Hrmm... that looks more like a cottage than a hobbit hole. Though, that may not be what they were going for in this case. It certainly looks like something that belongs in Hobbiton though. I'm not sure you could pull something like that off without it resembling something in Jackon's movie version of Hobbiton -- since he had many different types of structures with different architectural designs in stone and wood that can be comparable.

"Asked to design a fitting repository for a client’s valuable collection of J.R.R. Tolkien manuscripts and artifacts, architect Peter Archer went to the source—the fantasy novels that describe the abodes of the diminutive Hobbits.

“I came back my client and said, ‘I’m not going to make this look like Hollywood,’” Archer recalled, choosing to focus instead on a finely-crafted structure embodying a sense of history and tradition."

This is an interesting idea, but a bit to much like the film's for my liking, what do you think?

Hobbit House

I am not a calendar-collector, but the artist is a friend of mine.

Do you collect the calendars?

I just received my Houghton Mifflin Deluxe Edition today! Which was a big surprise, since the last notification I received stated this version was backordered beyond the release date of May 16th. However, what I found to be more surprising is that the gold foil stamping is identical to the version found on the Harper Collins Deluxe Edition! I had read that the Houghton Mifflin version would have larger stamping. Maybe this was just a pre-production design.

Is it possible that the Houghton Mifflin first impression that reportedly sold out very quickly per preorders and they held back for a reprint? The copy I just received may be from a more recent printing or second impression that happens to be identical to the stamping on the Harper Collins version.

The idea here is that I would like to know whether this is indeed a true first impression by Houghton Mifflin or a second printing. If I found out more, I will post.