The Lord Of The Rings 50Th Anniv.

What a print! We all know what Lord of The Rings is, but what a print this copy is! Worthy of the material it carries... And that's saying something.

This is the best single volume edition of The Lord of the Rings period! The dust jacket features Tolkein's beautiful artwork, with a hole in the centre encircling The Eye of Sauron printed on the actual cover itself. Speaking of, the complete balck cover provides very nice contrast to the title printed in red and gold letteing on the spine. Seriously, this book looks better on the shelf with the dust jacket off.You'll also find the One Ring verse written on the page edges which are painted red. It's truly a delight to beholdInside you'll get two well illustrated maps, one of Middle Earth and the other of Gondor, Rohan and Mordor. And of course throughout this volume you'll see illustrations of Tolkein himlsef, giving a glimpse of how he saw this world he created in his mind's eye.Quality of the pages is excellent. Words are well spaced. No complaints here.I can't say anything that hasn't already been said about the contents in the pages ; The Lord of The Rings has already left it's mark on the history of literature, bringing fantasy to life like non that did before.All in all, I find this the best illustrated volume of LoTR. The price is justified. Perfect for fans and even for newcomers who'd like to have the three volumes in a single place -just as the author intended.

I'm not talking about the contents of the book. The Lord Of The Rings is undoubtedly one of the most epic and beloved saga of all time. And this edition of the great literary masterpiece of Tolkien is darn pretty and in itself a well worthed collectable piece. My complaint however is concerned with how my package was handled before it got delivered to me. First three pages had a small tear and the top left corner of the dust jacket was also slightly damaged. If I'm paying two and a half thousand rupees behind a book, it's got to be special for me, but it doesn't help when it has got wears and tears due to bad handling.

[Update on 25/06/15]- I've finished reading the book, and it's a wonderful read, truly a masterpiece! Here are some further details on this book/edition :- in a way I'm answering some of the queries I had myself after viewing this book here, prior to purchasing it. The product description was quite accurate- I received the same book shown here. Trivialities aside- This front and back covers fold out as the two maps drawn by Tolkien. It also has the single page 'Map of the Shire' inside, and the few other inner illustrations- such as the engraving upon the doors of the Mines of Moria, the lettering on the Ring in the Elven script etc; in addition to several appendices, including Runes and writing systems, background information, and family trees, all originally part of the book. I really do recommend this edition. On the other hand, besides that the quality of the type leaves a little something here and there to be desired, as all three parts of this epic novel are in a single book, the book is really very thick!..too thick for holding comfortably while reading. This is one huge book! (Because of this, I'd say a three-book boxed set of The Rings would be easier on the arms and make the reading more comfortable.) Also, because of the thickness, the pages may come apart after some reasonable wear. The magnificent spine looks great on my bookshelf, though! Great edition as a general reading copy or otherwise.

Arrived as promised. So, my nephew was able to carry it with him on his way back home.

I have read a dozen or so paperbacks at this point and none of them quite well made. The pages open happily and the typesetting is quite good, kudos to who ever had the idea of using monotype plantin as the font (some people have issues regarding font size, but I find book very comfortable to read. I find bigger font sizes a bit juvenile). Above all the paper has quite good texture making the book inviting to read. Caveat : the 3 in 1 combined edition with red cover (one I have), is quite bulky, not heavy - bulky. So if you like reading your books sleeping or some way you require to hold it up, I'd suggest to go with the edition where the books are split.As for the literary stuff and the plot etc, I cannot comment; all I would like to say is I love reading it. I find excuse to stop whatever I'm doing and start reading this book, yes it is that good. There are quite a few difficult words for which you'd like to have a dictionary by your side. I find the Tolkien's picturization quite vivid and detailed. All in all I'd like to say the hype surrounding this book is true, so very true.I'm completely sold on Tolkien's middle earth. I'll re-read this book for sure and definitely looking forward to reading other works concerning the middle earth

This is not about the story itself, but about the book; it arrived in a good package without any damages. The binding, font and presentation are all good.