped in before rear endpaper: 'The West of Middle-earth at the End of the Third Age' (1980 Unfinished Tales map, emended 2004, red and black).

The Two Towers:

Oversized integral leaf tipped in before rear endpaper: 'The West of Middle-earth at the End of the Third Age' (1980 Unfinished Tales map, emended 2004, red and black).

The Return of the King:

Oversized integral leaf between pp. 746–7: Rohan, Gondor, and Mordor (1955 large-scale map, emended 2004, red and black).
Oversized integral leaf tipped in before rear endpaper: 'The West of Middle-earth at the End of the Third Age' (1980 Unfinished Tales map, emended 2004, red and black).

The Fellowship of the Ring:

ISBN-10 0-00-720354-3 (not present on my copy).
ISBN-13 978-0-00-720354-3.

The Two Towers:

ISBN-10 0-00-720355-1 (not present on my copy).
ISBN-13 978-0-00-720355-0.

The Return of the King:

ISBN-10 0-00-720356-X (not present on my copy).
ISBN-13 978-0-00-720356-7.

List price £20.00 per volume.

The Fellowship of the Ring purchased for £9.56 on 30 December 2012; The Two Towers and The Return of the King purchased for £14.10 and £13.27, respectively, on 29 September 2012.

Black boards stamped with copper foil credits on spines; cream endpapers. Dust jackets feature adaptations of Tolkien's original designs, stamped with copper foil lettering and logos on front cover and spine.

Incorporates '50th Anniversary Edition' emendations of 2005 as detailed by Wayne G. Hammond and Christina Scull (see References, below).

Prefatory material includes 'Note on the Text' (emended 2004), by Douglas A. Anderson, and 'Note on the 50th Anniversary Edition' by Hammond and Scull. Index revised by Scull and Hammond, 2005.

A2. HarperCollins three-volume trade hardback (2005), with dust-jackets reproducing Tolkien's designs.

Slipcase

Advertising slip

London: HarperCollins, 18 October 2004; emended impression, likely 2008 or later.

Revised version with 'Foreword to the Second Edition', 1965 (emended 2004).

HarperCollins reset edition, 2004 (emended 2008).

Hardcover (229 mm × 154 mm); single volume with slipcase, 1184 pp. (i–xxvi prefatory; 1–1157 text; 1 p. addendum).

Set in PostScript Monotype Plantin.

Seventh impression, undated. (Textual emendations suggest impression date 2008 or later: see Notes, below.)

p. 20: 'A Part of the Shire' (1954 map, red and black).
p. 50: Ring-inscription (red).
p. 305: The Doors of Durin.
p. 319: Inscription on Balin's tomb.
Oversized colour plate tipped in between pp. 320‒21: 'Leaves from the Book of Mazarbul' (three 1947 illustrations, full colour).
Oversized leaf tipped in between pp. 746–7: Rohan, Gondor, and Mordor (1955 large-scale map, emended 2004, red and black).
Oversized leaf tipped in on rear free endpaper recto: 'The West of Middle-earth at the End of the Third Age' (1980 Unfinished Tales map, red and black).

ISBN-10 0-00-718236-8.
ISBN-13 978-0-00-718236-7.

No list price specified.

Purchased for £100.00 on 18 February 2014.

Quarter-bound hardcover: grey paper-bound boards stamped with foil (red and gold rings-and-eye motif on front cover, gold JRRT monogram on back cover), burgundy cloth spine stamped with gold foil monogram, credits, and publisher logo. Burgundy endpapers; red silk ribbon bookmark.

Matching slipcase has burgundy paper-bound boards stamped with gold foil Ring and Ring-inscription; front has circular die-cut hole to display Eye of Sauron from book's front cover.

Incorporates almost 400 textual and typographical emendations by editors Wayne G. Hammond and Christina Scull in consultation with Christopher Tolkien, plus further minor corrections from 2005–8 as detailed by Hammond and Scull (see References, below).

Prefatory material includes 'Note on the Text' (emended 2004), by Douglas A. Anderson, and 'Note on the 50th Anniversary Edition' by Hammond and Scull.

