Nearly every Tolkien book is on sale for Prime Day, here are my favorites
If you’re a fan of The Lord of the Rings and its associated stories, or know someone in your circle who is, today is a great day to add a few books to your collection without emptying your wallet.
While most people might be looking for discounts on tech and home goods, you can actually find a huge number of great books on sale during Prime Day. In fact, you can find almost every book from a member of the Tolkien family on sale right now. And as the resident Tolkien nerd here at CNET, I’ve compiled a few of my personal favorites that you should consider adding to your collection or giving as a gift.
First up is the most recent set of works to be published. Christopher Tolkien made the management of his father’s vast trove of notes and unfinished stories his life’s work, and you can see the results of that labor in a set of books called The History of Middle-Earth. There are several versions of this collection in circulation, but the most recent iterations feature gorgeous artwork by John Howe, as well as some of the original art that was published with the first version. This boxed set, the second of three, is marked down 30%, making it yours today for just $70.
If you don’t have the first of these boxes, the aptly named The History of Middle-Earth Box Set #1, don’t worry. For starters, you don’t need to have read any of the books in the first set to understand or appreciate the contents of the second box set. These books don’t tell a linear story and can all be read and enjoyed independently of one another. That being said, you can get the first box set for Today for €63,- you get 49% discount.
Many friends who have seen the Lord of the Rings movies and know they want the books often ask me which version they should buy. The answer really depends on whether you are interested in something that will look good on a shelf or something that you will want to carry around and enjoy. For the latter, especially if you are planning to give the books as gifts, my favorite set is the Pocket Boxed Set. This is a small set of four books, each small enough to easily fit in a back pocket or purse. It is one of the few sets that includes all three Lord of the Rings books, plus The Hobbit, and now you can whole set in a nice box for $35 what an insanely good deal.
For collectors, especially those who appreciate the original art Tolkien included in his books, the recently released Illustrated Editions of The Lord of the Rings and The Silmarillion are incredibly beautiful. The Lord of the Rings is presented as a single book, as Tolkien originally intended, and like The Silmarillion, it features great art throughout the book and beautiful art on each side of the cover. You can The Lord of the Rings for $32 today and The Silmarillion for $41both discounts of more than 50%.
More of an audiobook person? You can find discounts on all three Lord of the Rings books, as well as The Hobbit and The Silmarillion, each narrated by Andy Serkis (Gollum himself!) with beautiful background audio in each to draw you deeper into the story. Each is 30% discount if you have an Audible subscription already, and free to listen to if you Start an Audible trial today.
It’s not often you see so many Tolkien works at such steep discounts. If you’re a Hobbit fan, I suggest you take advantage of this before the Great Eye spots these deals.
