Tuesday, May 16, 2023

The HISTORY OF THE HOBBIT back in print

So, today is the release day for the American hardcover edition of THE HISTORY OF THE HOBBIT (replacing the original two-volume set).  Unlike the original American edition, this is a one-volume book, like the recently re-released British edition.  It's been available in the UK as an e-book all along; now it's available over here as well. 

--John R., v. pleased to have my book reprinted. I put a lot of work into it and I'd like people like me who are interested in such things to have it readily available.


--'He who dies with the most copies of THE HOBBIT wins'

4 comments:

Carolyn Priest-Dorman said...

Is it like the White Album, and I have to buy it again now? :-D

Congratulations on the reprint; it's a cornerstone of my Tolkien library.

John D. Rateliff said...

Thanks Carolyn.

insurrbution said...

Always good to see more Tolkien content available. To recap the various editions over the years:

- HarperCollins 2-book hardbacks (there was also a boxed set where they were included with The Hobbit
- Houghton Mifflin (same as above)
- HarperCollins 2-book paperbacks (I'm 90% certain there wasn't a HMH paperback...)
- HarperCollins 2011 definitieve version: 1 book edition, revised and expanded. Matches the 3-book History of Middle-earth omnibus editions
- 2015 'A Brief History of The Hobbit' (I recall it being described as 'all Tolkien, less Rateliff')
- 2023 HarperCollins slipcased edition (higher-tiered version of the 2011 edition)
- new-but-not-really: new printings of the 2011 edition feature a new dustjacket by Ted Nasmith (this image: https://www.tednasmith.com/tolkien/the-shire-a-view-of-hobbiton-from-the-hill/ ). Content-wise, it's the exact same as the 2011 edition. William Morrow has also published their own version.

All that said, I kind of wish that the revised and expanded text setting from 2011 onwards was still presented as two books....easier to handle, haha.

Steven said...

Hi, I just got my copy today. It’s gorgeous. I’ve read the trade paperback version that was edited down,so I am looking forward to reading it all.