New The Hobbit Edition Illustrated By J.R.R. Tolkien Is 55% Off

Following the massively successful release of new illustrated editions of The Lord of the Rings and The Silmarillion that feature a treasure trove of sketches, drawings, paintings, and maps created by J.R.R. Tolkien himself, it's no surprise that The Hobbit has been given the same treatment. Indeed, the Hobbit Illustrated edition is on sale now, and it's a book that can only be fully appreciated in hardcover. Fortunately, there's a massive deal happening right now that will make acquiring it for your collection a little easier on the ol' bank account. 

At the time of writing, The Hobbit Illustrated by J.R.R. Tolkien Edition is available here on Amazon for $33.75 after a combined 47% off deal and $5.72 instant coupon (55% off total) – an all-time low. You can also find The Lord of the Rings and The Silmarillion Illustrated editions on sale via the links below. Beyond that you'll find some additional info and sample pages from The Hobbit. 

• The Lord of the Rings Illustrated (Standard Edition) / 48% off – See on Amazon
• The Lord of the Rings Illustrated (Special Edition) / 43% off - See on Amazon
• The Silmarillion Illustrated / Currently out of stock – See on Amazon
• The Hobbit Illustrated / 55% off – See on Amazon

As with the LOTR and Silmarillion editions, The Hobbit has been enhanced with Tolkien's art to the tune of 50 sketches, drawings, paintings, and maps. The text is also printed in two colors. Note that Tokien's art has appeared in The Hobbit since its first publication in 1937, but this edition includes many works that have never been included before. 

Deb Brody, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt's vice president and publisher notes that Tolkien 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."

"Written for J.R.R. Tolkien's own children, The Hobbit was published on 21 September 1937. With a beautiful cover design, a handful of black & white drawings and two maps by the author himself, the book became an instant success and was reprinted shortly afterwards with five color plates.

New Lord of the Rings Movies Are On The Way

Last August, the IP rights for The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit were purchased by Embracer Group, with plans to extend the franchise even further. Prior to that purchase, Prime Video developed the first season of a television show in the franchise, The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power, which has already been greenlit for a second season. Additionally, Warner Bros. Discovery has announced plans to create new Lord of the Rings movies, which will debut at a later date.

"I am truly excited to have The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit, one of the world's most epic fantasy franchises join the Embracer family, opening up more transmedia opportunities including synergies across our global group," said Lars Wingefors, Founder and Group CEO Embracer Group, at the time. "I am thrilled to see what lies in the future for this IP with Freemode and Asmodee as a start within the group. Going forward, we also look forward to collaborating with both existing and new external licensees of our increasingly stronger IP portfolio."

What Will the New Lord of the Rings Movies Be About?

Plot details are currently unknown about the new Lord of the Rings movies, especially with the general story of The Lord of The Rings and The Hobbit being told onscreen in films helmed by Peter Jackson. In a recent statement to Deadline, Jackson, as well as his co-writers Fran Walsh and Philippa Boyens, revealed that they are "in the loop" with these new plans.

"Warner Brothers and Embracer have kept us in the loop every step of the way," the Oscar-winning trio said. "We look forward to speaking with them further to hear their vision for the franchise moving forward."