Strider wrote:

The books in this clamshell set appear to have the same cloth binding (minus the leather on the spine) and cover design/art as the deluxe illustrated boxed set released in October 2024. I'm sure Trotter and Mr Underhill will compare them when they do their unboxing video. I wouldn't be surprised if they are effectively identical, modulo a few pages at the front.

I would be very interested to know how the paper quality compares between this limited edition and the October 2024 set. Although I am certainly not a paper aficionado, I had never heard about Munken Lynx paper before. In particular, I would be interested in physical properties like the grammage and thickness, how it feels to touch and flip and how big impact, if any, it has on the reading experience (although perhaps only read a few pages as not to put too much wear and tear on such an fancy limited edition).

Strider wrote:

If we're lucky, they'll release a signed version of The Hobbit next year, similarly based on the deluxe slipcased edition that's just come out.

If they do, I might cry out of happiness at the same time as my wallet cries out of sadness. But yes, I have a strong desire for a signed limited edition of the Hobbit (even if it is not the most ultimate edition possible).

Trotter wrote:

I think the problem with US Shipping is not directly the tariffs, but the issue that the tariffs may not be legal, in which case it becomes very difficult for HarperCollins to get the money back and refund the amount that was taken for the tariffs. A lot easier to take the decision to not ship to that destination until the uncertainty is over. I have to think that HarperCollins were somewhat relying on selling to the US market, and this is a big setback for them.

That makes a lot of sense. Thank you for the insight!

EmilK wrote:

Trotter wrote:

I think the problem with US Shipping is not directly the tariffs, but the issue that the tariffs may not be legal, in which case it becomes very difficult for HarperCollins to get the money back and refund the amount that was taken for the tariffs. A lot easier to take the decision to not ship to that destination until the uncertainty is over. I have to think that HarperCollins were somewhat relying on selling to the US market, and this is a big setback for them.

That makes a lot of sense. Thank you for the insight!

I doubt this is the issue. The tariff would be paid by the end customer in the USA - either to Harpercollins or the courier company - and eventually remitted to USA Customs. If tariffs were to be refunded, US Customs would have the funds. Harpercollins would not be at a loss.

More likely (speculating) it is the risk of a high rate of returns (if the end customer does not pay the tariff - either because the email to pay the tariff is ignored/goes to spam - or as it is all new - the customer is not aware at all about tariffs). Overall - too much of a hassle.....

However, there are (supposedly) no tariffs on books at all. Tariff code 49019900 (Printed Books) are exempt from tariffs no matter which country the books are sent from. However, I have heard of some courier companies/postal services applying a tariff in error.

But I don't see why Harpercollins wouldn't just ship a bulk batch of books to a USA warehouse and ship from there. Maybe they will in the future.....

remy wrote:

EmilK wrote:

Trotter wrote:

I think the problem with US Shipping is not directly the tariffs, but the issue that the tariffs may not be legal, in which case it becomes very difficult for HarperCollins to get the money back and refund the amount that was taken for the tariffs. A lot easier to take the decision to not ship to that destination until the uncertainty is over. I have to think that HarperCollins were somewhat relying on selling to the US market, and this is a big setback for them.

That makes a lot of sense. Thank you for the insight!

I doubt this is the issue. The tariff would be paid by the end customer in the USA - either to Harpercollins or the courier company - and eventually remitted to USA Customs. If tariffs were to be refunded, US Customs would have the funds. Harpercollins would not be at a loss.

More likely (speculating) it is the risk of a high rate of returns (if the end customer does not pay the tariff - either because the email to pay the tariff is ignored/goes to spam - or as it is all new - the customer is not aware at all about tariffs). Overall - too much of a hassle.....

However, there are (supposedly) no tariffs on books at all. Tariff code 49019900 (Printed Books) are exempt from tariffs no matter which country the books are sent from. However, I have heard of some courier companies/postal services applying a tariff in error.

But I don't see why Harpercollins wouldn't just ship a bulk batch of books to a USA warehouse and ship from there. Maybe they will in the future.....

I agree with both Trotter and remy here. Their points both have some validity. The tariffs imposed by the current USA administration are very much in a legal grey area, as USA Congress has not been involved and is currently at our Supreme Court.

There is also A LOT of chaos with shipping to the U.S. right now. There should not be a tariff on books of any kind as remy states. Yet I have been forced to pay tariffs on some recent overseas items, and none on others in recent months. I'm almost certain HC does not want anything to trying to figure out this headache at the moment.

northman wrote:

OlorinCA wrote:

The late Stu wrote:

Gerontius Took wrote:

The late Stu wrote:

onthetrail wrote:

Joselillo3 wrote:

It seems that none of us want this edition...

It will sell. Different books have different markets and I've no doubt this will do well.

Honestly, they could smear poop on a piece of cardboard, and right now if it had the word 'Tolkien' on it, it absolutely would sell, and there would be enough people that would get onto social media and boast about how awesome and limited the poop was. There is a reason HC is doing this edition right now, even though they have been scared of high priced editions since about 2009. It is basically an extremely unsophisticated market, plus there are the completists who will be compelled to add it irrespective (and I don't really include these in the 'unsophisticated' market -- though I genuinely don't understand the mentality as it feels a little bit like Sunk Cost Fallacy).

