Rating: 
Summary: The Lord of the Rings
Review: After I had read the first part of 'The Lord of the Rings', that was a few years ago, the Dutch version, I liked it very much. And after I read the whole book, I became a great admirer of Tolkien's work. I have read the whole Dutch version a couple of times, and when I saw this title on the literature list, I immediately got the idea of reading it in English. So I did, and I liked it even better. One of the things that made me like it, is the use of language. The book is from the fifties, and so the used language is older then the English you hear nowadays. The difference isn't that big, that you'll find words as thee and thou, but he uses a florid kind of language, like in the following sentence: "The morning was bright and clear about them, and birds were singing, when the travelers came to the stream. It ran down swiftly into the plain, and beyond the feet of the hills turned across their path in a wide bend, flowing away east to feed the Entwash far off in its reed-choked beds." Another thing is, the way he described things. For example, when the travelers arrive at Lothlorien, Tolkien found just the words to bring over their astonishment, and the reasons why. When I read them, it almost felt, as if I where there in the book. "The others cast themselves down upon the fragrant grass, but Frodo stood awhile still lost in wonder. It seemed to him that he had stepped through a high window that looked on a vanished world." I liked his descriptions of persons very much too. Each character is worked out so well, it nearly comes alive. There is also a lot of poetry in the book, some in English, some in Elven- or another race's language. Some have a deeper meaning, like the title rhyme, "the rhyme of the Rings" , some are just for fun, like the one Frodo recites "There is an inn, a merry old inn". But there is one thing that makes this book to my absolute favorite. The world that Tolkien created, is so complete, so real, that it looks as if it really exists. He created a whole history, from the beginning of their world, to the end. He created the Elven-language and -alphabet. If you read the appendixes at the end of the book, you'll see how real it is. There is a detailed profile of creatures in the book, a map of their world, family trees and an index of poetry and songs, places and persons in the book. I must admit, their are some parts in the book that aren't that good. Sometimes it is a bit long-winded. Some descriptions of landscapes are too lengthened, and some travelling reports could have been shorter. Another thing is, that after the travelers 'Fellowship' broke apart, and the book follows every member of it on his own wanderings, the story stays too long with one person. It would have been better, when the story would have changed earlier from view. But those minor disadvantages are surely outweighed by the other parts of the book, so I have nothing else to say except that this book will always stay my favorite piece of reading material
Rating:
Summary: Best I've ever read
Review: I must addmit that I have never read a better book in my life. If you want the works heres the book it has comedy, adventure, mystery, action, Good vs Evil and many others.J.R.R Tolkien is a wizard at putting together stories
Rating:
Summary: Give me a break
Review: If you don't know, this is from way back when the first prints of the book were being made. Although sometimes the letters are thicker than the other font, one can read it perfectly fine. To say this book is worthless because of the rare blot of a letter is just plain idiotic. This is the greatest book ever written, and this version seems to give more of a wholesome feeling while reading it. It is referred in the novel that the final story of the War of the Rings was written in a red book, and so this print was brought forth. It is amazing the sense of despair and feelings of character emotions that flow through anybody who reads this. The places and people have an awkward effect on anybody who reads it. Especially in this print! I think it has made me crazy.
Rating:
Summary: An Unforgettable Masterpiece
Review: How can one describe one of the most significant literary experiences of one's life? For the last nearly 20 years, "The Lord of the Rings" has been an almost constant companion. On the average, I read the series about twice yearly.This book is like none other. I was going to say that this book is like none other written in English during the 20th century -- but that does not go nearly far enough. Rather, this book is one of the most important works of fiction since man first began to write. The work is singularly complete. Comedy? -- It's there. Tragedy? -- It's there. Adventure? -- It's there. True Love? -- It's there. Heroic Quest? -- It's there. Mystery? -- It's there. Good vs. Evil? -- It's there. Essentially, "The Lord of the Rings" is more than fantasy literature (although it is that -- and the standard by which all other fantasy literature of the 20th century is measured). Rather, it is "Fairy Story" in the classic and most complete sense of that term. (See Tolkien's non-fiction essay "Tree and Leaf" and you'll see what I mean -- the theological ramifications are remarkable). Please read this book. It will change your life. More than any other work (save the Bible), it has changed mine. Use the book as a guide away from the modern and post-modern philosophies which have so devastated our world -- and return to a time and place where truth and good were constant. Sit back, light a pipe, and read the story aloud to those you love. You will never be the same again.
