The Lord of the Rings Deluxe Illustrated Box Set is still discounted to an all-time low price a week after Amazon Big Deal Days ended. The beautiful three-volume set is on sale for only $108.30, which is a staggering $216.70 discount from the lavish collection’s $325 launch price in October 2024. This deal was exclusive to Prime members during Big Deal Days, but now anyone can snag it for this price as of October 14.
The Deluxe Illustrated Box Set is an absolutely stunning edition of LOTR’s Centenary Edition illustrated by Alan Lee. As someone who personally owns this edition of The Lord of the Rings–sadly, I paid considerably more for my copy–I think all big Tolkien fans would love to have this in their collection. So if you have a Lord of the Rings fan on your shopping list, the Deluxe Illustrated Box Set would make for a wonderful gift this holiday.
You can read all about The Lord of the Rings Deluxe Illustrated Box Set below. The store pages at Amazon and Walmart only include one image of the books inside the display case, but there are a bunch of gorgeous promotional images on Barnes & Noble’s store page, including the pair of images above.
We also included a look at the brand-new 2025 edition of The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings Illustrated Box Set–also illustrated by Alan Lee–which launched this week and is available for almost the same price.
$108.30 (was $325)
The Lord of the Rings Deluxe Illustrated Box Set is a revamped version of the gorgeous Centenary Edition from 1992. Across the three hardcover volumes–The Fellowship of the Ring, The Two Towers, and The Return of the King–there are more than 50 new pencil sketches and full-color paintings by beloved Lord of the Rings artist Alan Lee. All told, the box set has 1,332 pages, which makes it longer than most, if not all, editions of LOTR currently in print.
The top and bottom page edges are sprayed dark blue, while the side edges were designed to resemble billowing smoke from Mount Doom’s eruption. Lee created new artwork for the covers, too. Each cover has a framed rectangular drawing in the center. The illustrations are inset on gray cloth board and surrounded by an elegant, silver foil-stamped border. Each book is quarterbound in blue leather, and the pages are sewn into the spine. You can mark your spot using the attached ribbon bookmark.
The silver-foil text along the spine and on the covers was stamped onto each book. The custom display case was constructed from cloth board and features stamped circular emblems designed by Lee. The case has rounded front edges to make it easy to remove each book. With all three books removed, you can peer inside the fully illustrated interior of the case. Lee’s depiction of Mount Doom’s eruption covers every surface inside the lovingly crafted slipcase.
Inside each book, you’ll find a large art card that can be removed and displayed separately. Along with three art cards, you get a pair of foldout maps of Middle-earth drawn by Christopher Tolkien, the author’s literary executor who edited, expanded, and organized many supplementary writings about Middle-earth, including The Silmarillion and Tolkien’s Legendarium, which became the foundation for the massive 12-part series now known as The History of Middle-earth.
$106.66 (was $150) | Released on October 14
William Morrow published another Lord of the Rings box set illustrated by Alan Lee this week (October 14). It’s not nearly as fancy as the three-volume Deluxe Illustrated Box Set, but it comes with a notable addition: The Hobbit, also illustrated by Lee. This four-volume hardcover set features the Centenary Edition of The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit’s 60th Anniversary Edition.
The dust jackets and display box have fully illustrated artwork by Alan Lee. Overall, the exterior design aesthetic is similar to the 2024 History of Middle-earth Box Sets and the recently released pair of box sets: Tolkien Myths and Legends and The Great Tales of Middle-earth.
You’d miss out on the exclusive paintings and sketches from the Deluxe Illustrated Box Set as well as premium features like quarterbound blue leather, cloth board covers, the custom case, etc. In return, you’d get The Hobbit with Lee’s wonderful illustrations.
It’s worth noting this box set was originally published in the UK in 2020. The new US edition appears to be the same as the old one. The 2020 version is available to buy from resellers at Amazon and Walmart for lower prices, and your order ships from Amazon’s warehouse.
2025 Edition
2020 Edition
Amazon is also still selling the Tolkien Illustrated Editions for Big Deal Days prices. Most notably, The Hobbit Illustrated is on sale for $30.39 (was $75). The Silmarillion’s Tolkien Illustrated Edition is actually slightly cheaper than it was during Big Deal Days. Each Tolkien Illustrated Edition comes with sketches, paintings, and maps by the author and has stained edges with Dwarvish/Elvish script. You’ll also get a pair of fold-out maps with both books.
Deals on recent Tolkien Box Sets
Two other Tolkien box sets remain discounted to the same prices they were during Amazon’s sale. The Great Tales of Middle-earth, the final Middle-earth novels, received a new hardcover box set in August. You can get the gorgeous three-book set for only $75 (was $125). It’s worth noting there’s a 2018 hardcover box set edition of The Great Tales of Middle-earth for $50 (was $100). You can also save well over 50% on Tolkien Myths and Legends. Published in June for $125, this four-book hardcover collection is discounted to only $51. It comes with two myths written by Tolkien as well as his personal translations of four epic poems, including Beowulf.
The Lord of the Rings Steelbook Edition 4K Blu-rays
The Lord of the Rings fans can now pick up all three films in Peter Jackson’s trilogy on 4K Blu-ray with collectible steelbook cases. The Return of the King’s Steelbook Edition launched this week (October 14) and is available for $30 (was $35) at Walmart. Amazon is currently sold out of The Return of the King, but The Fellowship of the Ring’s Steelbook Edition is available for its lowest price yet at both retailers, and The Two Towers is in stock for only $30.
- The Fellowship of the Ring Steelbook (4K, Digital)
- The Two Towers Steelbook (4K, Digital)
- The Return of the King Steelbook (4K, Digital)