Tengwar letter ungwe ( ) and G-rune ( ) printed in red on p. 25.

Supposedly a limited edition, as noted on advertising slip, but still on sale in 2014, 10 years after initial release.

Advertising slip (included in shrink-wrap): Specifies 'the original red and black maps by Christopher Tolkien' as a feature, but book includes 'The West of Middle-earth at the End of the Third Age' (1980 Unfinished Tales map) rather than original 1954 map of north-western Middle-earth.
Adverising slip: Specifies 'revised and updated index' (i.e., 2005 index by Scull and Hammond), but index is unrevised, identical to that in 2004 Houghton Mifflin release (below).

A1. HarperCollins one-volume hardback (2004), de luxe.

Dust jacket (The Fellowship of the Ring)

Dust jacket (The Two Towers)

Dust jacket (The Return of the King)

London: HarperCollins, 19 June 2014.

Revised version with 'Foreword to the Second Edition', 1965 (emended 2014).

HarperCollins reset edition, 2014 (which appears to be an emendation of the reset edition of 2004).

Hardcover (229 mm × 154 mm); three volumes with dust jackets, 1232 pp., paginated continuously:

The Fellowship of the Ring: 432 pp. (i–xxiv prefatory; 1–408 text).
The Two Towers: 352 pp. (i–x prefatory; 409–742 text; 8 pp. addenda).
The Return of the King: 448 pp. (i–xii prefatory; 743–1178 text).

Set in PostScript Monotype Plantin.

Fifth impression, undated (The Return of the King); seventh impression, undated (The Fellowship of the Ring and The Two Towers).

The Fellowship of the Ring:

p. 20: 'A Part of the Shire' (1954 map, red and black).
p. 50: Ring-inscription (red).
p. 305: The Doors of Durin.
p. 319: Inscription on Balin's tomb.
Oversized colour plate tipped in between pp. 320‒21: 'Leaves from the Book of Mazarbul' (three 1947 illustrations, full colour).
Oversized integral leaf tipped in before rear endpaper: 'The West of Middle-earth at the End of the Third Age' (1980 Unfinished Tales map, emended 2004, red and black).

The Two Towers:

Oversized integral leaf tipped in before rear endpaper: 'The West of Middle-earth at the End of the Third Age' (1980 Unfinished Tales map, emended 2004, red and black).

The Return of the King:

Oversized integral leaf between pp. 746–7: Rohan, Gondor, and Mordor (1955 large-scale map, emended 2004, red and black).
Oversized integral leaf tipped in before rear endpaper: 'The West of Middle-earth at the End of the Third Age' (1980 Unfinished Tales map, emended 2004, red and black).

The Fellowship of the Ring:

ISBN-10 0-00-720354-3 (not present on my copy).
ISBN-13 978-0-00-720354-3.

The Two Towers:

ISBN-10 0-00-720355-1 (not present on my copy).
ISBN-13 978-0-00-720355-0.

The Return of the King:

ISBN-10 0-00-720356-X (not present on my copy).
ISBN-13 978-0-00-720356-7.

The Lord of the Rings ('60th Anniversary Edition' slipcased set including all three volumes plus 2014 second revised edition of Hammond and Scull's The Lord of the Rings: A Reader's Companion):

ISBN-10 0-00-720357-8 (not present on my copy).
ISBN-13 978-0-00-720357-4.

List price £90 for 2014 '60th Anniversary Edition' slipcased set including all three volumes plus 2014 second revised edition of Hammond and Scull's The Lord of the Rings: A Reader's Companion.

Purchased in slipcased set for £55.80 on 18 March 2014 (pre-order for 19 June 2014 publication date).

Black boards stamped with copper foil credits on spines; cream endpapers. Dust jackets feature adaptations of Tolkien's original designs; unlike those for the similar three-volume 2005 edition, these lack copper foil and are simply inked. Paper is slightly flimsier and less opaque than in 2005 edition.

