Excitingly, a new edition of The Lord of the Rings has been unveiled by publisher HarperCollins, and it will use the original paintings, drawings and sketches by author J R R Tolkien to depict the classic fantasy story.
These works have not been featured in a copy of the book since 1954, so this is mega news for fans of the series. Pop in a reminder for the start of October, because that's when the company expects to see this edition hit the shelves in North America, and then later on in translations for the rest of the world. "Like many young readers, I was enthralled by his charming and evocative illustrations that accompanied The Hobbit," said deputy publishing director Chris Smith in a press release. "These paintings, particularly the now-iconic image that appears on its cover, have become as beloved as the story they accompany."
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"Yet the author himself was characteristically modest, dismissive of the obvious and rare artistic talent he possessed despite having had no formal training. This modesty meant that relatively little else of his artwork was known of or seen during his lifetime, and generally only in scholarly books afterwards," he explained. However, following a series of hugely successful exhibitions in Oxford, New York, and Paris, The Bodleian Libraries agreed to marry these pieces with the text that inspired them in an official edition of the lionised book. HarperCollins is "delighted" to offer fans the opportunity to "enjoy this masterpiece anew" with the additions, and I imagine it will cost a pretty penny when it launches.
Of course, there is also The Lord of the Rings TV show to look forward to too, and it is in the works with Amazon Studios. Expectedly, details are very hush-hush at the moment, but we do know that the story will occur thousands of years before the events of The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings (this is sort of the same situation as the upcoming The Witcher prequel). "Beginning in a time of relative peace, the series follows an ensemble cast of characters, both familiar and new, as they confront the long-feared re-emergence of evil to Middle-earth," continued the synopsis. "From the darkest depths of the Misty Mountains, to the majestic forests of the elf-capital of Lindon, to the breathtaking island kingdom of Númenor, to the furthest reaches of the map, these kingdoms and characters will carve out legacies that live on long after they are gone."
Featured Image Credit: New Line CinemaTopics: News, The Lord Of The Rings