The Complete History of Middle-earth: An Epic Fantasy Collection of Myth and Lore

Amazing, exactly as described, thanks

If you really love Tolkien, The Complete History of Middle-earth is an absolutely essential purchase. It contains an astonishing wealth of material about JRRT's legendarium that no fan of the great man's should miss. But which edition to buy isn't an easy question. As of October 2023, you can get three fat hardcover books in a slip-case, a deluxe version of the same, or a set of thirteen basic-grade paperbacks that include an index volume and feature spectacular covers with paintings by John Howe. (HarperCollins used to offer print-on-demand hardback versions of the Complete History's first editions, but that option has been discontinued.) Until now, my preference has been for the deluxe collection. Its paper is as thin as a Bible's, but of excellent quality, and I appreciated its reasonable pricing and the modest demands that it made on my shelf space. But a new edition that will be appearing in stages in 2023 and 2024 looks likely to be even better. Appearing in four box sets, the latest version of the History will include not just the supplementary index volume but also reprints of the first editions of The Silmarillion and Unfinished Tales—newer editions of the latter titles have revised pagination that's frustrating for readers who want to follow up on Christopher Tolkien's references. Each book will have a reversible cover, with one side reproducing the History's traditional livery and the other using John Howe's artwork from the paperbacks. The new edition will be uniform with the latest box set of hardcover versions of The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings illustrated by Alan Lee—which is extremely encouraging, as those books use exceptionally thick, high quality paper that's completely free from the transparency issues that marred the 50th anniversary edition of The Lord. To sum up, the 15 volumes of the latest edition seem to me almost certain to be the most desirable ever, offering us everything that we could possibly want. I'll have no hesitation about adding them to my collection, although heaven only knows where I'll find the room for them!

This is a very big set of books. Well worth it to complete your collection and to keep on your bookcase. They look superb too next to my other de luxe editions. The print is very easy to read but be aware the books are obviously heavy. I read my sat at my desk. Not the best solution I know but worth it to complete the series. The paper is thin but manageable and not too thin that you see through. Love it. A must for Tolkien fans.

Very happy to have bagged this for £66! There's a staggering amount in these books, both qualitatively and quantitatively, so it's easy to see why they were printed on much thinner paper than you'd normally expect. That said, the quality of the paper seems to be good so should last well if handled with care. I've only just started the first volume and it's already made me realise I need to go back and read the Silmarillion again.

Sadly the publisher didn't make the spine strong enough, so they tend to bow outward and crack a little. The paper stick is not quite top notch either, and is very, very thin. Not surprising really, considering the amount of text they had to squeeze in. But the card covers are much better than the three individual volume editions which each have an ugly black wrapper. It's the best slipcase edition currently still available (Aug 2025)

A must have for all Tolkien fans

Volume III is printed upside down in the book I got but I have all the books in paperback and this is for a display bookcase only

If you're a big fan of Tolkien/Collector then this is a must buy. The manufacturing of the books is exceptional, the pages (as expected) are quite thin BUT this is not a criticism, the quality of the paper completely makes up for this with a very soft finish to the paper. My main concern with this set was the books would be too impractical to actually read from due to the size of the books, I can confirm that, yes they are bulky but surprisingly quite easy to read from.

Diese Sonderausgabe ist ein absolutes Muss für jeden Tolkien-Liebhaber und für alle, die sich akademisch mit Mittelerde beschäftigen. Die hochwertige Verarbeitung – drei prachtvoll gebundene Bände mit Goldprägung, Lesebändchen und einem eleganten Schuber – macht das Set nicht nur zu einem Blickfang im Regal, sondern schützt die wertvollen Inhalte auch optimal. Inhaltlich bietet das Werk einen einzigartigen, tiefen Einblick in die Entstehungsgeschichte von Tolkiens Welt: Von frühen Mythen und Legenden über die Entwicklung des Silmarillion bis hin zu den Entwürfen und Kommentaren zu “Der Herr der Ringe”. Christopher Tolkien hat mit akribischer Sorgfalt die Entwürfe, Notizen und Kommentare seines Vaters geordnet und erläutert – ein unschätzbarer Schatz für alle, die Mittelerde nicht nur lesen, sondern wirklich verstehen wollen. Gerade für akademisch Interessierte ist dieses Werk eine unverzichtbare Quelle. Die Edition enthält zahlreiche Hintergrundinformationen, alternative Versionen und tiefergehende Analysen, die das Verständnis der Tolkien’schen Mythologie erheblich erweitern. Wer sich mit der Literaturwissenschaft, Fantastik oder Mythologie beschäftigt, findet hier einen wissenschaftlich fundierten Zugang zu einem der bedeutendsten Werke der Fantasy-Literatur. Fazit: Ein beeindruckendes, inhaltlich wie handwerklich herausragendes Set – perfekt für Sammler, Forscher und alle, die Mittelerde lieben. Absolute Kaufempfehlung!

Para todos aqueles que estudam J R R Tolkien, é uma referência indispensável. Sobretudo, por estar no idioma origem.

Magnifique en tant qu’objet de décoration, Je lis le tout et je reviens

Product had a bunch of scuffs and the first book is damaged on the cover.

Ho iniziato a leggere le opere di Tolkien da bambina e dopo anni sono sempre entusiasta di ritornare sui suoi meravigliosi romanzi. Di recente, la curiosità per le storie meno note o incompiute, per gli appunti e le idee dietro queste, mi ha portata ad acquistare questa raccolta monumentale. L'edizione in sé e la qualità della stampa (italiana) sono straordinarie. Questa raccolta è elegante e ricca di qualsiasi aneddoto relativo alla storia della terra di mezzo, compresi testi inediti e approfondimenti, ovviamente in lingua inglese. Non è di certo una lettura facile ma è profondamente affascinante. Finalmente tutto il materiale tolkeniano è raccolto in maniera organica, completa e accurata in tre volumi unici e pregiati. E' un vero gioiello, imperdibile per gli appassionati di Tolkien.