Your Chance to Own a Vintage Lord of the Rings Hardcover Box Set!
Amazon’s early Prime Big Deal Days sale is a treasure trove for book lovers, especially those seeking fantastic fantasy and sci-fi collections. Among the standout offers, J.R.R. Tolkien’s beloved works from Middle-earth are seeing significant price drops. Notably, a charming 3-book hardcover box set of The Lord of the Rings, featuring iconic artwork by famed Tolkien artist Alan Lee on both the covers and the beautiful display box, is available at an unbelievable price. Prime members can grab this vintage 1988 edition for just $40.79, down from its usual $90—the lowest price recorded this year!
Beyond this classic set, you’ll find more superb deals on other Tolkien collections. Keep an eye out for The Complete History of Middle-earth, now discounted to $80.65 from $250, and budget-friendly Collector’s Editions like The Hobbit for $11.33 and The Silmarillion for $12.26. With Prime Big Deal Days running from October 7-8, anticipate even more exciting promotions on Tolkien books!
The Lord of the Rings Hardcover Box Set (1988)
This 1988 hardcover box set of The Lord of the Rings stands out as one of the most popular modern editions. Its cover and box art, illustrated by Alan Lee, make it the most economical way to own editions featuring his legendary work. Alan Lee is widely regarded as the finest artist to have interpreted The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit, with his Middle-earth landscape paintings and maps being truly exquisite.
The set includes wrap-around art on the slipcase that perfectly matches the individual covers of The Fellowship of the Ring, The Two Towers, and The Return of the King. Each cover resembles a painting, adorned with ornate frames and intricate patterns. These editions also come with fold-out maps of Middle-earth during the Third Age, and each book concludes with fascinating appendices filled with reference material and background information.
The muted color palette, classical typeface, and faded yellow dust jackets give these editions a wonderfully vintage feel. Even over 45 years after their initial release, these hardcover editions and the box set remain highly sought after and continue to be printed. Across all three volumes, the 1988 edition of The Lord of the Rings spans 1,214 pages.
(Image: The Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien, 1988 editions)
While the 1988 editions offer an affordable entry into Alan Lee’s art, there are other stunning illustrated editions. Last year, William Morrow released a remastered version of the phenomenal 1992 Centenary Edition. This collector’s set, originally priced at $325, is now on sale as part of Amazon’s early Prime Big Deal Days. You can acquire The Lord of the Rings Deluxe Illustrated Box Set for an incredible $135.09—a massive 58% off! This three-volume set is beautifully presented in a custom cloth board display box and boasts over 50 new illustrations and drawings by Lee. The books themselves feature cloth board cases and are quarterbound in leather.
Coming in October, William Morrow will publish a new four-book box set, also featuring Alan Lee’s illustrations, for $139.50 (originally $150). This particular edition is noteworthy as it includes The Hobbit alongside The Lord of the Rings. All four hardcover volumes showcase wrap-around dust jacket illustrations. Before pre-ordering, note that the original 2020 UK version of this edition can be found for a considerably lower price.
Amazon’s early sale also brings fantastic deals on last year’s budget-friendly Lord of the Rings Collector’s Edition hardcovers. These editions are similar in size to the 1988 versions but feature a more contemporary aesthetic with stained edges, foil-stamped cover art, interior maps, and ribbon bookmarks. Matching editions of The Hobbit and The Silmarillion were also published.
All five of these $35 hardcover editions are currently on sale for $15 or less:
- The Hobbit Collector’s Edition — $11.33 (
$35) - The Silmarillion Collector’s Edition — $12.26 (
$35) - The Fellow of the Ring Collector’s Edition — $14.92 (
$35) - The Two Towers Collector’s Edition — $12.83 (
$35) - The Return of the King Collector’s Edition — $15.07 (
$35) - The Lord of the Rings Collector’s Edition Box Set — $59.79 (
$105)
The History of Middle-earth Deals
The sale also features The Complete History of Middle-earth, an enormous 5,440-page box set encompassing all 12 volumes of The History of Middle-earth across three hardcovers. This $250 hardcover set has plummeted to just $80.65, its lowest price ever. Additionally, keep an eye out for the 2024 box set series, which will present 15 History of Middle-earth books across four decorative box sets.
- The Complete History of Middle-earth — $80.65 (
$250) - The History of Middle-earth 2024 Editions
- Box Set 1 (4 Books) — $54.85 (
$125) - Box Set 2 (3 Books) — $55.57 (
$100) - Box Set 3 (4 Books) — $43.03 (
$125) - Box Set 4 (4 Books) — $55.24 (
$125)
William Morrow continued its Tolkien box set initiative this summer with two stunning hardcover collections. Tolkien Myths and Legends, a four-book box set containing epic poems and classic myths written or translated by Tolkien, was released in June and is now available for only $51 (originally $125) during Prime Big Deal Days. The sixth box set in this series, a new edition of The Great Tales of Middle-earth—a hardcover collection of three posthumously published novels—launched in August and is on sale for $75 (originally $125).
More J.R.R. Tolkien Book Deals
Other notable Tolkien book deals include The Nature of Middle-earth, a compilation of the author’s final thoughts and writings on his fantasy world. The hardcover edition of The Nature of Middle-earth is now just $12 (was $32). Meanwhile, The History of The Hobbit, a 992-page hardcover, reveals Tolkien’s complete unpublished draft of The Hobbit, alongside his illustrations, notes, and scholarly commentary by John Rateliff, offering a unique look into the genesis of the classic. This edition is discounted to $18.81 (was $55).
For deeper insights, The Letters of J.R.R. Tolkien: Revised and Expanded Edition is an invaluable resource. Priced at $13.85 (was $40), this 720-page hardcover compiles hundreds of letters to his editors, publishers, family, friends, and fans, providing a personal window into his life and creative process.
- The Nature of Middle-earth (hardcover) — $12 (
$32) - The Letters of J.R.R. Tolkien: Revised & Expanded (hardcover) — $13.85 (
$40) - The History of the Hobbit (hardcover) — $18.81 (
$55) - The Silmarillion: Illustrated by Ted Nasmith (hardcover) — $20 (
$45) - The Maps of Middle-earth (hardcover) — $12.58 (
$30) - The Battle of Maldon (hardcover) — $14.90 (
$30) - The Fall of Numenor (paperback) — $9.76 (
$22) - Lord of the Rings & The Hobbit 4-Book Leatherette Set — $29.73 (
$60) - The Collected Poems of J.R.R. Tolkien: 3-Book Box Set — $61 (
$125)