I have no doubt at all that this will sell out -- and fairly quickly. And tbh, I hope the people who buy it, enjoy it.

What do you mean “ extremely unsophisticated” ?

I mean it in the same way as the market for Beanie Babies was unsophisticated. There was an audience that would buy the product irrespective of whether that product was actually sensible or good. The Tolkien market is absolutely enormous and the vast majority of the people collecting Tolkien know absolutely nothing about books or book production. I'm not saying this applies to everyone collecting Tolkien, but it arguably applies to most. This often isn't the case with less mainstream collecting, where collectors tend to become more educated about their niche. Tolkien, like Harry Potter, is peak biblio-capitalism. For a market like this, there isn't a huge incentive for a publisher to put out a high quality product, because a lesser quality product will sell just as easily and create a greater profit.

Edit: Folio is a great example of this "unsophisticated market" in the wider Limited Edition book market at the moment (but on a much smaller scale). They have an audience that for the most part will buy their books systematically, even though there are numerous smaller presses producing far better quality books at lower prices. Folio can do it because tik-tok/instagram has made Folio specifically popular, and many collectors are buying because they "buy Folio", not because they buy something that is actually good on its own merits.

"Undiscerning" is probably a better word.

Who are the better small presses? Would like to check them out.

Grim Oak Press has done an amazing job with their 'memory, sorrow and thorn ' limited editions

They are definitely one of the best. Too rich for my blood, as I want hard to get 1sts if I'm spending that much. Honestly, the quality book you can get for sub $100 from an independent author on Kickstarter right now is insane.

EmilK wrote:

I would be very interested to know how the paper quality compares between this limited edition and the October 2024 set. Although I am certainly not a paper aficionado, I had never heard about Munken Lynx paper before. In particular, I would be interested in physical properties like the grammage and thickness, how it feels to touch and flip and how big impact, if any, it has on the reading experience (although perhaps only read a few pages as not to put too much wear and tear on such an fancy limited edition).

Another thing I would be curious to know is if the quality of the binding on this limited edition is the same or different than the October 2024 edition. My expectation would be that both are sewn, but I wonder if there are any differences when it comes to the binding.

[Edit: I initially had Munken Pure/Lynx swapped]

Munken Lynx comes in various weights. It is a white coloured paper stock. It is pretty good. The Folio LotR and Hobbit both used Munken Pure^{Munken Lynx is the pure white version of Munken Pure, which is a cream colour.[1]} (or at least the first batch of the Hobbits did. Second batch replacements are possibly Munken Lynx). The Pure used on the LotR is certainly really nice paper. The Pure used on The Hobbit, not as nice, but still decent paper. I don't believe the differences between these two books are down to the paper weight, more that the 2024 Pure wasn't quite as good as the 2022 Pure (likely a change in product spec, which maybe also has happened with Lynx).

Both Pure and Lynx are good paper, and I'd expect it to be noticeably better in this new edition than the regular deluxe, which appears to be fairly cheap paper. I hope they will let the white colour of the (Lynx) paper speak for itself, rather than printing the cream onto it, which always looks a bit crappy (and is why when you flick through the recent editions, you see pages of varying colours between the signatures). That said, maybe they will indeed print the colour on the non-plate pages, in which case it will have the same consistency problems as the deluxe current LotR, as Graphicom are not able to print consistently across multiple signatures (neither are Rotolito) - time will tell on that score, though I fear the choice of Lynx rather than Pure is so they can create the (weak) illusion of different paper for the plates.

We know from earlier in the thread that the number you get is probably not based on how early you ordered the book, but essentially random. Still, do you have a preferred number or interval of numbers? Does it feel better to get a number between 1 and 10, or even powers of ten such as 10, 100 or 1000? Or would your dream number be the same number as you have for previously purchased limited editions? Or perhaps a number with a personal connection? Or does it simply not matter to you, since you are happy enough just to have the signed limited edition to begin with, with its beautiful art and good materials?

EmilK wrote:

We know from earlier in the thread that the number you get is probably not based on how early you ordered the book, but essentially random. Still, do you have a preferred number or interval of numbers? Does it feel better to get a number between 1 and 10, or even powers of ten such as 10, 100 or 1000? Or would your dream number be the same number as you have for previously purchased limited editions? Or perhaps a number with a personal connection? Or does it simply not matter to you, since you are happy enough just to have the signed limited edition to begin with, with its beautiful art and good materials?

I have no problem with getting any number, they are all the same. Alan Lee sat down and signed 1,000 at the same time.

The ones that are rare and possibly more sought after are the lettered editions, as these are extra copies, for instance Alan may get a copy that is numbered A, and they are sometimes also used for replacement editions.

I am not a number, I am a free man ;) as Patrick McGoohan said :)

Happy for any number