Lord of the Rings: Illustrated Edition
By JRR Tolkien
Mariner Books, 2021

The new one-volume hardcover edition of Lord of the Rings from HarperCollins is so opulent a thing that it practically needs to be seen to be believed; ironically or otherwise, it stands as a silent and curiously graceful commentary on the limits of what e-books can do.

The thing is lavishly ornate: a cloth bookmark ribbon, red-gilded pages onto which have been inscribed Tolkien Elvish letters, a hole cut in the dust jacket through which peers the baleful eye of Sauron, sewn rather than glued binding, two tipped-in maps, and, as the main selling point, all the illustrations Tolkien himself made for has masterpiece. The combination of all these elements creates an absolutely stunning edition (HMH simultaneously produced an even more elaborate edition in quarter-leather with a slipcase - a limited-print version that was instantly out of stock and intensely collectible.)

The thing is almost compulsively addictive. Like the One Ring, it compels touching, caressing, and endless, bitter glares from all those battered, trusted and much-thumbed older editions already sitting on the shelves, patiently waiting to be taken up again. This opulent new version has an extensive index, red font for chapter titles, those folded maps, and of course all of Tolkien’s illustrations. 

Those illustrations have been superseded in both art and aggression, almost since the first moment Lord of the Rings caught the public imagination. Illustrators from the brothers Hildebrandt (surely another illustrated edition just waiting to be assembled?) to Alan Lee (the previous artist for an HMH illustrated volume) have clothed the author’s visions in far more detailed and vibrant lines and colors. But this gorgeous new volume gambles correctly on the sheer visceral pleasure of seeing “Illustrated by the author” on the title page. 

It must be admitted that fans of the book may find this illustrated volume too grand a thing for casual thumbing and pawing. The off-white dust jacket might pick up finger-smudges, those Elvish letters on the inner edge may blur, and that die-cut of Sauron’s eye may fold or tear - the fate of all printed books, but such little affronts feel unbearable to so lovely a spectacle. But those fans will likely still want to have this volume, by far the most attractive edition of Lord of the Rings ever produced. It’s difficult to imagine how HarperCollins will top this production for the book’s 60th birthday, in 2028 - better start saving up now.

—Steve Donoghue is a founding editor of Open Letters Monthly. His book criticism has appeared in The Washington Post, The American Conservative, The Spectator, The Wall Street Journal, The National, and the Daily Star. He writes regularly for The Boston Globe, the Vineyard Gazette, and the Christian Science Monitor. He’s a books columnist for the Bedford Times Press and the Books editor of Big Canoe News in Georgia, and his website is http://www.stevedonoghue.com.