My set arrived today in California delivered by DHL after using Forward2me as the forwarding service. Upon initial inspection it looks to be in perfect condition so although the shipping was a little pricier than I would like, I am happy with how it turned out. Glad to have this set which I am going to use for a luxurious holiday re-read.

OlorinCA wrote:

My set arrived today in California delivered by DHL after using Forward2me as the forwarding service. Upon initial inspection it looks to be in perfect condition so although the shipping was a little pricier than I would like, I am happy with how it turned out. Glad to have this set which I am going to use for a luxurious holiday re-read.

Beautiful shape. Glad the mail forwarding worked out in a satisfactory way, but of course as you said, it was a bit costly.

I think that is a great decision to read the book if you want to actually get to use them.

What number did you get? :)

EmilK wrote:

What number did you get? :)

644

Mine's finally here! Copy 247 (cause I think about LOTR 24/7 amirite). It definitely could be better and 750 pounds for this set is a big ask, but I knew all that going in, so I can't say I regret my purchase.

No flaws that I could find, aside from a few cloth strands that I readily plucked off, Fellowship's centerpiece being slightly offcenter and with a raised corner (really only noticeable to my OCD eyes), and the silver details on the cover being slightly faulty, though I believe this is true for all copies.

Overall, I'm quite happy to finally have a special edition of my favorite book!

Thormin wrote:

Yeah, I cancelled mine😂 gonna take ppls word's for it. Price tag is high, but it's worth it for me id I find the right one. I will hunt for better quality and durability, just need to figure out which version that is. I'm fairly certain it's not folio tho, as their books are fine bit not at all durable. Wish there was a guide for it tho.

IMHO, the only really good option at this point for something genuinely special is a rebind to your own design by a quality bindery. I'm going to have one of my Folio LE Hobbits rebound at some point to a design which will be quite reminiscent of the Super Deluxe CoH (albeit larger, of course). No plans for any LotR rebinds, though. I'm happy with my '63 and '69s in that role.

The commercial offerings are fine when heavily discounted, but there hasn't been an English Language edition that is genuinely deluxe in anything but name since S&G. It seems like the market just isn't there for a deluxe range with premium page blocks and materials at a price people are willing to pay. HarperCollins are addicted to the price/complexity shortcut of printing illustrated page blocks all on a single printer, and without breaking that addiction, a genuinely deluxe illustrated edition just isn't possible.

There's also some scuffing on the silver edges that I had not noticed before. Nothing that warrants getting a replacement, though (especially considering the extra time for delivery and the very real possibility that the replacement copy might be worse).

Eh...the more I look at it, the cheaper it looks, which is quite appalling at this price tag. There's a myriad of problems with this edition (worn out silver stamping; silver stamping remains spread like glitter across the clothboards; rubbed gilded edges; fraying ribbon markers; pills forming on the cloth; inset labels sticking out; etc).

I wouldn't have a problem with this edition being so similar to last year's deluxe if the materials were actually decent, but they're quite clearly not. It really feels like I'm paying 750 pounds for a signature and the bragging rights to say I own this super duper limited edition that no else has! Of course it's mass produced, but it has a number on it that makes it special, amirite?

I've contacted their dedicated e-mail to make arrangements for a return. What a pity. My quest remains unfulfilled. Quite a shame that I couldn't have bought Folio's LE (even if I wanted to) at the time of release. With how high prices reach on eBay, I don't think Ill ever get my hands on it. My only hope, I suppose, would be finding someone willing to sell it to me with a reduced mark up, but that's a bit of a pipe dream.

Joaozin wrote:

I've contacted their dedicated e-mail to make arrangements for a return. What a pity. My quest remains unfulfilled. Quite a shame that I couldn't have bought Folio's LE (even if I wanted to) at the time of release. With how high prices reach on eBay, I don't think Ill ever get my hands on it. My only hope, I suppose, would be finding someone willing to sell it to me with a reduced mark up, but that's a bit of a pipe dream.

Shame you got a bad copy. I think you made the right choice if you were not happy with it. I feel the same about the Folio edition. It would be amazing if Folio released the LE version in version that was the standard size and not limited. I would easily buy several copies of that.

My long-term plan to get the Folio LE is to just get rich by working and saving money, then spending a ton on the second-hand market. Who knows, maybe an auction comes along where it is possible to not get robbed?

FWIW, I now know of several people returning them for a refund due to these kinds of faults.

The late Stu wrote:

FWIW, I now know of several people returning them for a refund due to these kinds of faults.

Thanks for letting me know! That makes me a tad bit more relieved! It probably won't be much trouble to return it. Honestly, these don't feel like faults, not in the sense that these were undesired outcomes. It very much feels like they're there by design.