Customer Reviews
Great Series 
2008-08-01
Read this when I was in High School, and wanted to pass it on to my neighbors daughter who loves to read...
Tolkien collection 2008-07-25
I used this collection for a college class and it worked great. It was in great condition for a great price.
A Classic 2008-07-21
This set is a true classic that everyone should read once and again & again! Anyone who loves lierature & adventureshould have it in their library!
Lord of the Rings Trilogy & The Hobbit 2008-05-28
Saw the movies, loved them. Read the first book, hard to follow but good. Glad I saw the movies first.
The source by which all other fantasy is judged.... 
2008-05-27
There isn't much that I could say about Tolkien's masterpiece that hasn't already been said, and while the movie's pacing was much stronger, one can't deny the power that these books have had over readers for all these years. Tolkien's wit and intelligence comes through brilliantly and he paints a vivid picture of heroism and adventure that no one has yet topped. While the first 100 or so pages are a bit to drudge through and the plot just stews, once you get past those pages, the rest of the read is worth the time. I would say that this work could easily rank among the few books that I have read that could be considered good literature. Tolkien's expertise of languages and education really shine in this trilogy and he manages to delve into characters and situations that were alluded to in The Hobbit. The adventure of Frodo and Samwise is long and arduous and readers will be greatly rewarded for sticking through the book when they reach Mt. Doom. The writing is superb and some of the scenes seem to jump right out of the book and into your living room. For anyone looking for an epic adventure of high fantasy, this is the trilogy for you!
Classics and a must read for any serious reader 2008-04-18
This four volume, deluxe paperback boxed set contains J.R.R. Tolkien's epic masterworks THE HOBBIT and the three volumes of THE LORD OF THE RINGS (THE FELLOWSHIP OF THE RING, THE TWO TOWERS, and THE RETURN OF THE KING) in their definitive text settings complete with maps and cover illustrations by the celebrated artist Alan Lee. In THE HOBBIT, Bilbo Baggins is whisked away from his comfortable, unambitious life in Hobbiton by the wizard Gandalf and a company of dwarves. He finds himself caught up in a plot to raid the treasure hoard of Smaug the Magnificent, a THE LORD OF THE RINGS tells of the great and dangerous quest undertaken by Frodo Baggins and the Fellowship of the Ring: Gandalf the wizard; the hobbits Merry, Pippin, and Sam; Gimli the dwarf; Legolas the elf; Boromir of Gondor; and a tall, mysterious stranger called Strider. J.R.R. Tolkien's three volume masterpiece is at once a classic myth and a modern fairy tale -- a story of high and heroic adventure set in the unforgettable landscape of Middle-Earth.
Fascinating! 2008-03-25
I never watched the films. Friends kept telling me too, but I just couldn't get into them. I decided to get the books and read them first. Luckily, I got a boxed set, so I can go from one to the other. I love the books!! The writing is so wonderful, it just pulls you into the story. You become almost like an unseen observer, traveling with the characters. I recommend this to anyone. A fascinating read!!
British version of 3-volume box set (red cloth) 2008-02-29
The photo Amazon provides for this set is misleading. It shows a book that is very tall and narrow, perhaps a ratio of 2.5:1. Look at the dimensions given in the publication data section and you will see that this is simply the UK/HarperCollins edition of a virtually identical boxed set offered by Houghton Mifflin in the US. Both sets have identical jackets and Alan Lee color illustrations, and the box/slipcase also is identical. They are both very nice books, bound in red cloth with gold foil stamping, crisply printed on coated matte paper. But the Amazon price for the Houghton Mifflin is $48-$50, while this import runs more than 3 times the price at $154. Do the math and choose the US edition (they are both printed and bound in the same print shop/bindery, and since they look identical, are identical, save for details on the copyright page, why pay more, unless you are a dedicated collector with deep pockets?).
Quality 2008-02-23
It is a good quality to read. There are friendship, responsibility, and adventure in this book.
Happy with product, but not exactly what I ordered 2008-02-09
I ordered this version of the box set (the one with the movie shots on the covers), but I received a different one, still very nice, but not the movie ones. Also, upon receipt of the product, the outer box was crushed. All of the books are still in great shape though. I still use the box though because it makes for a good book end.
