Amazon has all three Deluxe Tolkien Illustrated Editions on sale in the lead-up to Prime Big Deal Days (October 7-8). Prime members can get the beautiful slipcased editions of The Hobbit, The Silmarillion, and The Lord of the Rings for up to 60% off. All three books include drawings, paintings, sketches, and maps made by the author, and the Special Editions have high-end features like cloth board covers quarterbound in leather, custom slipcases, and collectible inserts. The Hobbit Deluxe Illustrated: Special Edition is on sale for $79 (was $195), The Silmarillion is $80 (was $195), and The Lord of the Rings is $111.56 (was $250).
Each Tolkien Illustrated Edition is also available in a standard hardcover edition that costs far less, but only The Hobbit has an official Prime Big Deal Days promotion right now. The Hobbit: Tolkien Illustrated Edition is on sale for $30.39 (was $75).
Check out all three Tolkien Illustrated Special Editions below. We’ve also included Amazon’s deal on the stunning 2024 Lord of the Rings box set illustrated by Alan Lee, as it’s on sale for a new all-time low price. For more Prime Big Deal Days J.R.R. Tolkien deals, read our stories on The Complete History of Middle-earth, the budget-friendly 2024 Collector’s Editions, and the classic 1988 hardcover box set with cover art by Lee.
$78.93 (was $195)
The Deluxe Special Edition of The Hobbit has numerous unique features not found in the standard edition published by William Morrow in 2023. The 384-page book has a redesigned, premium binding made of cloth board and quarterbound in ribbed green leather. The custom clothbound slipcase and cover have foil-stamped logos and text. While the standard edition has blue stained page edges, the Special Edition opts for gold edges instead, which adds to its luxurious aesthetic. Like the standard edition, you’ll get built-in ribbon bookmark.
This version also comes with a few unique bonuses: two fold-out, poster-sized maps of Thror’s Map and the Wilderland, an 88-page illustrated booklet, and an art card reproduction of the painting Tolkien made for The Hobbit’s original dust jacket.
Both Tolkien Illustrated Editions of The Hobbit feature 50 sketches, paintings, and other artwork created by Tolkien while he drafted the prelude to The Lord of the Rings.
As mentioned, The Hobbit: Tolkien Illustrated standard edition is available for $30.93 (was $75) and is an official Prime Big Deal Days offer.
$79.88 (was $195)
The Silmarillion’s Deluxe Special Edition is on sale for roughly the same price as The Hobbit, but it’s worth noting that this isn’t an all-time low. It was briefly on sale for $55 during Prime Day earlier this year.
The Tolkien Illustrated Edition of The Silmarillion is 448 pages and includes 50 illustrations, paintings, and sketches by J.R.R. Tolkien. The pricier Deluxe version has a ribbed spine quarterbound in blue leather and a cloth board cover. The custom clothbound slipcase and cover feature foil-stamped symbols and Elvish script. The book has silver page edges, the text is printed in two colors, and you can mark your place with a ribbon bookmark.
Inside the slipcase you’ll also find a Taniquetil art card and a pair of poster-sized maps of Beleriand. One map shows an earlier version of the region, while the second shows a more fully realized setting. In addition to the maps and art card, you’ll get an illustrated booklet detailing the creation of The Silmarillion, as told by Christopher Tolkien.
The standard hardcover edition is available for $39.78 (was $75), but this isn’t an official Prime Big Deal Days promotion, so there’s a chance it will drop to a lower price over the next few days.
$111.56 (was $250)
The Deluxe Illustrated Special Edition of The Lord of the Rings is almost always more expensive than the other two, but it’s a significantly larger book that collects all three parts of Tolkien’s masterwork: The Fellowship of the Ring, The Two Towers, and The Return of the King. It’s on sale for 55% off, dropping the price to $111.56 (was $250).
The 1,248-page Deluxe Illustrated Special Edition was the first of the three to release–William Morrow published it in 2022–so many of the unique features found in the other two were pulled from here. It includes a pair of fold-out maps of Middle-earth created Chrstopher Tolkien, a quarterbound red leather spine and cloth board cover, clothbound slipcase, and foil-stamped images and text on cover and case. It also comes with a few additional inserts, including Thorin’s letter to Bilbo in Elvish.
The pages of the Deluxe Special Edition have gold edges–the standard edition has red edges–and throughout the text you’ll find 30 full-color illustrations by J.R.R. Tolkien. Like the standard edition, this version includes a ribbon bookmark and the complete original text, including the lengthy appendices.
The standard hardcover of The Lord of the Rings: Tolkien Illustrated hasn’t received an official Big Deal Days discount yet.
$131.86 (was $325) | Illustrated by Alan Lee
Fans of The Lord of the Rings have another ultra-premium option when it comes to illustrated editions of The Fellowship of the Ring, The Two Towers, and The Return of the King. Last year, William Morrow released a remastered version of the beloved 1992 hardcover edition.
The Lord of the Rings Deluxe Illustrated Box Set launched with a list price of $325, but Amazon currently has the box set for only $131.86.
Split into three volumes, this premium hardcover collection features a bevy of illustrations by fan-favorite artist Alan Lee. Notably, the 2024 box set has over 50 brand-new pencil sketches and full-color paintings. You’ll also get three art cards and two fold-out maps drawn by Christopher Tolkien.
Like the Tolkien Illustrated Deluxe Editions, these books are quarterbound in leather and cloth. The cloth board slipcase and the covers have silver foil-stamped symbols and text. The billowing smoke from Mount Doom is illustrated inside the display box and on the side page edges. Meanwhile, the page edges on top and bottom are stained dark blue.
This edition of Lord of the Rings is 1,332 pages–all of which are sewn to the spine–and each volume includes a ribbon bookmark.
Check out our in-depth look at the Deluxe Illustrated Box Set for more details.
