Category: Uncategorized

I am back with a small rundown of some of the best collector’s editions of Tolkien’s books that I’ve seen. This is by no means a comprehensive list; merely a few. All prices from Amazon in CAD.

2021 Super Deluxe Edition. LotR: $246, Silmarillion: $132, Hobbit: $200. This edition comes in red, blue, and green respectively with a slip-case and reproductions of the art drawn by Tolkien himself. The LotR also comes with the pages of the Book of Mazarbul and the King’s Letter. This is likely one of the most expensive (and most amazing) editions ever printed.

2021 Basic Deluxe Edition. LotR: $90, Silmarillion $90, Hobbit $75. This edition is my choice; it sits on my shelf in the place of honour as I write. The gilding is red, blue, and green respectively with white tengwar characters spelling out the ring inscription, Valinorean characters, and dwarvish runes respectively. Tolkien’s illustration, and maps. At a (relatively) reasonable price, this edition can be read without fear of destroying it, is quite robust, and even comes in a beautiful box with the Gates of Durin on it (LotR only).

LotR 50th Anniversary Edition: $250. This book is just standard beautiful. It has no bling, or fancy advertising, or tengwar gilding, slipcase, etc, but it has a natural beauty that makes it perfect for reading the book rather than have it sit on your shelf. This would 100% be my first choice, if I had that kind of money to spend on a book.

LotR 2004 50th Anniversary Deluxe Edition: $400. No, that wasn’t a typo. Four hundred bucks for this purple-and-white, slipcased edition. The case has a hole to reveal the eye on the cover, which is surrounded by tengwar and other decorations. This is the ultimate collector’s piece; once you have it, there is nothing greater to obtain. But $400 is a bit steep, and it’s hard to come by after 20 years since printing. It certainly isn’t getting cheaper.

These are so far my favourites, if I find something better I’ll be sure to let you know. Remember these are just the most popular single-volume editions; plenty of 3-volume editions are also wonderful, I just prefer the single-volume because it reminds you that Lord of the Rings is not, in fact, a trilogy.

I will be getting back on track with regular articles soon. I have one in the works about the current craze of the sci-fi world, Denis Villeneuve’s adaptation of Frank Herbert’s Dune… Stay tuned

I am, in fact, alive! I have not forsaken you!

There is an interesting quote from Gandalf in the Mines of Moria that I would like to address:

“Far, far below the deepest delving of the Dwarves, the world is gnawed by nameless things. Even Sauron knows them not. They are older than he. Now I have walked there, but I will bring no report to darken the light of day.“

Well, Sauron is a Maia, one of the Ainur who came to Arda at the beginning of the world. There is but one who is older than he, and that is Eru Illuvatar himself, AKA God. So, how can there be nameless things in Arda that are older than the oldest being in Arda?!?!

Well, the answer is, nobody knows. But since when has that stopped us? In Riddles of the Dark, some such creatures were described to be ‘slimier than fish’, but there is no distinct or obvious connection here. But yet again, since when has that stopped us?

Some of you may recall the strange Sea Beast in the Amazon production, in the episode where Galadriel met Halbrand. The ship from Numenor saved them from it, but what was it? It was, in fact, a nameless thing, but was it Gandalf’s nameless thing?

It seems the Balrog knew these tunnels very well, but it also seemed that they were empty. Is it possible that such being died out before the coming of the Children of Illuvatar? What could these things be?

Well, I know I’ve given more questions than answers, but I guess this can join Tom Bombadil on the Unanswerable Questions list. Food for thought. Give me your ideas in the comments

One of the most frequently asked questions in the Tolkien fandom is, how did the Ents come to be? The Eldar and Edain (Elves and Men) were created by Illuvatar, AKA God, and the dwarves were created by the Vala Aule in secret, but when were the Ents made? The answer is found in the Silmarillion, Of Aule and Yavanna.

After the dwarves had beeen made but before the Children of Illuvatar had come to Arda, Yavanna began to fear for the kelvar and olvar (plants and animals), that the Children of Illuvatar would slay them without pity. So she went to Manwe, king of the Valar, who spoke to Illuvatar. And Illuvatar heard Yavanna’s prayers, and told her that when the Elves are in their prime, and Men are yet young, trees would awaken, and be shepherds of the forest. And to Manwe was promised that there would be great Eagles to roam the skies, and to aid the Free Peoples of Middle earth when the need was most dire.

The Ents and Eagles are one and the same, simply different in form. They are not Maiar, though may be a lesser form of Ainu, though this cannot be confirmed. They are spirits subservient to the Ainur, and dwell amongst the Free Peoples, if only in isolation.

I’m sorry today’s article was quite short, but a lot of people have been asking me about this, so I thought I’d clear it up. I’ll be back with something long soon, maybe an essay on allegory?

As promised, I’m adding some new categories. The first is Random LotR Fact That Just Popped Into My Head This Morning, or LotR Fact. It’s very straightforward.

Next is Rings of Power. I have recently begun to watch the new Amazon LotR show, Rings of Power, and every week or so I’ll be giving out my opinion on certain episodes, in regards to faithfulness to the lore.

That’s all for now, but there will be more soon, hopefully.