good source for H.O.M.E.?

[MithrilSoul]

I'm interested in purchasing the History of Middle Earth series...anyone have a good recommendation for where to get it? Amazon and Barnes & Noble both seem very hit-or-miss, having some volumes but not others, or having all the volumes but only as published by different publishers in different sizes, etc.

Is there a way to get all 12 in one cohesive set? At a reasonable price?

[lbcadden3]

Only one I saw was this one
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00...sr=1-1&seller=

used though.

Boxed set also used but $900.00
http://www.amazon.com/Complete-Histo...6631457&sr=1-1

Makes me wonder if the first one is a true set or put together by seller.

[Arasilion]

Only one I saw was this one
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00...sr=1-1&seller=

used though.

Boxed set also used but $900.00
http://www.amazon.com/Complete-Histo...6631457&sr=1-1

Makes me wonder if the first one is a true set or put together by seller.

No way that the boxed set is 900 bucks!

I bought Part 1 from Barnes and Noble but I can't seem to find the boxed set for Part 2. I really don't want to buy the books individually, because I like the look of having both parts in a box set.

[TsarithArcher]

I used to have all the Volumes too...but sadly they were stolen years ago.

I've contemplated going the $900 for the complete set, and after thinking about it, decided that price isn't really that obscene (I've paid twice that for a single resource book that I needed for several College Courses). In the long run, you'll be thankful you did.

(Just don't let anyone walk off with them!)

A great source (and price comparison) for rare Tolkien materials that are OOP (Out of Print) is http://www.tolkienlibrary.com/dmiller/dmiller.htm

[Merciful_Death]

You can also get the set of 12 divided into thre "volumes" for about $85-$95 per volume.

This would give you the content, and let you have them in the same size/publisher/format.

In fact, I just ordered mine from amazon.com because of this thread!

[BIGeyedBUG]

Is there a way to get all 12 in one cohesive set? At a reasonable price?

I've had reasonably good luck at my local used bookstores. But if that's not an option, it looks like you can piece together the whole thing for an absurdly low price from used deals on amazon.

edit: Ok, looking at it a little more closely, you may not be able to get a uniform set going exclusively that way.

[shoreless]

Let me know what you think once you've read it. I'm always curious as to whether or not I might enjoy it; it seems too academic and laborious for me based on what I've seen.

[MithrilSoul]

Let me know what you think once you've read it. I'm always curious as to whether or not I might enjoy it; it seems too academic and laborious for me based on what I've seen.

Sure thing. One thing I would suggest is maybe picking up just one volume of it (you can get the small, mass market paperbacks for like $7) to get a sense of the flavor. Or you could try Unfinished Tales, which is a single-volume work that in many ways is very similar to what the HOME books are like. I find some of the academic stuff interesting, and some less so.

[Fornost]

Let me know what you think once you've read it. I'm always curious as to whether or not I might enjoy it; it seems too academic and laborious for me based on what I've seen.

I find volumes 6-9 (the History of the Lord of the Rings) extremely interesting; it basically covers the writing of LOTR from the very first drafts up to the final form we're familiar with. Volume 12 (the final one, Peoples of Middle Earth) also looks very interesting in that it delves deeper into other matters of various ages that very much concern LOTR, and has the writing of the prologue and appendices of it. Unfinished tales, as has been mentioned, also touches on lots of things only hinted at in LOTR, and explains much of what is going on in the background during it.

The other volumes of it may be more or less interesting to you depending on how much you're interested in earlier ages and the backstory. If you can get through the Silmarillian and/or like the Childrin of Hurin, they may well be for you. If not, I'm not sure if the other volumes would be worth it to you.

[Laire]

I find volumes 6-9 (the History of the Lord of the Rings) extremely interesting; it basically covers the writing of LOTR from the very first drafts up to the final form we're familiar with. Volume 12 (the final one, Peoples of Middle Earth) also looks very interesting in that it delves deeper into other matters of various ages that very much concern LOTR, and has the writing of the prologue and appendices of it. Unfinished tales, as has been mentioned, also touches on lots of things only hinted at in LOTR, and explains much of what is going on in the background during it.

