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The front is of Rivendell which is instantly recognisable from the river. Other than that though… I do love this edition. If you struggle reading hardbacks because of the weight, this might be an issue. It’s thicker than The Two Towers and a similar size to The Return of the King but without appendices. This is a hefty book which I’d never realised before. The first of The Lord of the Rings illustrated editions is The Fellowship of the Ring. Overall, I think buying The Hobbit illustrated edition on it’s own would be a good purchase. It also comes in this rich green hardback which just reminds you of the Shire too. The book contains the map that Thorin has for the mountain’s hidden doorway in the front, and then a map of Mirkwood in the back. But I adore the more muted and matte tones of the illustration which makes it look less like a children’s book. Again, for me The Hobbit is filled with nostalgia. The back is this gorgeous illustration of Smaug which reminds me so much of my childhood edition of the book. It just gives off a sense of nostalgia for me which meant I had to start re-reading almost immediately. I just think that The Shire and those rounded Hobbit doors are so synonymous with these books despite us not being in The Shire that long. It shows Bilbo before he went away on his adventure, and whilst there’s so many other pieces of artwork in the book – I’m so happy they picked this one for the front. The front is the same image of the Shire that is on the box. I believe it’s due to the cover, although the illustrations have added in a few pages. I already have two editions, one of which is hardback and this edition instantly looks thicker. Next up we have The Hobbit and this is a big version of the Hobbit. Then on the back there’s a beautiful image of the Shire and Bag End that’s also on The Hobbit. I initially assumed this was the Black Gate but it’s actually of Cirith Ungol’s pass into Mordor. Those pieces of art have been collected before, namely in Christopher Tolkien's Pictures by JRR Tolkien and Wayne G Hammond and Christina Scull's JRR Tolkien: Artist and Illustrator, as The Guardian points out, but Tolkien's own art hasn't been featured in an edition of The Lord of the Rings since the first publication back in 1954.On the other side is when Frodo, Sam and Gollum are near Shelob’s Lair. Despite claiming he was too busy for illustrate The Lord of the Rings, Tolkien found himself doing just that, creating maps of Middle Earth, sketches of Orthanc, and more. Tolkien created 30 pieces of art for The Lord of the Rings, but was crushed by comments from one critic that described the images as showing "no reflection of his literary talent and imagination." Tolkien seemingly took the criticism personally and agreed with the critic, according to The Guardian.
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Yet the author himself was characteristically modest, dismissive of the obvious and rare artistic talent he possessed despite having had no formal training." Smith said this modesty meant that little of Tolkien's art was ever seen. "These paintings, particularly the now-iconic image that appears on its cover, have become as beloved as the story they accompany. "Like many young readers, I was enthralled by his charming and evocative illustrations that accompanied The Hobbit," HarperCollins deputy publishing director, Chris Smith, said.