This looks gorgeous and really nice next to The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings. However, since it is so similar to last year's Great Tales set in content, and it is so expensive, and seems to have the same old quality control issues that usually Harper Collins Deluxe Editions are having in their initial printings these days, and since I don't really know where on my shelf to put it anyway, this is going to be the first Deluxe Edition I am going to pass on in a while... at least for the time being.

Will Tolkienguide be doing an unboxing of this edition?

We have no plans to do an unboxing of this set.

I also have a noticeable bend running down the spine of Beren and Luthien on both my sets. I have contacted HC to replace these. With deluxes the standards should be much higher and I'm even concerned about spine longevity being compromised so it's more than just aesthetics. Hell,I would even be a little irritated by a standard release, which this is not, and not an isolated occurrence. Why do HC shoot themselves in the foot so repeatedly with poor QC when they have done well with publishing new material?

Haven't received my set yet, but I don't consider these deluxes, nor do I expect them to be. 'Flashy' exteriors, but obviously cheaply made and sold at ok low priced. I will go as far as to say collectors editions.

Yep,but priced as Deluxes

Not as Super Deluxes

No reply yet from HC

northman wrote:

Haven't received my set yet, but I don't consider these deluxes, nor do I expect them to be. 'Flashy' exteriors, but obviously cheaply made and sold at ok low priced. I will go as far as to say collectors editions.

Priced too high for what they are, especially with the quality issues we've seen so far.

Reply from HC

Thanks for letting us know, and my apologies for this frustrating outcome. It does appear that this flaw is present on some copies of the sets, as evidenced by comments on the forums. As is typical, the sets we received in the office look fine, so I am optimistic that it is not a widespread issue, however we are ordering some sets down from the warehouse so we can investigate.

In the meantime, do please feel able to return yours for a full refund or exchange.

Trotter wrote:

Reply from HC

Thanks for letting us know, and my apologies for this frustrating outcome. It does appear that this flaw is present on some copies of the sets, as evidenced by comments on the forums. As is typical, the sets we received in the office look fine, so I am optimistic that it is not a widespread issue, however we are ordering some sets down from the warehouse so we can investigate.

In the meantime, do please feel able to return yours for a full refund or exchange.

Good that they have responded to you. Alas my inbox remains empty