Rating: 
Summary: Not as good as Feist
Review: I'm a huge fan of fantasy writing, and before you all go biting my head off, i enjoyed the book. The storyline was fantastic, but Tolkien is just not my style of writer. Raymond E Feist, I beleive, has accomplished much more in his books of the riftwar saga. He might not be as highly credited as Tolkien, but i believe that his writing style is more mature. Tolkien seems to write as if addressing people that wont understand real fantastical writing. Give the storyline to a different writer, and the book would have received a 6 out of 5 from me.
Rating: 
Summary: Terrific Contents, Poor Printing
Review: I will not elaborate on the contents of J. R. R. Tolkien's masterpiece, others have done that much better, just read some the remaining reviews. Instead I would like to give my two cents to this specific edition: while it is dubbed as "Collector's Edition", I had to find out the hard way, that it is not really set in new type but only photo-offset from another edition which leads to an irregular print with lots of flaws in the appearance of the different letters. If you know the book, just compare pages 6 (photo-offset) and 7 (conventionally set) for excellent examples of blurred acharacters vs. clarity and excellent readability. In my personal view, this is not the standard I would expect from a "Collector's Edition" let alone from the price of this book. - I am extremely disappointed.
Rating:
Summary: untitled
Review: I disagree with what CeP said. It's almost blasphmy. To describe the excellence of The Trilogy is impossible. You will only understate the genius with wich it was written. That it is the best novel ever written would only more true if it were in the Bible. Don't believe me? Read it!
Rating:
Summary: the best book ever written
Review: First of all, I would like it to be made known, that, without a doubt, this is the foremost literary work in the english language. The quality of writing is amazing, and this is truly fantasy at it's finest.
Rating: 
Summary: for TLOTR audio, (Minds eye version)
Review: This audio version of the long beloved masterpiece is impressive in its inclusion of the entirety of the original three books. Scenes that all of the movies and all of the other audio versions have left out for whatever reasons are presented here at last, including the Old Forest and Tom Bombadil, and the Barrow Downs scenes. Even in the face of this laudable boldness I am compelled to say I hated it from beginning to end. The production sounds as though a bunch of somnambulant old men with no acting skills whatsoever were dragged into a closet filled with expensive digital recording equipment and forced to read a script which they have never seen before. It appears that no attempt was made at casting or direction in spite of the obvious effort to include nearly the whole of the three books.I highly recommend anybody considering the purchase of an audio dramatization of TLOTR to consider the BBC Radio version also available at this site, in spite of a few sadly missing scenes the production is much better.
Rating:
Summary: A travelogue to a rich and dangerous world.
Review: I suppose there are two kinds of people who read these reviews: those ten or fifteen people who have never read Lord of the Rings, and want to know whether they should or not, and people who have visited this land many times and, feeling nostalgia, want to hear other reports of it. All I can say to the first group is, if you like to stay at home, safe behind VCR and keyboard, never read a book twice, and want managable cliches to do the work of imagining for you when you do read a story, give this one a wide berth. If, on the other hand, you feel that this world is not quite your home, beware of Middle Earth, it may enchant you. It may not be heaven, but for those who can feel its incantation, it may awaken a longing that nothing on earth can quite satisfy. Maybe that sounds overblown to you. Let me just tell you, then, it's a great story, and for some, it will be hard to find a better. Tolkien has taken the raw material of the human psyche and fashioned a world with it, and then put a story in that world that will fill your imagination with unforgetable images. I don't think I even noticed, the first several times through, the genius he displays for character and motivation or for linguistic invention, the story swept me off my feet so completely. After years of reading it, even the things I don't much care for -- some of the poetry, Sam's overly servile attitude, a bit of a slow beginning in Fellowship of the Ring, some rather clumsy map-making -- have worked into the whole and become a part of its charm. Best not pick this book up for the first time without a very long block of free time ahead of you, in case it strikes you in the same way.
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