In addition, there will be further releases during 2021 including a 4K UHD “Middle-earth” Ultimate Collectors’ Edition featuring the theatrical and extended versions of all six films, along with new bonus content, previously released Blu-ray discs of The Hobbit Trilogy and remastered Blu-ray discs of The Lord of the Rings Trilogy. This is scheduled for release in the summer of 2021. Of the reprints, most are from the original Tales of Middle-earth set. However, the Realms and Relics cards and the Brothers Hildebrandt cards are all reprints of other Magic cards with Lord of the Rings-themed artwork. What Are the Showcase Scrolls of Middle-earth Cards? Editorial emendations, such as the handful of alterations and many corrections made for the 2004 ‘50th Anniversary Edition’ releases and the additional corrections made for the 2014 ‘60th Anniversary Edition’ releases, are described as such and do not constitute new versions. Facing pp. 26, 46, 98, 116, 152, 216, 280, 296, 300, 336, 392, 458, 528, 554, 704, 710, 750, 794, 898, 918, 942, and 950: illustrations by J.R.R. Tolkien. p. 1157: Index entry for ‘Gardner, Frodo’: Should be cross-reference: ‘ see Gamgee, Frodo (Frodo Gardner)’.

Facing pp. 428, 462, 474, 492, 508, 538, 552, 574, 616, 634, 648, 662, 680, 712, 726, and 742: colour illustrations by Alan Lee. Cover art by Alan Lee, depicting Rivendell on The Fellowship of the Ring, Orthanc on The Two Towers, and Minas Tirith on The Return of the King. Prefatory material includes ‘Note on the Text’ (emended 1993) by Douglas A. Anderson.The Two Towers: 354 pp. (i–xiv prefatory; 409–744 text; 4 pp. addenda) plus 16 colour plates (see Maps & Illustrations, below). Prefatory material includes ‘Note on the Illustrations’ by Hammond and Scull (excerpted from The Art of the Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien), omits ‘Note on the Text’ by Douglas A. Anderson and ‘Note on the 50th Anniversary Edition’ by Hammond and Scull. HarperCollins reset edition, 2014 (which appears to be an emendation of the reset edition of 2004). This edition is based on the 50th anniversary edition published 2005, which is a revised edition of the reset edition first published 2002. Prefatory material includes ‘Note on the Text’ (emended 2004), by Douglas A. Anderson, and ‘Note on the 50th Anniversary Edition’ by Hammond and Scull.

After looking at this new release, there doesn’t really seem to be a lot to it. It feels more to me like Wizards had too many ideas for Lord of the Rings card treatments to squeeze into a single set, so they made a new one specifically for the Brothers Hildebrandt and poster cards. The inclusion of new serialized cards seems less like an exciting opportunity than a cynical method to get players to fork over cash for the same cards they bought a few months ago. That said, I do like the design of the poster cards and the Brothers Hildebrandt art is all fantastic as is to be expected from them, but I’d advise buying the ones you want as singles. There are also some surge foil versions of specific extended-art cards from the original set that can only be found in the Special Edition. Finally, the Special Edition contains the 29 new-to-Magic cards from the Scene Boxes and Tales of Middle-earth Jumpstart Volume 2. Are LotR Special Edition Collector Boosters Worth Buying?There are a few main differences between the original run of Collector Boosters from Tales of Middle-earth and the new Special Edition Collector Boosters. One is that you can’t find the original treatments of any Tales of Middle-earth cards in the Special Edition, only the showcase Scrolls of Middle-earth versions. Special Edition Collector Boosters are also the only place to find poster cards and Brothers Hildebrandt cards. Matching slipcase has burgundy paper-bound boards stamped with gold foil Ring and Ring-inscription; front has circular die-cut hole to display Eye of Sauron from book’s front cover. Hardcover (228 mm × 149 mm); single volume with slipcase, 1200 pp. (i–xx prefatory; 1–1178 text; 2 p. addenda) plus inserts and plates (see Maps, Illustrations, & Facsimiles below). Hardcover (229 mm × 154 mm); single volume with slipcase, 1184 pp. (i–xxvi prefatory; 1–1157 text; 1 p. addendum). Does not include ‘Note on the Text’ by Douglas A. Anderson, unlike most releases of the 1994 HarperCollins edition.

HarperCollins illustrated hardcover edition, 2020. (See Notes, below, for discussion of similarities between this edition and the emended 2014 three-volume edition.) The Fellowship of the Ring: 426 pp. (i–xiv prefatory; 1–408 text; 4 pp. addenda) plus 19 colour plates (see Maps & Illustrations, below).Large-scale map of Rohan, Gondor, and Mordor omits 2004 emendations (correction of Kiril→ Ciril, Kelos→ Celos, and Kirith Ungol→ Cirith Ungol to match text). Translucent plastic slipcase with white text on front cover (author, title, illustrator credit) and rear cover (advertising copy), blue text and images on spine (JRRT monogram, author, title, Ring with inscription, volume titles, publisher logo). p. 1150: Index entry for ‘Desolation of the Morannon’: Missing citations for pp. 619, 631, 648, 887.