Incorporates most '50th Anniversary Edition' emendations of 2005 as detailed by Wayne G. Hammond and Christina Scull (see References, below).

Prefatory material includes 'Note on the Text' (emended 2004), by Douglas A. Anderson, and 'Note on the 50th Anniversary Edition' by Hammond and Scull. Index revised by Scull and Hammond, 2005.

A11. HarperCollins three-volume trade hardback (2014), with dust-jackets reproducing Tolkien's designs.

London: HarperCollins, 19 June 2014.

Revised version with 'Foreword to the Second Edition', 1965 (emended 2014).

HarperCollins illustrated edition, 2014.

Hardcover (252 mm × 171 mm); single volume with slipcase, 1246 pp. (i–xxviii prefatory; 1–1217 text; 1 pp. addendum) plus 50 colour plates (see Maps & Illustrations, below).

Set in Dante (typeface not specified on credits page).

First impression, 2014.

Front endpaper: 'The West of Middle-earth at the End of the Third Age' (1980 Unfinished Tales map, red and black).
p. 51: Ring-inscription.
p. 313: The Doors of Durin.
p. 327: Inscription on Balin's tomb.
Rear endpaper: Rohan, Gondor, and Mordor (1955 large-scale map, emended 2004, red and black).
Oversized integral leaf tipped in opposite p. i and integral leaves tipped in opposite pp. 21, 52, 85, 117, 134, 166, 183, 200, 214, 230, 262, 294, 310, 326, 342, 358, 372, 406, 438, 470, 486, 503, 520, 550, 566, 588, 630, 646, 662, 678, 694, 726, 742, 758, 770, 772, 804, 813, 836, 868, 900, 917, 922, 948, 964, 982, 997, 1012, and 1026: colour illustrations by Alan Lee.

ISBN-10 0-00-752554-0 (not present on my copy).
ISBN-13 978-0-00-752554-6.

List price £60.00.

Purchased for £37.20 on 18 March 2014 (pre-order for 19 June 2014 publication date).

Quarter-bound hardcover: paper-bound boards with colour illustrations by Alan Lee (Frodo, Sam, and Sméagol at the Black Gate on front cover, River Isen on rear cover), blue cloth spine stamped with gold foil (JRRT monogram, author, title, Ring with inscription, volume titles, publisher logo). Blue ribbon bookmark.

Translucent plastic slipcase with white text on front cover (author, title, illustrator credit) and rear cover (advertising copy), blue text and images on spine (JRRT monogram, author, title, Ring with inscription, volume titles, publisher logo).

Incorporates most (but not all) '50th Anniversary Edition' emendations of 2005 as detailed by Wayne G. Hammond and Christina Scull (see References, below).

Prefatory material includes 'Note on the Text' (emended 2004), by Douglas A. Anderson, and 'Note on the Revised Text' (2014 revision of 2004 'Note on the 50th Anniversary Edition') by Hammond and Scull. Index revised by Scull and Hammond, 2004 (updated 2014).

Does not include 'Leaves from the Book of Mazarbul' illustrations.

Front endpaper: 'The West of Middle-earth at the End of the Third Age' map omits 2004 emendation (interchanging of labels for rivers Celos and Sirith in Gondor, placing Celos as the western tributary and Sirith as the eastern, to agree with the 1955 large-scale map of Rohan, Gondor, and Mordor).
Uncorrected errata from Hammond and Scull's Addenda and Corrigenda to the 50th Anniversary Edition of The Lord of the Rings (2004‒5):
- p. 843: 'war,' incorrectly given as 'war;'.
- p. 857: Missing quotation mark between 'Meriadoc?' and 'Just'.
- p. 1065: 'Stewards of Gondor' should be italicised.
- p. 1118: Paragraph beginning 'Elrond reveals…' should be a separate entry for year 2952.
- p. 1119: Paragraph beginning 'Elrond sends for Arwen…' should be a separate entry for year 3016.

D1. HarperCollins one-volume de luxe edition (2014), with cover and interior art by Alan Lee, issued in a plastic slipcase.

