Reddit reviews The Histories of Middle Earth, Volumes 1-5

Gandalf is a straight up badass. I would encourage you to go back and read [The Silmarillion] (http://www.amazon.com/The-Silmarillion-J-R-R-Tolkien/dp/0618391118/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1373920830&sr=8-1&keywords=silmarillion) as well as the [History of Middle Earth Volumes] (http://www.amazon.com/The-Histories-Middle-Earth-Volumes/dp/0345466454/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1373920796&sr=8-1&keywords=the+history+of+middle+earth) to get a better understanding of the background of the entire world. It's by no means easy reading, and it's very in-depth and very dense, but it gives you a deeper understanding and appreciation for the world which Tolkien had created.

The Histories of Middle Earth, Volumes 1-5 https://www.amazon.com/dp/0345466454/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_hp7lDbP1VNEHM

I'll tell you what I did and, hopefully, it'll work out for you, too.

(I'm in the US, so your results may vary.)

Books 1 - 5 were readily available in paperback and are fairly cheap here (about $6 each).

Books 6 - 8 are often called The History of the Lord of the Rings and I got mine in a bundled set. Amazon currently has them separate and about $11 each. But BEWARE the fourth book in the bundle, titled Sauron Defeated. That's only the first part of Book 9.

Books 9 - 12 are nearly unavailable in the US. I found some on ebay years ago for $50 and more each. That's when I discovered Amazon.co.uk. Yes. Looking there now, I see them at about $12 each right now and they're worth it. Very lovely covers ... I almost wish I got all of mine from there. (There was also a 13th book, an index for all twelve volumes. I got it, too)

I did some quick math and it looks like you could them all for between $100 and $130, depending on if you can find that LOTR bundle or just buy them separately.

Or you could spend $164 and just buy this complete set and save the effort.

I also would recommend The History of The Hobbit, a two-volume set from John Rateliff (since Christopher Tolkien didn't include the details in the History). Here's the first one, Mr. Baggins from the Amazon UK site, just $12. The set is about $50 on the US Amazon site.

The $1800 set is a "collectors hard cover edition" (archival quality, acid-free paper that won't yellow or deteriorate, etc).

Other "complete sets" that you will find on ebay and such are generally first edition hard cover.

What you want to do -- for reading purposes -- is pick up the first five in a paperback boxed set, and then start shopping the used bookstores for the remaining volumes (they've been published in various formats, hard cover, paperback, mass-market paperback, etc.) -- and single volumes are typically pretty cheap (especially the paperback editions), and often they are in pretty good shape, because most people really don't read the things.

Also, if you have NOT already purchased AND read BOTH "The Silmarillion" and "Unfinished Tales", you need to get and read those first... because if you've only read LoTR and/or The Hobbit... well, HoME is probably just going to be almost incomprehensible and "crazy shit" to you. (Ignibus is correct, HoME is not everyone's "cup of tea", and a good indicator is whether you really LOVE Silmarillion/Unfinished Tales -- if you don't think they are GRRRREAATT! then you're probably not going to like HoME.)

http://www.amazon.com/Histories-Middle-Earth-Volumes-1-5/dp/0345466454

Nice collection! My own modest collection has managed to take a couple feet of shelf space and I have been considering building a separate shelf for Tolkien.

I do have a question that I hope you could answer...

I've heard that the mass market paperback edition of Volumes I-V are riddled with errors and am currently seeking to replace those. Do you know if the hardback editions of Volumes VI-IX are better than the current paperback ones (ie. these)?

There's this http://www.amazon.com/Histories-Middle-Earth-Volumes-Paperback/dp/B004CZ5VNU/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1419192408&sr=8-4&keywords=history+of+middle+earth+box+set

but this seems to be more popular http://www.amazon.com/Histories-Middle-Earth-Volumes-1-5/dp/0345466454/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1419192408&sr=8-1&keywords=history+of+middle+earth+box+set

I got them in a store here. But I was able to find these on Amazon. (I dont know if these are deliverable to you or how reliable this is though.)
https://www.amazon.com/Histories-Middle-Earth-Volumes-1-5/dp/0345466454

https://www.amazon.com/gp/bookseries/B00CKD5AXW/ref=dp_st_0395498635

I ordered them off Amazon. They've been getting published for years, and while I don't have a complete list handy, I'm sure you could find one. I can't honestly say I've read them all cover-to-cover, and what I have read was years ago. I just used to collect them when I was really into it. Here are the first five:

http://www.amazon.com/The-Histories-Middle-Earth-Volumes/dp/0345466454/ref=sr_1_8?ie=UTF8&qid=1413760287&sr=8-8&keywords=tolkien

It's the 1-5 Box Set and the rest don't follow the same design. I know it seems really picky but I'd prefer an entire similar set. Thanks.

There is also a US set that has [volumes 1-5] (https://www.amazon.com/Histories-Middle-Earth-Volumes-1-5/dp/0345466454)
I've never owned it so can't attest to its quality.