J.R.R. Tolkien's epic trilogy remains the ultimate quest, the ultimate battle between good and evil, the ultimate chronicle of stewardship of the earth. Endlessly imitated, it has never been surpassed." Kansas City Star

The Lord of the Rings tells of the great quest undertaken by Frodo 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.In addition I also read that when comparing the books people are talking mostly of the first copies printed. Can anyone let me know what the quality is between the two editions available today? The text of The Lord of the Rings has been revised and corrected multiple times throughout its several publications and editions, but new errors, mainly typographical, always have been introduced, especially after each resetting of type; [1] notable cases were when the printer reset the metal types of The Fellowship of the Ring soon after its publication, and in 1994 when HarperCollins digitized the text. [2] New errors are introduced Includes the 50th anniversary fully corrected text setting and an extensive new index"An extraordinary work -- pure excitement." -- New York Times Book ReviewOne Ring to rule them all, One Ring to find them, One Ring to bring them all and in the darkness bind them

Supervised by Christopher Tolkien, and based on the latest compared text, the couple made fixes to typographical errors and mistakes, and corrections to the text when it was certain that the latest text reflected Tolkien's preference. Whenever those were clear, spelling and capitalization were regularized. More substantial textual mistakes (see below) were conservatively considered by case. [4] Christopher Tolkien was positive in "getting rid" of such inconsistencies that distract observant readers, pointing out that were his father notified about them, he would immediately correct them. [1] Now another big factor is whether to get hardcovers of the three books or go for a 3-in-1 edition. I know LOTR was intended to be seen as one work/book (I know, there's debate) but I'm trying to think practically. While it might be even more impressive to have them all in one, nice volume, that could also prove unweildly or uncomfortable for reading and bringing places, and I know my sister travels with books on her person all the time when she's reading one. So I believe I've narrowed down a good selection of options, but if you could give some advice on which one is best, other options I hadn't considered, etc, it would be very much appreciated! While I am willing to 'shell out' please also consider that I would not like to get anything criminally expensive, and value should be factored as well!

A work of immense narrative power that can sweep the reader up and hold him enthralled for days and weeks.” The Nation This new edition includes the fiftieth-anniversary fully corrected text setting and, for the first time, an extensive new index.

This special 50th anniversary edition includes three volumes of The Lord of the Rings (The Fellowship of the Ring, The Two Towers, and The Return of the King), along with an extensive new index—a must-own tome for old and new Tolkien readers alike. Since it was first published in 1954, The Lord of the Rings has been a book people have treasured. Steeped in unrivalled magic and otherworldliness, its sweeping fantasy and epic adventure has touched the hearts of young and old alike. Over 100 million copies of its many editions have been sold around the world, and occasional collectors' editions become prized and valuable items of publishing.Wayne Hammond and Christina Scull for many years also studied and compared the texts and their inconsistencies. Consulting the abovementioned works, along with their own examination of the Marquette manuscripts, the Allen and Unwin archive, unpublished correspondence between Tolkien and Allen & Unwin, and of course volumes 6-9 of The History of Middle-earth, they had compiled "an exhaustive and up to date catalogue" of errors, corrections and their emendations throughout the publication's history. An extraordinary work -- pure excitement." -- New York Times Book ReviewOne Ring to rule them all, One Ring to find them, One Ring to bring them all and in the darkness bind them A unique, wholly realized other world, evoked from deep in the well of Time, massively detailed, absorbingly entertaining, profound in meaning." The New York Times —