Dust jacket (The Fellowship of the Ring)

Dust jacket (The Two Towers)

Dust jacket (The Return of the King)

Slipcase (The Hobbit & The Lord of the Rings Gift Set: A Middle-earth Treasury)

London: HarperCollins, 19 October 2017.

Revised version with 'Foreword to the Second Edition', 1965 (emended 2017).

HarperCollins pocket hardcover edition, 2020.

This edition is based on the 50th anniversary edition published 2005, which is a revised edition of the reset edition first published 2002.

Hardcover (157 mm × 116 mm); three volumes with dust jackets, 1567 pp., paginated continuously:

The Fellowship of the Ring: 560 pp. (i–xxviii prefatory; 1–531 text; 1 p. addendum).
The Two Towers: 456 pp. (i–x prefatory; 533–971 text; 7 pp. addenda).
The Return of the King: 608 pp. (i–xii prefatory; 973–1567 text; 1 p. addendum).

Set in Plantin (typeface not specified on credits page).

Fourth impression, undated.

The Fellowship of the Ring:

Front and rear endpapers: 'The West of Middle-earth at the End of the Third Age' (1980 Unfinished Tales map, red and black).
p. 24: 'A Part of the Shire' (1954 map).
p. 66: Ring-inscription.
p. 398: The Doors of Durin.
p. 416: Inscription on Balin's tomb.

The Two Towers:

Front and rear endpapers: 'The West of Middle-earth at the End of the Third Age' (1980 Unfinished Tales map, red and black).

The Return of the King:

Front endpaper: 'The West of Middle-earth at the End of the Third Age' (1980 Unfinished Tales map, red and black).
Rear endpaper: Rohan, Gondor, and Mordor (1955 large-scale map, red and black).

The Fellowship of the Ring:

ISBN-13 978-0-00-826406-2.

The Two Towers:

ISBN-13 978-0-00-826407-9.

The Return of the King:

ISBN-13 978-0-00-826422-2.

List price £49.99 for The Hobbit & The Lord of the Rings Gift Set: A Middle-earth Treasury slipcased set (ISBN-13 978-0-00-826018-7) including matching illustrated hardcover edition of The Hobbit.

Purchased as part of The Hobbit & The Lord of the Rings Gift Set: A Middle-earth Treasury slipcased set for $46.92 on 19 September 2020.

Published to mark the 80th anniversary of The Hobbit.

Incorporates most (but not all) '50th Anniversary Edition' emendations of 2005 as detailed by Wayne G. Hammond and Christina Scull (see References, below).

Index revised by Scull and Hammond, 2005.

Dust jacket art displays Eye of Sauron, Ring-inscription, and one of the Three.

'The West of Middle-earth at the End of the Third Age' map omits 2004 emendations (interchanging of labels for rivers Celos and Sirith in Gondor, placing Celos as the western tributary and Sirith as the eastern, to agree with the 1955 large-scale map of Rohan, Gondor, and Mordor).
Uncorrected errata from Hammond and Scull's Addenda and Corrigenda to the 50th Anniversary Edition of The Lord of the Rings (2004‒5):
- p. 222: Greeting of letter, 'Dear Frodo,' incorrectly indented.

Dust jacket (The Fellowship of the Ring)

Dust jacket (The Two Towers)

Dust jacket (The Return of the King)

Slipcase (The Hobbit & The Lord of the Rings set)

London: HarperCollins, 25 June 2020.

Revised version with 'Foreword to the Second Edition', 1965 (emended 2020).

HarperCollins illustrated hardcover edition, 2020. (See Notes, below, for discussion of similarities between this edition and the emended 2014 three-volume edition.)

This edition is based on the reset edition first published 2014 which is a revised edition of the reset edition first published 2004.

