Packaged in a beautifully designed slip-case gift box, The set gathers for the first time both The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings in audio format. These are the original American dramatizations as broadcast on public radio. The packaging features original art from John Howe, renowned Tolkien illustrator and conceptual artist for the Peter Jackson film trilogy.
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Editorial Reviews
Amazon.com Review
Hobbits and wizards and Sauron--oh, my! Mild-mannered Oxford scholar John Ronald Reuel Tolkien had little inkling when he published The Hobbit; Or, There and Back Again in 1937 that, once hobbits were unleashed upon the world, there would be no turning back. Hobbits are, of course, small, furry creatures who love nothing better than a leisurely life quite free from adventure. But in that first novel and the Lord of the Rings trilogy, the hobbits Bilbo and Frodo and their elfish friends get swept up into a mighty conflict with the dragon Smaug, the dark lord Sauron (who owes much to proud Satan in Paradise Lost), the monstrous Gollum, the Cracks of Doom, and the awful power of the magical Ring. The four books' characters--good and evil--are recognizably human, and the realism is deepened by the magnificent detail of the vast parallel world Tolkien devised, inspired partly by his influential Anglo-Saxon scholarship and his Christian beliefs. (He disapproved of the relative sparseness of detail in the comparable allegorical fantasy his friend C.S. Lewis dreamed up in The Chronicles of Narnia, though he knew Lewis had spun a page-turning yarn.) It has been estimated that one-tenth of all paperbacks sold can trace their ancestry to J.R.R. Tolkien. But even if we had never gotten Robert Jordan's The Path of Daggers and the whole fantasy genre Tolkien inadvertently created by bringing the hobbits so richly to life, Tolkien's epic about the Ring would have left our world enhanced by enchantment. --Tim Appelo
--This text refers to the
Paperback
edition.
Review
“ . . . spirited productions . . . stirring music . . .”
—The Washington Post (The Washington Post )
“This collection . . . is a masterpiece.”
—The Courier (The Courier )
—The Washington Post (The Washington Post )
“This collection . . . is a masterpiece.”
—The Courier (The Courier )
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More About the Author
J.R.R. Tolkien (1892.1973), beloved throughout the world as the creator of The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings, was a professor of Anglo-Saxon at Oxford, a fellow of Pembroke College, and a fellow of Merton College until his retirement in 1959. His chief interest was the linguistic aspects of the early English written tradition, but even as he studied these classics he was creating a set of his own.
Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
657 of 689 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
Everyone knows the Hobbit and the Lord of the Rings are wonderful stories, and I fully agree. The reason for my bad rating of this PARTICULAR edition of JRR Tolkien's works is that the books are riddled with typographical errors, some so severe that they change the meaning of sentences, effectively reversing the author's intent. One example: "The Breelanders locked their doors at night, which was also not unusual in the Shire." The word "unusual" should have been "usual"--i.e., the Shire Hobbits don't usually lock their doors at night. But exactly the opposite idea is conveyed by this typographical error! And there are many more errors where that one came from. I counted THREE errors on ONE PAGE! AVOID THIS EDITION at all costs!
675 of 718 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
As someone else mentioned, we all know the Lord of the Rings to be by the far one of the greatest works of writing of the 20th century. It is all a game we play with Tolkien, for he too took it much more seriously then any other Fantasy of Science Fiction writer ever has. He made up languages that existed in relationship to languages and dialects that we have in english, and thus created a nightmare for Translators. He told stories of all sorts of perils of creation, and made sure everything was done right. Thus, when an edition like this comes out, it is truly painful. For one, originally, Tolkien created some of the most beautiful maps of Middle Earth, spending time making sure that all of the proportions were accurate. He didn't just jumble down some lines for the coast line, for example. He spent many hours making sure everything was proportinate and made sense. However, sometime after 1988, Ballantine started to release editions of the triliogy with completely new maps, all signed by some Shelly Shapiro. In either case, these new maps were plauged with problems, from being too cartoony and unproportinate to having names of locations from the original maps done away with. The maps, from the very beginning, have been essential to the LoTR books, and having cheap maps made is annoying beyond belief. It shows a sign of disrespect from the editors. To me, it says, "People won't notice anyway. Lets make a smaller sized book with less detailed maps and save some money." If you truly want to expierience this epic (or history, more accurately) as Tolkien envisioned it (not some editor at Ballantine), spend some extra cash and either get a different edition or buy a good map (there is currently an excellent one made by Christopher Tolkien, which is much larger and detailed). Of course, were the map adequate, this edition still suffers from annoying miscopies and misprints and so on. Don't sell out for cheap editions. You've been warned.
205 of 221 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
I got this very boxed set the other day and The Hobbit fell apart on first reading. The cover just peeled right off as I read through! Boo to the publisher (Ballantine Books, NY) for messing up a classic of literature. Worse, I found spelling errors too... needless to say I got a refund and will get myself the Deluxe Edition.
Most Recent Customer Reviews
Lightweight
This is an adaptation of the books for radio and so is very highly abridged. What is there is okay, you get the gist of the stories, but it is a very lightweight version. Read more
Published 15 days ago by Roamer
lord of the rings and hobbit
service from your company was just great. My wife and I have enjoyed listening to the cd's so much that we have llist3ened to them at least 5 times. Thanks John and Andrea D.
Published 1 month ago by bandaid
My favorite books ever.
I have read the Trilogy over nine times in the last 20 years. I love the characters, the history of Middle Earth and the elves, the action, the magic, everything about these... Read more
Published 1 month ago by Traveler
The Hobbit is one of my favorite books, but...
I've been dying to get my hands on an affordable set of these books for quite a while now. I read them back in high school after watching the movies (which are also very good) and... Read more
Published 1 month ago by Kayari of Midnight
Wonderful Story!
The Lord Of The Rings is a wonderful story!
It is exciting, moving, witty, clever, and
well written. Read more
It is exciting, moving, witty, clever, and
well written. Read more
Published 3 months ago by Steve M.
Given as a gift.
The receiver was really happy to get this item and it came in great condition as stated. Anyone who loves these series won't be disappointed.
Published 3 months ago by helen strauss
ISBN information
I wish to aid future buyers with the following information. I purchased the boxed set ISBN 0345340426 (which included The Fellowship of the Ring ISBN 0345339703), and I can confirm... Read more
Published 3 months ago by Andras Bucsinszky
Masterpiece
SPOILER FREE. What more can one call Tolkien's epic tale of middle earth. It is the most moving, fascinating, and inspirational book I have ever read. The characters are great. Read more
Published 4 months ago by Rob
A Great Purchase
This is not a review of the books themselves. Though I will state that they are epics that will be read hundreds of years from now as their story is timeless and breathtaking. Read more
Published 4 months ago by Rebecca Graf
Audio book review, well done and a great value.
This set is excellent for those who find themselves busy with other tasks requiring there hands and yet wish to read these masterworks of Fantasy. Read more
Published 4 months ago by Troy Simmons
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