Hello all,

I've been eyeballing this title for a while, but there isn't much discussion to be found (at least, not which my search bar can reveal!)

Do you consider it an essential companion to the History of Middle Earth series? Is the writing style purely academic, or does it lend itself to page turning?

Also, I have seen this come in blue, green, white, and black. Why is there so much variation on the printing? Is there an appreciable difference between them, aesthetics aside?