I just confirmation - this will be a single book (the facsimile edition) in a nice slipcase.

Sounds liked they are describing something like this

eBay Item #201638320320

Tapuvae (Chris) wrote:
Sounds liked they are describing something like this

eBay Item #201638320320

I hope not. That is actually not a bad edition (and was good value at the £4 they sold them off at), but a Chinese printed, ultra-white-papered edition like that is a long way from being a facsimile (even if it had the original text).

I guess we will wait and see, might be OK!

I have just received a marketing emailing from HarperCollins, about the facsimile Hobbit, using the image below, which is nothing like the original dustjacket. Very unhappy at the moment with HarperCollins.

Rubbish Hobbit Dustjacket

This Hobbit release has been wittled down rather concerningly over time to the point that they don't seem to have any enthusiasm for it.

The original blurb that was circulating at least had some pride about it

"This sumptuous gift set includes a replica of the very rare first edition of The Hobbit, the only edition where one can now read the original version of the story before Tolkien re-edited it to become the one enjoyed by readers since 1951." Amazon received this description from HC and the description is still present on many HC websites including HCAustralia

And now officially reads on .co.uk....

"This special printing reprints the first edition, so that readers of all ages not just children between the ages of 5 and 9’, as Rayner Unwin famously declared in his report on the original submission can finally enjoy Tolkien’s story as it originally appeared."

The picture is dreadful. The wording is very telling, replica in the first blurb which means an exact copy is now gone and replaced with 'reprints the first edition' which can be stretched to mean almost anything. and yet the email has replica in it.

To cut a long story short. HC you suck!

onthetrail wrote:
This Hobbit release has been wittled down rather concerningly over time to the point that they don't seem to have any enthusiasm for it.

The original blurb that was circulating at least had some pride about it

"This sumptuous gift set includes a replica of the very rare first edition of The Hobbit, the only edition where one can now read the original version of the story before Tolkien re-edited it to become the one enjoyed by readers since 1951." Amazon received this description from HC and the description is still present on many HC websites including HCAustralia

And now officially reads on .co.uk....

"This special printing reprints the first edition, so that readers of all ages not just children between the ages of 5 and 9’, as Rayner Unwin famously declared in his report on the original submission can finally enjoy Tolkien’s story as it originally appeared."

The picture is dreadful. The wording is very telling, replica in the first blurb which means an exact copy is now gone and replaced with 'reprints the first edition' which can be stretched to mean almost anything. and yet the email has replica in it.

To cut a long story short. HC you suck!

Might be a bit harsh :) Unfortunately there are a lot of "legacy" facsimile 1st DJs out there that are far from accurate, but are out in the wild (and can never be made to go away). One would have hoped they would have chosen a clean and untampered scan as their source for the jacket, but I guess the existing facsimile route probably seemed like an easy shortcut (but sadly a perilous one!). In truth, even without the errors, the existing facsimile jackets just aren't high definition enough for commercial printing, and I think I would have been disappointed with the result.

This is the cover for The Lay of Aotrou and Itroun

https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/00 ... collsguid-21&linkCode=osi

Looks quite nice. I assume that drawing is by Tolkien.

Thanks for sharing, Trotter :)

Earl wrote:
I assume that drawing is by Tolkien.

I don't think it is, does anyone know?

Yes it is Tolkien, it is called Cove near the Lizard.

It is noted with a version in b&w in Artist & Illustrator pg. 25.

There is also a colour version Here

There and Back Again by Mark Atherton has mention of it too.