The Lord of the Rings: Boxed 3 Volume Set: Silver Anniversary Edition Hardcover – Box set, January 1, 1981

Looks amazing and was packaged very well! Very satisfied!

The media could not be loaded. The spines on the book covers are all lightly scratched, but the inside pages are all in almost brand new condition.

These books were in better shape than expected, and a bargain at the price.

The books arrived promptly and in very good condition. It would have been helpful to know how big they are (big) and how heavy. The Lord of the Rings

There isn't much that I could say about Tolkien's masterpiece that hasn't already been said, and while the movie's pacing was much stronger, one can't deny the power that these books have had over readers for all these years. Tolkien's wit and intelligence comes through brilliantly and he paints a vivid picture of heroism and adventure that no one has yet topped. While the first 100 or so pages are a bit to drudge through and the plot just stews, once you get past those pages, the rest of the read is worth the time. I would say that this work could easily rank among the few books that I have read that could be considered good literature. Tolkien's expertise of languages and education really shine in this trilogy and he manages to delve into characters and situations that were alluded to in The Hobbit. The adventure of Frodo and Samwise is long and arduous and readers will be greatly rewarded for sticking through the book when they reach Mt. Doom. The writing is superb and some of the scenes seem to jump right out of the book and into your living room. For anyone looking for an epic adventure of high fantasy, this is the trilogy for you!

Amazing maps and illustrations on the covers.

This, right here, is the basis of modern fantasy. Tolkien took a bit (okay, a lot) of Norse mythology, and added his ardent hatred of fascism, war, and industrialization, and shaped it into one of the greatest books of all time. I say "one" because, while the Lord of the Rings is technically split into three parts, the truth is it was intended to be a single-volume epic spanning, not including appendices, just over 1,000 pages. I assume most people know of the plot and characters, but for those who don't, protagonist Frodo Baggins (a Hobbit, which is a race of short people with furry feet) comes across a ring given to him by his uncle Bilbo (star of The Hobbit, Tolkien's second most famous project). The Ring turns out to have been previously possessed by Sauron, an ancient evil figure. Frodo, with help of fellow Hobbits Merry, Pippin, and Samwise; Gandalf the Wizard; Borimir and Aragorn, both men of royal blood; Legolas the elf; and Gimli the dwarf, set off to destroy the Ring.The thing that really makes this such an enduring series is the vast world Tolkien has woven. You know all those maps found at the end of each book? Those weren't just sketched idly. Rather, they're just a small part of Middle-Earth, a fictional world of massive scope. Tolkien even created individual languages for Orcs, Elves, Dwarves, Ents (the famous tree-beings) and humans of different races. He also has created history, mythology, and customs for these characters, and manages to weave them into the stories - the lengthy songs found in Fellowship of the Ring, while off-putting to some, actually add plenty of depth.Secondly, the numerous themes Tolkien works into this book are enough for some writers' entire lives. I'm especially intrigued by the concept of duality here. Most characters have parallels here - the most obvious being the nine Fellowship members (the book's heroes) vs. the nine Nazgul (Sauron's servants). There are countless other examples, but I find that the most interesting of them is one found in an individual character: Gollum (yeah, the "My preeeecious..." guy). Thanks to years of owning the ring, he has been driven insane, and now exists in two minds: the benevolent (to a degree) Smeagol, and the murderous Gollum.And then there are all the classic characters: Sam, Gandalf, the evil wizard Sauruman, Gollum, nature lord Tom Bombadil (who wasn't in the movie, unfortunately), kingly heir Aragorn, steward Denethor, princess Eowyn (the unofficial tenth Fellowship member), Borimir (the most intriguing character in the bunch), and so on. I actually like the versions of Borimir, King Theoden, and Denethor more here than in the books.My only complaint, and it's a minor one, is that there's a bit of a lull in Return of the King, a couple transitional chapters that don't really offer much. But that's just one or two chapters out of around sixty, so there you go. A must-read for anyone.

What more can be said about this legendary work? It is truly the finest work in the history of the fantasy genre. Often imitated but never duplicated, Tolkien set the bar to an unattainable height for all who have followed in his footsteps. I first read these books as a young child and they have become an annual read in my adult life. There is something new and rewarding every time.