Middle-earth is much broader than the stories of The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit. While Frodo, Gandalf, Samwise, Bilbo, and Gollum may be the most familiar faces to fans of Middle-earth, JRR Tolkien masterfully constructed his fantasy world with stunning detail and lore—all of it You can explore the Middle-earth series in History. A History of Middle-earth was compiled and edited by Tolkien’s son, Christopher Tolkien, based on Tolkien’s manuscripts and notes, and was originally published in the 1980s and 1990s. The most famous entry in the series is The Silmarillion, which is one of the source materials for Prime Video’s Ring of Power. Like all Tolkien books, it has been reprinted numerous times, including a gorgeous new 2024 edition and a massive three-book set containing all 12 volumes.
if you want to read A complete history of Middle-earththe best option right now is the 2020 hardcover set. Originally priced at $250, the collection is now on sale for $111.62 as part of Amazon’s early Prime Big Deal Days promotion. This low-profile set (shown below) will likely become the largest set in your home library. The three high-quality hardcover volumes total 5,440 pages, an average of 1,813 pages per book. For comparison, Lord of the Rings Deluxe EditionDiscounted price is 50%, “only” 1,216 pages.
If reading an 1,800-page book sounds a little too bulky but you still want the hardcover, a 2024 edition is also available. The new edition, which comes in four box sets, takes the complete opposite approach with its design, replacing the “serious” look with beautifully illustrated cover art that really stands out compared to the many minimalist editions of Tolkien’s works. . For this series, publisher William Morrow divided the series into 15 volumes.
Although all four sets are on sale, the first two are significantly cheaper than the third and fourth sets released in August and September. As shown below, each book comes with a double-sided dust jacket if you want a more uniform look.
The History of Middle-earth Sets (2024)
The History of Middle-earth Set 1 contains The Silmarillion, The Unfinished Tales, The Book of Lost Tales Part One, and The Book of Lost Tales Part Two. All in all, that’s over 1,500 pages of Tolkien’s brilliance. The Silmarillion and Unfinished Tales may be of particular interest to Tolkien fans, as these new special editions contain the original printed first edition text of each book.
The History of Middle-earth Set 2 includes The Land of Beleriand, The Making of Middle-earth, and The Lost Road. Amazon has discounted the book to an all-time low of just $50, but since it only comes with three books, each book costs a similar amount to the first set.
The third box set has four books: The Return of the Shadow, The Betrayal of Isengard, The Lord of the Rings, and The Defeat of Sauron. The fourth and final set includes Morgoth’s Ring, War of the Gems, People of Middle-earth, and Index to the History of Middle-earth. The Index is a valuable reference book covering the entire series. If you decide to read the entire series, it’s best to save it. A History of Middle-earth is a time-consuming undertaking, extremely ambitious in scope and written in a variety of genres.
The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit are considered timeless classics in the fantasy genre for many reasons, including Tolkien’s brilliant world-building. These books show fans how Middle-earth came to be.
As mentioned before, The Silmarillion is the most famous first volume in the series. If you’d like to read The Silmarillion on its own before purchasing the set, you have a number of great options, including an affordable hardcover collector’s edition released in August.
The Silmarillion Collector’s Edition is on sale ahead of the Prime Big Deal for $24.50 (regularly $35). This is the cheapest of the five new Tolkien collector’s editions. Companion hardcover books for The Hobbit, The Lord of the Rings, The Two Towers and The Return of the King are also available at discounted prices. These hardcover editions have stains around the edges and foil on the cover – they look more expensive than they are.
Side note: The Lord of the Rings Deluxe Illustrated Bundle was released on October 1, and Amazon has reduced the price to $245 (originally $325). For more details about this stunning three-volume set, check out our story here.
New editions of The Silmarillion, The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit
The Silmarillion – Tolkien Illustration Series
Over the past few years, unique new editions of three of Tolkien’s most popular books have been added to the ever-growing list of options for Tolkien fans. The Tolkien Illustrations Series includes illustrations that Tolkien drew while drafting The Lord of the Rings, The Hobbit, and The Silmarillion.
It’s worth mentioning that Amazon’s other Prime Big Deal Days book box set deals offer an inexpensive way to start reading about the history of Middle-earth. Tolkien fantasy story set It is a set of four books, including “The Silmarillion”, “Unfinished Stories”, “Sir Gawain and the Green Knight” and “The Tolkien Reader”. Only The Silmarillion is part of the 12-volume series, but it’s a great sampler platter of Tolkien’s works that isn’t titled The Lord of the Rings or The Hobbit. You can get the four-book collection for just $15.33. So cheap, the discount covers the entire cost Lord of the Rings Deluxe Edition or The four-book collection The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit (Both are also discounted).
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