Book: The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King

Author: J. R. R. Tolkien
Started: 7 Mar 2006
Finished: 25 Mar 2006
544p / 19d
29 p/d

I read Two Towers right as the Two towers movie was coming out. I had intended to finish it before the movie came out, but ended up finishing a little after. At least I think that is what happened. In any case, it was a long time ago. And my book pile has been so disrupted by the various moves, it doesn’t much resemble what it was. At the time I left Pennsylvania, this was 6th on the list. But others snuck in before they should have because things were in boxes. In any case, I finally got to it. Not quite in time for the third movie.

Of couse this is not the first time I read this. This series is one I have read many many times since my dad read me The Hobbit. It had been a number of years though. And I worried a bit that the years since I had read the last book in the series most recently would detract. But no, it didn’t. This series is still one of my favorites.

It did seem to go much faster than I remembered though. Every night I’d stop and think, wow, I got to that part already?

And as usual with the Return of the King in particular, the part that facinated me more than practically any other part was reading the extensive appendicies. The additional detail and background that gives is great. Especially the first few that give some more information on what happens to the characters after the end of the book, and then given an overview of the history of middle earth than is explored more fully in The Silmarillion. People who read this series but then skip the Appendicies are missing out!

The other thing I was acutely aware of as reading this time around was that both my copies of The Atlas of Middle-Earth were in Florida. I loved that thing too, and I kept wanting to refer to it, but didn’t have it…

One final thing to mention. The edition pictured above is the one I actually read. A copy I’ve had since sometime in the mid 80’s. The link above is to a current edition as this one is no longer in print. However, it also made me think about the copies that were the first ones I ever read. Including the copy of The Hobbit in the picture of me and my dad I linked above. Turns out while they were not from the very first print run, the versions my dad shared with me of The Hobbit, The Followship of the Ring, and the Two Towers were early enough that they had the same cover design as the first American paperback editions. And more impressive, the copy of the Return of the King was the ORIGINAL hardcover design from the UK. (Although it is missing it’s dust cover, which I vaguely remember, but have not seen since I was a child, and maybe never saw, but I think I did…) As I said, not actual first printing, but first edition if that is the right termonology… before the first time they redid the cover artwork in any case. All four of those books are at this moment in boxes in Florida. If they were in good condition they would be worth a decent amount as collectible editions. Unfortunately, they were beloved books from when I was about age 10 to when I wanted to read them at a time I didn’t have the old ones handy and bought a new copy sometime when I was a teenager. So I beat the hell out of them. All four are in pretty bad condition. The covers of the paperbacks are seperated and torn, the pages are yellowed and brittle, etc, etc. The hardcover is a bit better off, but still pretty beat up.

Anyway, whenever I find that box again, those four books are going to get put somewhere very carefully so they don’t get any worse. Cause of the condition they are already in probably not worth anything, but still fond sentamental memories for me.

In any case, great books. Silmarillian is next. Wonder how many years until I get to it.