Hardcover (228 mm × 149 mm); three volumes with dust jackets, 1178 pp., paginated continuously:

The Fellowship of the Ring: 426 pp. (i–xiv prefatory; 1–408 text; 4 pp. addenda) plus 19 colour plates (see Maps & Illustrations, below).
The Two Towers: 354 pp. (i–xiv prefatory; 409–744 text; 4 pp. addenda) plus 16 colour plates (see Maps & Illustrations, below).
The Return of the King: 452 pp. (i–xvi prefatory; 743–1178 text, see Errata, below) plus 15 colour plates (see Maps & Illustrations, below).

Set in Plantin (typeface not specified on credits page).

First impression, 2020.

The Fellowship of the Ring:

Front and rear endpapers: 'The West of Middle-earth at the End of the Third Age' (1980 Unfinished Tales map, red and black).
p. 18: 'A Part of the Shire' (1954 map, red and black).
p. 50: Ring-inscription (red).
p. 305: The Doors of Durin.
p. 319: Inscription on Balin's tomb.
Frontispiece and facing pp. 20, 52, 82, 114, 130, 160, 178, 192, 206, 224, 256, 288, 302, 318, 334, 350, 362, and 396: colour illustrations by Alan Lee.

The Two Towers:

Front and rear endpapers: 'The West of Middle-earth at the End of the Third Age' (1980 Unfinished Tales map, red and black).
Facing pp. 428, 462, 474, 492, 508, 538, 552, 574, 616, 634, 648, 662, 680, 712, 726, and 742: colour illustrations by Alan Lee.

The Return of the King:

Front endpaper: Rohan, Gondor, and Mordor (1955 large-scale map, red and black).
Rear endpaper: 'The West of Middle-earth at the End of the Third Age' (1980 Unfinished Tales map, red and black).
Facing pp. 754, 768, 784, 794, 816, 846, 878, 894, 900, 924, 942, 958, 972, 986, and 1004: colour illustrations by Alan Lee.

The Fellowship of the Ring:

ISBN-10 0008376123 (not present in my copy)
ISBN-13 978-0-00-837612-3.

The Two Towers:

ISBN-10 0008376131 (not present in my copy)
ISBN-13 978-0-00-837613-0.

The Return of the King:

ISBN-10 000837614X (not present in my copy)
ISBN-13 978-0-00-837614-7.

List price £100.00 for The Hobbit & The Lord of the Rings slipcased boxed set (ISBN-13 978-0-00-837610-9) including matching illustrated hardcover edition of The Hobbit, or £25.00 per volume individually.

Purchased in The Hobbit & The Lord of the Rings slipcased boxed set for £75.00 on 11 March 2020 (pre-order for 25 June 2020 publication date).

Black text with red ornaments, including Ring-poem on p. 5, Tengwar letter ungwe ( ) and G-rune ( ) on p. 25.

Incorporates most (but not all) '50th Anniversary Edition' emendations of 2005 as detailed by Wayne G. Hammond and Christina Scull (see References, below).

Index revised by Scull and Hammond, 2005.

Dust jackets stamped with gold foiled text ('The Lord of the Rings' on front covers, individual volume titles on spines). Jacket art by Alan Lee (Rivendell on front and spine, stone trolls on rear for The Fellowship of the Ring; Shelob's lair on front and spine, Orthanc on rear for The Two Towers; Battle of the Pelennor Fields on front and spine, Corsair fleet on rear for The Return of the King).

