Book Review: The Hobbit by J. R. R. Tolkien (printed by The Folio Society)

The Folio Society have printed this rather special copy of The Hobbit by J. R. R. Tolkien. Here is what The Folio Society say about themselves: Great books should be outstanding not only in literary content but also in their physical form: this has been the philosophy of The Folio Society since it was founded in 1947 by Charles Ede, with a dream of publishing beautiful books that would be affordable to everyone. Our pleasure in reading is enhanced by the book itself, in which typography, illustration, paper, printing and binding all play a part in creating a harmonious whole. In a world of declining publishing standards, where most books are cheaply printed, and bound using low-grade materials, The Folio Society resolutely sets store by traditional values of excellence; for our designers and production personnel the term ‘quite good’ means ‘no good’: only the best is good enough. (From The Folio Society – About Us, Last accessed: Thursday 11th June 2013.)

The kind people at Total Media sent me a copy of The Hobbit by J. R. R. Tolkien to read and review. Let’s start with the exquisite presentation of the book.

The high quality paper is thick and feels like parchment; the hardback binding is superb and comes complete with it’s own sturdy case. The overall presentation of the book can only be described as: beautiful, detailed and unique.

Inside the typography is easy to read and it has some fantastic illustrations:

The story itself is an upbeat adventure which is captivating, but lacks the epic end-of-the-world stakes found in The Lord of the Rings trilogy. The Hobbit by J. R. R. Tolkien (printed by The Folio Society) is slightly more expensive than a mass printed copy bought off Amazon, but the exceptional quality of the print, binding, typography and illustrations make it completely worth the extra cost.

The Hobbit by J. R. R. Tolkien (printed by The Folio Society) is the perfect gift for any fan The Hobbit Film or The Lord of the Rings Film Trilogy whose into literature.

The Hobbit by J. R. R. Tolkien (printed by The Folio Society) is exclusively available to buy on The Folio Society website. The Folio Society also print other classic titles at the same outstanding quality.

Write soon,

Antony

I aim for posts on this blog to be informative, educational and entertaining. If you have found this post useful or enjoyable, please consider making a contribution by Paypal: