The Tolkien Illustrated Editions of Lord of the Rings, The Hobbit, and The Silmarillion have become fan favorites over the past few years. This week, Tolkien fans who opted for the Deluxe Special Editions of Lord of the Rings and The Silmarillion can finally complete their collection with The Hobbit Deluxe Tolkien Illustrated: Special Edition. Releasing October 22, this premium new version of The Hobbit carries a retail price of $195, but Amazon is offering a steep launch discount that drops the price by 33%, all the way down to $131.51.
The Hobbit Deluxe Illustrated: Special Edition
This Special Edition has numerous unique features not found in the (very nice) standard edition published by William Morrow in 2023. You’ll get two fold-out, poster-sized maps of Thror’s Map and the Wilderland, an 88-page illustrated booklet, an art card reproduction of the painting Tolkien made for The Hobbit’s original dust jacket, a redesigned cover with a premium binding, and a clothbound slipcase to protect your expensive book. The ribbed binding around the spine is made of green leather, while the rest is black cloth board with foil-stamped cover art and text. The standard edition has blue stained edges, but the Special Edition switches to gold page edges, adding to the luxurious aesthetic.
The text and illustrations inside the book match the standard edition, though the larger Special Edition only needs 384 pages to tell the full prelude to The Hobbit, whereas the original is 432 pages. The Hobbit Illustrated is unique because it features over drawings, sketches, full-color paintings, and maps by Tolkien himself. It features the complete original text printed in both red and black. Both editions come with ribbon bookmarks, and the standard edition also has smaller fold-out maps of the Wilderland and Thror’s Map.
Not just a reprint of The Hobbit on premium paper, this edition also includes over 50 sketches, drawings, paintings, and maps by Tolkien himself. Additionally, there are two poster-sized fold-out maps that reveal all the details of Thror’s Map and the Wilderland, an illustrated 88-page booklet, and a printed art card that reproduces Tolkien’s original dustjacket painting. The book itself is bound in green leather, has raised ribs on the spine, stamped-in foils on black cloth boards, and is housed in a custom-built clothbound slipcase. as an added touch, the pages are edged in gold and include a ribbon marker.
If you’re new to the Tolkien Illustrated Editions, you can also get The Lord of the Rings and The Silmarillion in standard hardcover and Deluxe Special Editions. We put together a list of all six Tolkien Illustrated Editions below. Note: The Lord of the Rings Illustrated includes all three volumes: Fellowship of the Ring, Two Towers, and Return of the King.
Tolkien Illustrated Editions
It’s worth noting that Target is also running a Buy One, Get One 50% Off deal on the standard versions of the illustrated edition books, provided that you’re a member of its free Target Circle rewards program.
Amazon also has deals on the recently released Lord of the Rings Collector’s Editions. These budget-friendly versions of the three volumes of The Lord of the Rings, The Hobbit, and The Silmarillion have gorgeous designs. A box set version of The Lord of the Rings Collector’s Edition is currently exclusive to Target and has a special $84 price. On November 5, the set will be available at other retailers, including Amazon, but it carries a higher price.
The Lord of the Rings Collector’s Editions
The Lord of the Rings Deluxe Illustrated Box Set–a premium three-volume set updated from the 1992 edition illustrated by Alan Lee–released earlier this month and is on sale for its lowest price yet. You can also get the newly released Collected Poems of J.R.R. Tolkien 3-Volume Box Set for its best price yet. And while it’s not new, The Complete History of Middle-earth is back in stock at Amazon. It was on sale for $110 during Prime Big Deal Days, but even at $139, you’re still getting a staggering 5,440 pages of reading material.
The Lord of the Rings, The Hobbit, and Middle-earth Books Galore
To help you navigate the many, many editions of J.R.R. Tolkien’s books, we put together a custom Amazon hub filled with notable collector’s editions and box sets of the author’s beloved fantasy novels, The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit, as well as the complementary tomes that provide fascinating insight on Middle-earth.