'The West of Middle-earth at the End of the Third Age' map omits 2004 emendations (interchanging of labels for rivers Celos and Sirith in Gondor, placing Celos as the western tributary and Sirith as the eastern, to agree with the 1955 large-scale map of Rohan, Gondor, and Mordor).
Large-scale map of Rohan, Gondor, and Mordor omits 2004 emendations (correction of Kiril → Ciril, Kelos → Celos, and Kirith Ungol → Cirith Ungol to match text).
Uncorrected errata from Hammond and Scull's Addenda and Corrigenda to the 50th Anniversary Edition of The Lord of the Rings (2004‒5):
- p. 169: Greeting of letter, 'Dear Frodo,' incorrectly indented.
- p. 756: Sentence ''I am,' said Pippin' incorrectly separated from Gandalf's preceding dialogue (should run on).
- p. 1144: Index entry for 'Barad-dûr': Missing citations for pp. 437, 899.
- p. 1150: Index entry for 'Desolation of the Morannon': Missing citations for pp. 619, 631, 648, 887.
- p. 1156: Index entry for 'First Age': Citation for p. 1108 incorrectly given as p. 1107.
- p. 1157: Index entry for 'Gardner, Frodo': Should be cross-reference: 'see Gamgee, Frodo (Frodo Gardner)'.
- p. 1157: Index entry for 'Gardner, Holfast': Should be cross-reference: 'see Gamgee, Holfast (Holfast Gardner)'.
- p. 1165: Index entry for 'Morannon': Missing citation for p. 882.
- p. 1168: Index entry for 'Oliphaunt': Missing citation for p. 648.
- p. 1170: Index entry for 'Rhûn, Sea of': Incorrect citations for pp. 248, 755.
p. 98: The third, fourth, and fifth lines in the second paragraph are incorrectly justified, with significant white space added at the right margin, and an erroneous reversed comma appears after 'broad' in the third line.
Pagination in The Return of the King is off by two pp., overlapping that in The Two Towers, as described below:
- The Fellowship of the Ring: After prefatory pp. i–xiv, text proper begins with Prologue on p. 1 recto and pagination continues—with unnumbered volume and book divisional title pages included in count—through to end of 'The Breaking of the Fellowship' on p. 407 recto, with unnumbered verso as p. 408.
- The Two Towers: After prefatory pp. i–xiv, text pagination resumes with unnumbered volume and book divisional title pages as pp. 409–412 and 'The Departure of Boromir' beginning on p. 413 recto, and continues through to end of 'The Choices of Master Samwise' on p. 744 verso.
- The Return of the King: After prefatory pp. i–xvi, text pagination should resume with unnumbered volume and book divisional title pages as pp. 745–748 and 'Minas Tirith' beginning on p. 749 recto. In fact, however, 'Minas Tirith' begins on p. 747 recto, meaning that volume and book divisional title pages are pp. 743–746, which range overlaps last two pages of The Two Towers.

E2. [S]et of the four volumes in hardback, with dust-jackets, in a stiff board slipcase, with illustrations and cover art by Alan Lee.…'semi-de luxe edition'.

Dust jacket (with front board showing through die-cut hole)

London: HarperCollins, 14 October 2021.

Revised version with 'Foreword to the Second Edition', 1965 (emended 2021).

HarperCollins reset edition, 2020 (emended 2021).

This edition is based on the reset edition first published 2020.

Hardcover (228 mm × 149 mm); single volume, 1200 pp. (i–xx prefatory; 1–1178 text; 2 p. addendum) plus illustrations (see Maps & Illustrations, below).

Set in Plantin (typeface not specified on credits page).

First impression, 2021.

p. i: The Ring-motif (red).
p. v: The Ring verse (plate).
p. 20: 'A Part of the Shire' (1954 map, red and black).
Facing pp. 26, 46, 98, 116, 152, 216, 280, 296, 300, 336, 392, 458, 528, 554, 704, 710, 750, 794, 898, 918, 942, and 950: illustrations by J.R.R. Tolkien.
p. 50: Ring-inscription (red).
p. 305: The Doors of Durin.
p. 319: Inscription on Balin's tomb.
Facing p. 320: 'Leaves from the Book of Mazarbul' (three 1947 illustrations, full colour).
p. 702: Minas Morgul gate (illustration by J.R.R. Tolkien).
p. 716: Plan of Shelob's Lair (illustration by J.R.R. Tolkien).
p. 742: Cirith Ungol from the second stair (illustration by J.R.R. Tolkien).
p. 1032: The White Tree and stars (illustration by J.R.R. Tolkien).
Oversized leaf insert, loose: 'The West of Middle-earth at the End of the Third Age' (1980 Unfinished Tales map, emended 2004, red and black).
Oversized leaf insert, loose: Rohan, Gondor, and Mordor (1955 large-scale map, emended 2004, red and black).