The other volumes of it may be more or less interesting to you depending on how much you're interested in earlier ages and the backstory. If you can get through the Silmarillian and/or like the Childrin of Hurin, they may well be for you. If not, I'm not sure if the other volumes would be worth it to you.

Yea, I didn't enjoy Book of Lost Tales (HoMe 1) that much, but I loved The Return of the Shadow (HoMe 6) which goes into the first drafts of FOTR. I still can't believe that Aragorn could have been a wooden-shoe-wearing hobbit... *shudder*

[shoreless]

If you can get through the Silmarillian and/or like the Childrin of Hurin, they may well be for you. If not, I'm not sure if the other volumes would be worth it to you.

I loved The Silmarillion and Children of Hurin both so that may suit me. Thanks for the suggestion, though. I definitely mean to pick up Unfinished Tales once grad school slows down.

[Arasilion]

Let me know what you think once you've read it. I'm always curious as to whether or not I might enjoy it; it seems too academic and laborious for me based on what I've seen.

Generally speaking, HoME is suited for the serious Tolkien scholar that is interested in the path Tolkien took to mature his mythology. But there are parts that any casual fan would enjoy, like the story "The Fall of Gondolin". That story alone is worth the purchase price, IMO.

Also, I really love the poems. Especially the poem about Fingolfin confronting Morgoth:

In that vast shadow once of yore
Fingolfin stood: his shield he bore
with field of heaven's blue and star
of crystal shining pale afar.
In overmastering wrath and hate
desperate he smote upon that gate,
the Gnomish king, there standing lone,
while endless fortresses of stone
engulfed the thin clear ringing keen
of silver horn on baldric green.
His hopeless challenge dauntless cried
Fingolfin there: "Come, open wide,
dark king, your ghastly brazen doors!
Come forth, whom earth and heaven abhors!
and fight with thine own hand sword,
thou wielder of hosts of banded thralls,
thou tyrant leaguered with strong walls,
thou foe of Gods and elvish race!
I wait thee here. Come! Show thy face!"

Then Morgoth came...

[MithrilSoul]

Generally speaking, HoME is suited for the serious Tolkien scholar that is interested in the path Tolkien took to mature his mythology. But there are parts that any casual fan would enjoy, like the story "The Fall of Gondolin". That story alone is worth the purchase price, IMO.

Also, I really love the poems. Especially the poem about Fingolfin confronting Morgoth:

In that vast shadow once of yore
Fingolfin stood: his shield he bore
with field of heaven's blue and star
of crystal shining pale afar... (snip)

Yeah, I really want to read The Fall of Gondolin. Several people on this forum have mentioned it and I just recently got through re-reading most of the Silmarillion so the Gondolin story really has my attention currently.

[BIGeyedBUG]

Generally speaking, HoME is suited for the serious Tolkien scholar

I can also attest that it suits me, a playful Tolkien amateur.

[Arasilion]

I can also attest that it suits me, a playful Tolkien amateur.

Wow.

Even I, an uber-nerd, got a little tired of reading twenty zillion versions of the same story.

[BIGeyedBUG]

Wow.

Even I, an uber-nerd, got a little tired of reading twenty zillion versions of the same story.

I wouldn't call most of it the most riveting read ever, but yeah, I'm enjoying it a lot. However, there aren't many people to whom I'd recommend it without a lot of caveats.

(Even on my first forays into HOME, 5 or so years ago, I did find much of it tedious. I'm not sure what has changed in that time--my reading habits haven't matured in any other way that I can tell.)

[Arasilion]

I wouldn't call most of it the most riveting read ever, but yeah, I'm enjoying it a lot. However, there aren't many people to whom I'd recommend it without a lot of caveats.

(Even on my first forays into HOME, 5 or so years ago, I did find much of it tedious. I'm not sure what has changed in that time--my reading habits haven't matured in any other way that I can tell.)

Must be because you're starting to realize Tolkien's mythology isn't superficial, and it deserves the time you spend learning about it :-)

[BIGeyedBUG]

Well that's certainly not it.