I'm baffled as to the specualtion on the cover. As already pointed out (by Huan68) it's just the same cover as the 2008 Pb. Surely it's a stretch to suggest there is any other rationale to its use beyond HC liking it? Also, the CT blurb, where is this?

If you look at the cover images used for this year's Hobbit + Lord of the Rings illustrated editions, they aren't the same as the illustrated paperbacks from 2008. Therefore, we thought that may have been the case with The Silmarillion.

Khamûl wrote:

I'm baffled as to the specualtion on the cover. As already pointed out (by Huan68) it's just the same cover as the 2008 Pb. Surely it's a stretch to suggest there is any other reason rationale to its use beyond HC liking it? Also, the CT blurb, where is this?

I imagine that choosing the cover comes down to more than HarperCollins liking it and it is not a stretch to think they had some bigger thinking than what you suggest. "If we use this cover we might sell more copies" doesn't seem too baffling to me.

The CT mention is on the Facebook post.

Right. But you've seen it now, so it seems a little surprising people are finding this cover a massive talking point. That's all I'm saying. I'm also not on FB, so would find it useful if someone could quote what has been said.

Here is the relevant material about Christopher from their facebook post:

Christopher Tolkien was born in November 1924, just six years after his father’s release from the bondage of battle, and it is fitting in this month of Thanksgiving and of Christopher’s birth to reflect anew upon the unique and peerless contribution that he has given the world.

For Christopher’s entire life, his father’s legendarium had been an essential part of his world. He himself said: ‘As strange as it may seem, I grew up in the world he created. For me, the cities of The Silmarillion are more real than Babylon.’ And as Tolkien realized that he would not personally be able to bring his life’s work to a publishable conclusion he and Christopher discussed in close detail how this might eventually be achieved. Christopher diligently followed his father’s wishes and The Silmarillion was published in 1977, just four years after his father’s death. It was an international bestseller, and was critically acclaimed around the world, hailed as ‘a creation of singular beauty’ (Washington Post) and ‘at times rises to the greatness of true myth’ (Financial Times).

This landmark literary achievement would for many be the culmination of a life, but for Christopher it marked just the beginning. In his preface to Beren and Lúthien, he remarks that ‘he then spent several years investigating the earlier history of The Silmarillion… It is done partly for my own satisfaction in getting things right, and because I wanted to know how the whole conception did in reality evolve from the earliest origins…’ There, in that statement, is the singular, wonderful essence of the man who found unceasing delight in his father’s literary creation; both a scholar who placed the highest demands on the rigor of his research and a romantic who found endless joy travelling through the tales of Valinor and Middle-earth.

He would continue his quiet, scholarly endeavours for the next four decades, producing many further volumes that have enriched our understanding of Middle-earth, from his monumental 12-volume History (which would evolve from that towering History of The Silmarillion) through to the three books that would be the capstone to his literary achievement: The Children of Húrin, Beren and Lúthien and The Fall of Gondolin.

He would write in the preface to The Fall of Gondolin: ‘Looking back over my work, now concluded after some forty years, I believe that my underlying purpose was at least in part to try to give more prominence to the nature of “The Silmarillion” and its vital existence in relation to The Lord of the Rings.’

Khamûl wrote:

Right. But you've seen it now, so it seems a little surprising people are finding this cover a massive talking point. That's all I'm saying. I'm also not on FB, so would find it useful if someone could quote what has been said.

It's a new (edition) Middle-earth Tolkien book, so it's not surprising in the least that various aspects about it would be discussed.

‘As strange as it may seem, I grew up in the world he created. For me, the cities of The Silmarillion are more real than Babylon.’

Strange indeed!

insurrbution wrote:

It's a new (edition) Middle-earth Tolkien book, so it's not surprising in the least that various aspects about it would be discussed.

Sure. But let's be clear. We already have an illustrated edition of The Silmarillion (1998). This isn't "new" in the way it was new for UT. We also already have an illustrated edition of The Silmarillion by Ted Nasmith. So the artist aspect isn't new either. We've also already had an updated illustrated edition of The Silmarillion by Ted Nasmith (2004) adding to a previous release. So, again, not a new phenomenon. Further, the cover is not new or unseen; it's even been chosen previously & already graced the cover of an edition of The Silmarillion (2008 Pb). I also fail to see how this cover would be associated with the upcoming Amazon series for those unfamiliar with Tolkien. Link seems tenuous. And lastly, speaking as someone that has hundreds of editions of The Silmarillion, even I'm surprised ribbon colour has been brought up...

Khamûl wrote:

insurrbution wrote:

It's a new (edition) Middle-earth Tolkien book, so it's not surprising in the least that various aspects about it would be discussed.

Sure. But let's be clear. We already have an illustrated edition of The Silmarillion (1998). This isn't "new" in the way it was new for UT. We also already have an illustrated edition of The Silmarillion by Ted Nasmith. So the artist aspect isn't new either. We've also already had an updated illustrated edition of The Silmarillion by Ted Nasmith (2004) adding to a previous release. So, again, not a new phenomenon. Further, the cover is not new or unseen; it's even been chosen previously & already graced the cover of an edition of The Silmarillion (2008 Pb). I also fail to see how this cover would be associated with the upcoming Amazon series for those unfamiliar with Tolkien. Link seems tenuous. And lastly, speaking as someone that has hundreds of editions of The Silmarillion, even I'm surprised ribbon colour has been brought up...

Maybe you don't want to discuss it but others do and some users are simply interested if the upcoming series had any impact on the choice of cover for this edition. I don't see why any of this is baffling to you.

Urulókë wrote:

With no "inside information" to sway my opinion, I do agree with the others here that it is quite likely that the cover for this particular edition is intended to synchronize with the Amazon TV series that focuses on the Second Age, with some new artwork added to make it more interesting to those of us who already have other editions.

Publishers have to keep their "evergreen" content fresh, so cover updates are of course quite common. I am personally quite glad that they decided to work with Ted to produce some brand new art for this edition, and look forward to seeing it!

Absolutely. I do really hope they take note of the comments regarding image reproduction, though, and see if they can up the fidelity a little for this edition.