ISBN-10 0-00-847128-2.
ISBN-13 978-0-00-847128-6.

List price £60.

Purchased for £43.29 on 14 October 2021.

Black paper-bound boards stamped with foil: red and gold Eye of Sauron motif (front) plus gold JRRT monogram, red title, red and gold Ring/Ring-inscription/Eye of Sauron motif, gold J.R.R. Tolkien signature, and gold publisher logo (spine). Red endpapers; red page edges with white Ring-inscription; grey silk ribbon bookmark.

Dust-jacket stamped with gold foil: Angerthas, 'Illustrated by the Author' designator, Rings, J.R.R. Tolkien signature, and Tengwar (front) plus gold JRRT monogram, Rings, J.R.R. Tolkien signature, and publisher logo (back); front has circular die-cut hole to display Eye of Sauron from book's front board.

Prefatory material includes 'Note on the Illustrations' by Hammond and Scull (excerpted from The Art of the Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien), omits 'Note on the Text' by Douglas A. Anderson and 'Note on the 50th Anniversary Edition' by Hammond and Scull.

Tengwar letter ungwe ( ) and G-rune ( ) printed in red on p. 25.

Facsimiles

Advertising slip

London: HarperCollins, 14 October 2021.

Revised version with 'Foreword to the Second Edition', 1965 (emended 2021).

HarperCollins reset edition, 2020 (emended 2021).

This edition is based on the reset edition first published 2020.

Hardcover (228 mm × 149 mm); single volume with slipcase, 1200 pp. (i–xx prefatory; 1–1178 text; 2 p. addenda) plus inserts and plates (see Maps, Illustrations, & Facsimiles below).

Set in Plantin (typeface not specified on credits page).

First impression, 2021.

p. i: The Ring-motif (red).
p. v: The Ring verse (plate).
p. 20: 'A Part of the Shire' (1954 map, red and black).
Facing pp. 26, 46, 98, 116, 152, 216, 280, 296, 300, 336, 392, 458, 528, 554, 704, 710, 750, 794, 898, 918, 942, and 950: illustrations by J.R.R. Tolkien.
p. 50: Ring-inscription (red).
p. 305: The Doors of Durin.
p. 319: Inscription on Balin's tomb.
Facing p. 320: 'Leaves from the Book of Mazarbul' (three 1947 illustrations, full colour).
p. 702: Minas Morgul gate (illustration by J.R.R. Tolkien).
p. 716: Plan of Shelob's Lair (illustration by J.R.R. Tolkien).
p. 742: Cirith Ungol from the second stair (illustration by J.R.R. Tolkien).
p. 1032: The White Tree and stars (illustration by J.R.R. Tolkien).
Oversized leaf insert, loose: 'The West of Middle-earth at the End of the Third Age' (1980 Unfinished Tales map, emended 2004, red and black).
Oversized leaf insert, loose: Rohan, Gondor, and Mordor (1955 large-scale map, emended 2004, red and black).
Glassine envelope insert, loose: 'Leaves from the Book of Mazarbul' (three 1947 facsimiles, full colour).
Card insert, loose: 'The King's Letter' (facsimile, silver and black, with text notes on verso).

ISBN-10 0-00-847129-0.
ISBN-13 978-0-00-847129-3.

List price £150.

Purchased for £110.99 on 14 October 2021.

Quarter-bound hardcover: black paper-bound boards stamped with foil (red and gold Ring, Ring-inscription, and Eye of Sauron motif plus gold J.R.R. Tolkien signature on front, gold JRRT monogram on back); red leather spine with raised ribs, stamped with gold foil (JRRT monogram, J.R.R. Tolkien signature, title, 'Illustrated by the Author' designator, and publisher logo). Goldenrod endpapers; gilt page edges; red silk ribbon bookmark.

Matching slipcase has red paper-bound boards stamped with gold foil Ring and Ring-inscription motif (front) and gold JRRT monogram (back); front has circular die-cut hole to display Eye of Sauron from book's front board.

Tengwar letter ungwe ( ) and G-rune ( ) printed in red on p. 25.

