Fascinating stuff Garm. I think the 2002 limited editions would pretty much constitute one of my top three Tolkien editions, but those prices!!!

Out of interest - - what would be the other two in your top three 'wish list'?

On the subject of the Folio Editions, you may be interested in knowing that there was a Danish translation boxed set of Lord of the Rings also published in 1977 coinciding with the original Folio one which also used Fraser's drawings of Queen Margarethe's originals.

I attach some photos.

Thanks very much for that, Gawain. I'd heard of this set, but I don't think I've seen a picture before.
I don't go in much for translations, myself. (that would take up a lot more room!)

My top three wish-list (by which I guess I mean I don't have the funds for them) would be:

1) 1963 deluxe box-set with Pauline baynes art.
2) 1992 lotr green box-set signed by Alan Lee and limited to 250 copies
3) The deluxe folio editions

Yours?

Good choices. I think I've got most of the LotRs I want. What I _need_ for the collection would be more in the line of academic / poetry stuff -

Songs for the Philologists

Sir Orfeo (1944) I know it's reprinted in Tolkien Studies, but I like originals.

A Little Book of Yorkshire Poetry

And of course a copy of the 1982 super deluxe Silmarillion, but that goes without saying.

1) 1963 deluxe box-set with Pauline baynes art. 2) 1992 lotr green box-set signed by Alan Lee and limited to 250 copies 3) The deluxe folio editions

I agree with garm, but having the single volume LOTR Deluxe signed by Alan Lee and the the three volume LOTR Deluxe set signed by Alan Lee, I prefer the single volume set.

It goes without saying that my current favourite book in my collection is the 1982 Super Deluxe Silmarllion, just wish it was numbered less than 100

Well, there you have it - horses for courses, and all that. Personally, I love the three volume Lee set. The green leather of the spines happens to be my favourite colour; it sets the gilt edged papers off beautifully. And the books are just the right size; they fit in the hand comfortably. But of course, I wouldn't be without either of them (nor their shelf-mates, the Lee TH and the Nasmith Silm).

I like all that sort of stuff; what I call the 'fancy' end of the range. But for me, it's the rarer material which quickens the pulse: stuff from the twenties, thirties etc, far away from Middle earth. Such stuff as dreams are made of!

Andrew (bruffyboy) sure puts a lot of action in this forum!

My ten most wanted books are (sorry, to choose three is impossible for me):

(randomly numbered)

1. The first impressions of The Lord of the Rings
2. Songs for the Philologists (although I know it's quite impossible)
3. The Reeve's Tale (1939) (anyone has got this one?)
4. 1982 Super Deluxe The Silmarillion
5. Lord of the Rings (single volume, signed by Alan Lee, ltd to 250)
6. The Tale of Gondolin (matching with the next, like seen on Pieter's (Collier) collector's profile on Tolkienlibrary.com (image)
7. The Ruins of Osgiliath (image)
8. The Hobbit 60th anniversary Deluxe, signed by Alan Lee, ltd to 600 copies (I simply love the colours)
9. Sir Orfeo (1944)
10. The Hobbit, first impression
10bis. (sorry) Roverandom, bound by Thornton's (the green one, ltd to 10)

And if numbers 1, 2, 3, 9 and 10 would be signed, I wouldn't mind

...and many others, but those are the ones that pop up in my mind straight away.

Yet another example of horses for courses (or, in this case, 'one man's meat is another man's poison'). Personally, I wouldn't have one of Alex Lewis's knock-offs if you paid me!

- but I agree with the rest of the list. And, (don't tell anyone) - I do have a copy of the Reeve's Tale. It's lovely!

BTW - I'd heard the Thornton's Roverandom was bound in more than ten copies, but I can't remember how many off the top of my head. Mine is unnumbered.