{"id":9551,"date":"2023-08-20T10:22:17","date_gmt":"2023-08-20T08:22:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.lesestunden.de\/?p=9551"},"modified":"2026-01-06T23:26:29","modified_gmt":"2026-01-06T22:26:29","slug":"tolkiens-herr-der-ringe-ein-alter-hut-oder-noch-immer-ein-lesetipp","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.lesestunden.de\/en\/2023\/08\/tolkiens-lord-of-the-rings-old-hat-or-still-a-reading-tip\/","title":{"rendered":"Tolkien's Lord of the Rings: Old hat or still a reading tip?"},"content":{"rendered":"\r\n

The Lord of the Rings<\/em> by Tolkien is the most famous fantasy work of our time\u2014adapted multiple times for the screen, published in countless editions, and accompanied by an enormous range of franchise merchandise around this classic fantasy adventure. But is it still worth reading today, in 2023, or has the story become outdated and turned into an overly commercial product? My personal look at the vast cosmos of Tolkien\u2019s The Lord of the Rings<\/em>.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

I\u2019m usually put off when a book is commercially very successful, just as I tend to steer clear of the Spiegel bestsellers\u2014very rarely have I found a real gem among them. I read The Lord of the Rings<\/em> back when fantasy literature as a genre wasn\u2019t as broad as it is today, and there wasn\u2019t yet a distinction between subgenres such as high fantasy, urban fantasy, and so on. I always found the story beautiful and loved its classic fantasy setting, especially the wonderfully atmospheric world Tolkien created. Still, the book never held quite the same significance for me as it does for many others. Another fantasy series<\/a> won that race for me.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

The Lord of the Rings<\/em> now encompasses not only the main trilogy and its prequel The Hobbit<\/em> but also numerous additional works, many of which were published by J. R. R. Tolkien\u2019s son Christopher Tolkien, who carefully managed his father\u2019s literary estate. Then came the famous and elaborate film adaptations by Peter Jackson, and more recently, Amazon\u2019s television series adaptation.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

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The bands are clearly visible but not overly pronounced. The red edges pick up the red accent color that is also used for the bookmark ribbon.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

A few years ago, I read The Lord of the Rings<\/em> again. The wonderful thing about widely read classics is that they\u2019re often available in splendid editions. Accordingly, I looked around and eventually decided to have a custom luxury edition<\/a> bound, based on the highly praised single-volume edition translated by Margaret Carroux. Naturally, I reread the book at that time and thoroughly enjoyed it. Yes, The Lord of the Rings<\/em> is a fantastic book\u2014with its beautiful setting and finely crafted world, it\u2019s simply a timeless classic that hasn\u2019t lost any of its magic.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

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Later, I also picked up The Hobbit<\/em>\u2014in a beautiful limited leather-bound edition from Klett-Cotta Verlag, which is now out of print and has significantly increased in value. I actually liked The Hobbit<\/em> a bit better; it\u2019s a wonderfully complete story with a satisfying arc that contains everything one expects from a well-crafted fantasy book. For anyone who doesn\u2019t want to invest too much time and is unsure where to start, this one is definitely highly recommended.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

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Not too long ago, I discovered a facsimile of the first edition of The Hobbit<\/em>. The original print run consisted of 1,500 copies. A few months ago, one of those originals was auctioned for 12,000 euros. For those who don\u2019t want to spend that kind of money but still want to experience the look and feel of the original edition, a replica is available in bookstores. I bought one, and I must say, I find this classic and simple style absolutely delightful\u2014with understated yet very atmospheric black-and-white illustrations drawn by Tolkien himself. Reading this beautiful, classically designed book was a real pleasure; it draws you fully into that old-fashioned yet enchanting world, and it\u2019s easy to imagine Tolkien reading it aloud to his children.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

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Over the years, numerous other books have been published. For example, three small volumes<\/a> containing Tolkien\u2019s poems and fairy tales, all beautifully designed. Or Beren and L\u00fathien<\/em><\/a>, a story presented in its various versions, allowing readers to see how Tolkien\u2019s tales evolved over time.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