None? (I jest, of course; but so far I haven't found any.)

Brief Glossary

In the catalogue entries on this page, I use some terms in senses approximating their traditional meanings in descriptive bibliography. These meanings don't always correspond to general usage, so to avoid confusion, I thought it best to spell out the definitions I use:

version

A specific authorial revision of a work's text, independent of editorial or typographical concerns. The Lord of the Rings has two versions: the original version included in the first edition of 1954–55 and the Ace Books pirate edition of 1965, and the 1965 revised version which incorporates a number of authorial changes and a new Foreword. (Many sources, not least Tolkien's new Foreword, refer to this revision as the 'second edition' or 'revised edition' in reference to its first UK appearance in Allen & Unwin's second edition of 1966, or as the '1965/1966 edition' in reference to its first US appearance in Ballantine's 1965 mass-market paperback edition and first UK appearance in the 1966 Allen & Unwin edition.)

Editorial emendations, such as the handful of alterations and many corrections made for the 2004 '50th Anniversary Edition' releases and the additional corrections made for the 2014 '60th Anniversary Edition' releases, are described as such and do not constitute new versions.

edition

A particular typeset rendition of a work, distinguished by authorial version and editorial emendations but also by typeface, layout, and pagination choices. In general, copies from the same edition share page references, though they may differ in minor respects if from different impressions. The Lord of the Rings has many, many editions, of which the 1954–5 first edition, 1965 authorised and revised Ballantine mass-market paperback edition, 1966 hardcover 'Revised Edition', 1994 reset edition, and 2004 reset and revised '50th Anniversary Edition' (and its 2005, 2014, and 2020 revisions) seem to appear most often in bibliographic discussion.

impression

A specific printing of an edition; the set of copies produced in a particular print run. Different impressions of the same edition represent substantially the same typeset rendition of the work itself, with the same typeface, layout, and pagination, but may incorporate minor textual or formatting emendations or altered presentation elements (such as cover art, copyright page details, and prefatory material).

References

Books

Hammond, Wayne G., and Christina Scull. The Lord of the Rings: A Reader's Companion. Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 27 December 2005 (paperback first revised edition, HarperCollins, 3 March 2008; '60th Anniversary Edition' hardcover second revised edition, HarperCollins, 19 June 2014).: The authors, noted Tolkien scholars who with Christopher Tolkien co-edited the '50th Anniversary Edition' releases of 2004, provide comprehensive annotations, including details of many textual differences in versions released in the period 1954–2002 and complete listings of their own emendations of 2004 and 2005.
Hammond, Wayne G., with the assistance of Douglas A. Anderson. J.R.R. Tolkien: A Descriptive Bibliography. Winchester: St Paul's Bibliographies; New Castle, Delaware: Oak Knoll Books, 1993; second impression, 2013.: The standard reference work, providing exhaustive detail on versions released up through mid-1992. Hammond and Christina Scull are preparing an updated version which will extend coverage to more recent releases.

Websites

Bibliography Defined: Online excerpt of Terry Belanger's 'Descriptive Bibliography' chapter from Book Collecting: A Modern Guide (ed. Jean Peters; New York and London: R. R. Bowker, 1977). A good source for bibliographical terminology.
TolkienBooks.net: An Illustrated Tolkien Bibliography: An extensive site devoted to documenting all known UK releases and related works.
TolkienBooks.us: An Illustrated U.S. Tolkien Bibliography: A sister site to TolkienBooks.net, with focus on US releases and related works.
Too Many Books and Not Enough: The Weblog of Wayne G. Hammond & Christina Scull: Many posts discuss textual and editorial issues. See in particular 'Lord of the Rings Comparison' for discussion of post-2004 corrections to the '50th Anniversary Edition' text.
Wayne & Christina: Website of Wayne G. Hammond and Christina Scull. Includes much useful information; see in particular the Addenda and Corrigenda to the 50th Anniversary Edition of The Lord of the Rings (2004‒5) article, which summarizes all post-2004 emendations made to the '50th Anniversary Edition' text.