Christmas Gift Ideas for Lord of the Rings and Tolkien lovers (05.11.06)

It's never too early to start planning your Christmas shopping and this year, we've made it even easier for you with a list of gift ideas!

It is always difficult to choose a nice gift for someone else. In the case of Tolkien lovers and especially the collectors, things can get even more difficult. How can you manage to find something that is not yet in his / her collection and how can you be sure the thing you buy is really special... and will be well appreciated. I'll get you on the road and make a little list of items which are new, unique or just nice gifts.

Christmas Gift Ideas for Lord of the Rings and Tolkien Lovers

For more than 30 years, fans worldwide have made the Tolkien Calendar a collector's item. Illustrated by some of the top Tolkien artists as well as the acclaimed author himself, it has become an annual tradition for aficionados everywhere. With the success of Peter Jackson's Academy-Award winning film trilogy, Tolkien is more popular than ever before! The J.R.R. Tolkien Wall Calendar 2007 includes 13 of the finest watercolours by Alan Lee, selected from "The Lord of the Rings" and accompanied by pencil sketches from his Lord of the Rings Sketchbook. Alan Lee will also be the illustrator of the new upcoming Tolkien book, The Children of Hurin, which will be published in April 2007; so you can start enjoying his art right now.
This beautifully presented collector's box of JRR tolkien's The Hobbit is a must for fans of this timeless classic and anyone looking to learn more about the story that started it all.

Included in this box is a nicely bound hardback edition of The Hobbit and a collection of eight colour postcards featuring some of tolkien's own artwork. Tolkien himself makes yet another guest appearance on an exclusive CD which features a recording of Tolkien reading an extract from Bilbo's first encounter with the terrifying Gollum. Lastly, there is a beautifully painted foldout map of Wilderland by John Howe with text by Brian Sibley.

Those who are fans of The Hobbit will feel justified in splashing out again for this lovely collector's item, which offers plenty of value and makes for an affordable treat or gift for a fellow Tolkien lover.
The Hobbit: Or There and Back Again: 70th Anniversary Edition (Hardcover).

The most successful of all Tolkien titles, The Hobbit has been translated into 30 languages and sold over 35 million copies

This special edition – completely reset and now includes the first chapter of The Lord of the Rings. With the succes of the Lord of the Rings movies, this special edition is designed to put the book back where it belongs – at the top of everyones ‘must-read’ list.

Also if you want this book matches in size with the following Tolien books on the gift idea list.
Four-volume boxed-set edition of The Lord of the Rings in hardback, featuring tolkien's original unused dust-jacket designs, together with fourth hardback volume, The Lord of the Rings: A Reader's Companion, a unique annotated guide to the text, which will enhance the reader's enjoyment and understanding of the book of the 20th century.

This set was made to celebrate the 50th anniversary of its first publication, the text has been fully restored with almost 400 corrections - with the full co-operation of Christopher Tolkien - making it the definitive version, and as close as possible to the version that J.R.R. Tolkien intended.

Also included are the original red and black maps as fold-out sheets, a fully revised and enlarged index, and - for the first time - a special plate section containing the pages from the Book of Mazarbul.

This is probably the most beautifull set now on the market. If you want to give someone a Lord of the Rings set or need to replace your old set... , this is the one!
Even nicer is to expand the gift as described above and add two more books who match in size and cover art and typography. Placing the following two box next to the Lord of the Rings and The Lord of the Rings: A Reader's Companion makes the set just stunning. The first volume you can add is:

Unfinished Tales is a collection of narratives ranging in time from the Elder Days of Middle-earth to the end of the War of the Ring, and provides those who have read The Lord of the Rings with a whole collection of background and new stories from the twentieth century’s most acclaimed popular author.
To make the above set complete you can add the Silmarillion to the gift and create the ultimate Tolkien gift! A new hardback edition with a cover design by Tolkien himself, to complement the popular Hobbit and Lord of the Rings hardbacks. Includes new Preface by J.R.R. Tolkien unique to this edition.
The Silmarillion is an account of the Elder Days, of the First Age of Tolkien’s World. It is the ancient drama to which the characters in The Lord of the Rings look back, and in whose events some of them such as Elrond and Galadriel took part. The tales of The Silmarillion are set in an age when Morgoth, the first Dark Lord, dwelt in Middle-Earth, and the High Elves made war upon him for the recovery of the Silmarils, the jewels containing the pure light of Valinor.
Included in the book are several shorter works. The Ainulindale is a myth of the Creation and in the Valaquenta the nature and powers of each of the gods is described. The Akallabeth recounts the downfall of the great island kingdom of Númenor at the end of the Second Age and Of the Rings of Power tells of the great events at the end of the Third Age, as narrated in The Lord of the Rings.
Still looking for something more special? Well there is one box set which will make every Tolkien lover happy: The J.R.R. Tolkien Companion & Guide.
The first volume in this set is a Chronology of tolkien's life and works, the most extensive biographical resource about him ever published. Thousands of details have been drawn from letters, contemporary documents in libraries and archives, and a wide variety of other published and unpublished sources. Assembled together, they form a portrait of Tolkien in all his aspects: the distinguished scholar of Old and Middle English, the capable teacher and administrator, the devoted husband and father, the brilliant creator of Middle-earth.

The second volume, the Reader's Guide, is an indispensable introduction to tolkien's life, writings, and art. It includes histories and discussions of his works; analyses of the components of his vast 'Silmarillion' mythology; brief biographies of persons important in his life; accounts of places he knew; essays on topics such as tolkien's interests and attitudes towards contemporary issues, ideas found in his works, adaptations, and invented languages; and checklists of his published works, his poetry, his pictorial art, and translations of his writing.

Still not satisfied and looking for the true special gift. Please visit the Tolkien Library Store. The It always has a large amount of rare and collectible Tolkien books up for sale. The books in the Tolkien Library Store always have a high collectible value and are of the finest on the market. Tolkien books available include both the UK and US editions, original cloth bindings, custom fine bindings, and Signed / Numbered / Limited Editions.

Rare Tolkien items are also available, including books and letters signed by Tolkien, proof copies and books from Tolkiens personal library.

Not all items are on display here, so please do not hesitate to make requests about Tolkien books you are trying to find. Whatever you are looking to buy or sell, we will always try to help. Please choose the category of books you are interested in:

* Original cloth bindings
* Custom Cloth bindings
* Signed / Numbered / Limited editions
* Rare Tolkien items
* Other Tolkien collectables