The Lord of the Rings (1954)

A great edition of the monumental work by Tolkien. Excellent illustrations by Alan Lee. A must have in every collection ( )

This could have been a fantastic book. But that would have required a more concise writing style. I think I personally experienced every year of the journey. ( )

A phenomenal work and one that I could hardly do justice to with a review. Lord of the Rings is the sort of book that will last for ages to come and it's characters and stories should be passed on from generation to generation. ( )

This has always been one of my favorite books and along with The Hobbit is one of the books that introduced me to the wonderful world of fantasy writing. Tolkien's world is immersive and his descriptions of the history of Middle Earth are always interesting. I am on somewhere around my 25th reading of this book and still find something new every time I read it. ( )

This deluxe edition of The Lord of the Rings combines all three volumes that Houghton Mifflin Harcourt usually published as paperbacks into a single volume bound in simulated vellum. Tolkien's work stands on its own as a masterpiece of epic fantasy, unparalleled even to this day, so I need not write what others have written before, though new readers will undoubtedly enjoy the ease with which they may flip between the appendices and the story in this edition.
As to construction, the binding is fairly durable, though not as flexible as I'd prefer. Unfortunately, the maps at the end are reprinted in black-and-white rather than black-white-and-red like in earlier editions. That's really a nitpick, though. The cover illustration is the same as the latest Houghton Mifflin Harcourt paperback of Fellowship of the Ring, though with the yellow rings picked out in gold paint.
Those looking to read The Lord of the Rings for the first time will find this a welcoming volume while long-time fans will surely love adding such a lovely edition of this beloved work to their book collections. ( )