The Lord of the Rings fans can get The Complete History of Middle-earth for a ridiculously low price as part of Amazon’s Prime Big Deal Days early sale. The $250 box set has dropped to $84.90 for Prime members. This is the lowest price ever for the three-book, 5,440-page hardcover collection, which compiles all 12 volumes in J.R.R. Tolkien’s posthumously published series. This deal is only available for Prime members; the price without a Prime membership is $106.
Alternatively, all four of the 2024 hardcover box sets collecting The History of Middle-earth and The Silmarillion are up for grabs for well over 50% off each, too.
$84.90 (was $250) | Early Prime Big Deal Days Sale
Published in 2020 with an MSRP of $250, The Complete History of Middle-earth is remarkably readable and well-made. Each volume comes with a dust jacket and the books are stored inside of a high-quality custom display case emblazoned with a Tolkien logo.
Based on Tolkien’s legendarium–a massive collection of backstories, lore, and notes covering Middle-earth throughout thousands of years–The History of Middle-earth was originally published from 1983-1996. Christopher Tolkien, the author’s son and literary executor, compiled, edited, and added to the legendarium to create 12 distinct books.
The Complete History of Middle-earth contains all 12 volumes in their original publication chronology:
- Book of Lost Tales, Part I
- Book of Lost Tales, Part II
- The Lays of Beleriand
- The Shaping of Middle-earth
- The Lost Road and Other Writings
- The Return of the Shadow
- The Treason of Isengard
- The War of the Ring
- Sauron Defeated
- Morgoth’s Ring
- The War of the Jewels
- The Peoples of Middle-earth
At 5,440 pages across three books, it’s probably safe to say that these would be the largest books on most fans’ bookshelves. Each of the three volumes was also published individually on the same day as the box set, but at current prices, you’d spend more for two of them than you would for the box set.
The History of Middle-earth Box Sets (2024)
Though The Complete History of Middle-earth is the most economical way to read all 12 volumes in physical format, the 2024 box sets are certainly worth a look, too. These gorgeous sets include splashy, fully illustrated dust jackets and display cases. If you prefer a more traditional look, the other side of the reversible dust jackets feature the original graphics with solid-color backgrounds.
All 12 volumes are included as individual books across the four sets, but if you go this route, you’ll also get a few extra books. Publisher William Morrow decided to include The Silmarillion as the first book in Box Set 1. The Silmarillion, Tolkien’s best-known work besides The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit, is often lumped in with The History of Middle-earth these days early drafts and parts of the 1977 classic are actually in the 12-volume series. Box Set 1 also includes Unfinished Tales, while the final set includes a book-length index.
William Morrow continued its series of decorative Tolkien hardcover box sets this summer with Tolkien Myths and Legends, a four-book box set that’s on sale for $53.70 (was $125), and The Great Tales of Middle-earth, which contains Tolkien’s final three novels and is on sale for $75 (was $125).
If you want a lavish edition of The Lord of the Rings, it’s worth noting that The Lord of the Rings Deluxe Illustrated Box Set is on sale for $135.09 (was $325). Published last October, this beautiful three-volume hardcover set includes over 50 new illustrations by beloved artist Alan Lee. Each book was assembled using cloth boards quarterbound in leather and has new artwork stamped on the covers. The books are stored in a custom cloth board display case that’s foil-stamped with a silver emblem matching thei typescript on the covers and spines. The page edges and interior of the display case have illustrations depicting Mount Doom’s eruption.
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