My copy is expected to arrive tomorrow and I am very excited. What are some things that you will look for in particular once your coppy arrived or will arrive? Smudges in the text inside the book? State of the slipcase? Binding? Artwork? Will you "open up" this edition to soften the spine or will you keep that "early resistance" you feel when opening the cover for the first time? Are there any known issues with this edition or printing?

EmilK wrote:

My copy is expected to arrive tomorrow and I am very excited. What are some things that you will look for in particular once your coppy arrived or will arrive? Smudges in the text inside the book? State of the slipcase? Binding? Artwork? Will you "open up" this edition to soften the spine or will you keep that "early resistance" you feel when opening the cover for the first time? Are there any known issues with this edition or printing?

These (below) are things seen on recent editions in quantities enough to get notice online. I don't think enough copies are out there to know if this specific edition is significantly affected by any faults. There will undoubtedly be faulty copies as there ALWAYS are for any mass produced book, but the extent is anyone's guess.

• Ink blotches
  
• Light-printed pages
  
• Double-printed pages
  
• Uncut pages
  
• Folded/uncut pages
  
• Misaligned quarter binding
  
• Loose threads
  
• Page block upside-down.
  
• Bumped corners
  

I mean, really, just flick through it and look for anything that stands out as not the way it should be. It isn't exactly a long book, so just eyeball each page.

The late Stu wrote:

I mean, really, just flick through it and look for anything that stands out as not the way it should be. It isn't exactly a long book, so just eyeball each page.

Thanks! I followed your advice on my copy, and it looks to be in good shape. I did not find any problems.

One concern that I thought about is what to do with the light blue information paper with features of the book that came with the book (outside the book but within the plastic wrap).



It is obviously not as high quality as the maps and the printed photos. For all editions, I have just put this inside the front cover, but I wonder if that paper will degrade over time and damage the book. What do you do with those information papers? Is it better to just put them in a separate binder instead?

I just pop them in a plastic folder. I doubt they would do any harm in the book, but easier to keep them preserved without curled edges in a folder.

The late Stu wrote:

I just pop them in a plastic folder. I doubt they would do any harm in the book, but easier to keep them preserved without curled edges in a folder.

That is a great suggestion. I have noticed that those information papers are oftenat a risk of getting curled edges, even when they are in the plastic wrap due to their width reaching the edge of the slipcase.

$139.37 on Amazon.com just now. I finally bit.

Early impressions of this box set elude to it.

Mine was bought on the first day, i assume that's early enough? 😅 and it has that note.

Also, are there already 2nd impression sets??

Joselillo3 wrote:

Early impressions of this box set elude to it.

Mine was bought on the first day, i assume that's early enough? 😅 and it has that note.

Also, are there already 2nd impression sets??

Was yours the Harper Collins LOTR set from 2024? I think the 1st impression of that edition is the only one with that note. I'm not sure about early WM editions.

William Morrow editions definitely have a 2nd impression. I purchased around August 2025 and received a second impression.

Was yours the Harper Collins LOTR set from 2024?

Yes, sorry I forgot to mention it's 2024 Harper 🙂

Hi all, has anybody else noticed that the newer (additional) illustrations in this edition appear noticebly more blurry (low quality picture perhaps?) than the older illustrations?