Thanks for clarifying.

Hi guys,
I'm sorry to bring this old and useful thread back to the surface, but I would like to share with you some details of the S editions you talked about. I have three hardback copies, two dated 1998 and one 2000.
As previously noted, the main differences seem to be the spine design, the prices shown in the front flap of the dustwrapper and the details on the copyright page (number line, ISBN).

Do you know if other HB variants exist?

I understand the difference on the jacket in regard to the price being different depending on when you bought the book, but apart from that the two ‘98 books you have are the same aren’t they? I don’t believe they are variants but one has quite a faded spine and that’s it, right?

I agree, the one on the left has a severely faded spine.
The one on the right was a tough one for me to find, personally.

huan68 wrote:

I understand the difference on the jacket in regard to the price being different depending on when you bought the book, but apart from that the two ‘98 books you have are the same aren’t they? I don’t believe they are variants but one has quite a faded spine and that’s it, right?

I think the one without the price on the dust-jacket may be a book club edition.

Yes, I forgot to mention it in the previous post: the one on the left (with the double price) is terribly faded on the spine, but is the same as the second copy dated 1998, except for the presence/absence of the price on the cover flap.
The faded one was my first copy, bought for a few pounds without having photos of the book available; so I bought a second copy, I noticed the lack of the price and -looking for some information- I found this TCG thread, learning about the 2000 edition, that I recently got.

Trotter wrote:

I think the one without the price on the dust-jacket may be a book club edition.

Thanks for the tip!
From TolkienBooks.net (http://www.tolkienbooks.net/php/details2.php?id=745): "Copies both with and without a printed price on the front flap of the dustwrapper have been seen. At least some of the unpriced copies were sold by Book Club Associates."

I have them both. Yes, these were published in 1998, so it is hard to exactly locate based on spinal difference.