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The film adaptations by Peter Jackson are especially famous. I haven\u2019t watched them in ages, though I really feel like revisiting them\u2014but in the evenings, books usually win out. Several well-known illustrators have painted countless works based on Tolkien\u2019s stories, most notably Alan Lee and John Howe. Their beautiful illustrations bring the novels\u2019 mood and atmosphere vividly to life. Both artists went on to work as conceptual illustrators for Peter Jackson\u2019s film trilogy and helped design its iconic sets. There\u2019s also the five-part Arte documentary series In the Footsteps of the Hobbits<\/em>, which explores both the making of the films and Tolkien himself. Northern England, for instance, was a major inspiration for Tolkien, who often went hiking there and found the roots of his world in those landscapes. The book A Journey Through Middle-earth<\/em><\/a> presents numerous sketches and concept designs by John Howe\u2014a gorgeous volume perfect for browsing and dreaming.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

Beyond that, there are countless products inspired by Tolkien\u2019s world\u2014from replicas of the One Ring to board games and even a special Monopoly<\/em> edition set in Middle-earth. You can even buy Bilbo\u2019s or Gandalf\u2019s pipes. Most of these things I find rather kitschy\u2014mere merchandising trinkets that don\u2019t appeal to me much.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

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However, the Lord of the Rings<\/em> set for the trading card game Magic: The Gathering<\/em> is truly remarkable. I\u2019ve loved this game ever since childhood\u2014it\u2019s a nostalgic relic for me. When the set was released, I couldn\u2019t resist ordering the Commander decks. Featuring new, high-quality artwork, the cards are stunning and atmospheric, offering their own visual interpretation of the novels. Unfortunately, they\u2019re quite expensive, so I\u2019m waiting for a reprint before picking up a few more of these beautiful cards.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

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Conclusion:<\/strong> The Lord of the Rings<\/em> remains a beautiful and highly worthwhile read. The classic yet deeply atmospheric setting, the exciting story, and the enchanting, fairy-tale-like characters and races\u2014all immerse the reader in a fascinating world. Personally, I don\u2019t need more than the beautiful books themselves and can easily do without the film adaptations and the many products surrounding The Lord of the Rings<\/em> (except for the Magic: The Gathering<\/em> cards\u2014they got me there). One doesn\u2019t need to buy into the commercial circus. Wonderful literary classics never go out of style; they\u2019re always worth reading\u2014whether now or a hundred years from now.<\/p>\r\n\r\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The Lord of the Rings by Tolkien is the most famous fantasy work of our time\u2014adapted multiple times for the screen, published in countless editions, and accompanied by an enormous range of franchise merchandise around this classic fantasy adventure. But is it still worth reading today, in 2023, or has the story become outdated and … <\/p>\n

Continue reading “Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings: Old hat or still a reading tip?”<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":9526,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"slim_seo":{"title":"Tolkiens Herr der Ringe: Ein alter Hut oder noch immer ein Lesetipp? - lesestunden","description":"Der Herr der Ringe von Tolkien ist das ber\u00fchmteste Fantasy-Werk dieser Tage, vielfach verfilmt, in zahlreichen Ausgaben erschienen und mit seinen unz\u00e4hligen Fra"},"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"_slim_seo_primary_term_category":0,"_slim_seo_primary_term_post_tag":0,"footnotes":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[20],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-9551","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-reviews"],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/www.lesestunden.de\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/tolkien_1.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lesestunden.de\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9551","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lesestunden.de\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lesestunden.de\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lesestunden.de\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lesestunden.de\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=9551"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.lesestunden.de\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9551\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":11436,"href":"https:\/\/www.lesestunden.de\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9551\/revisions\/11436"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lesestunden.de\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/9526"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lesestunden.de\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=9551"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lesestunden.de\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=9551"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lesestunden.de\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=9551"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}