Since it was first published in 1954, The Lord of the Rings has been a book people have treasured. Steeped in unrivalled magic and otherworldliness, its sweeping fantasy and epic adventure has touched the hearts of young and old alike. Over 100 million copies of its many editions have been sold around the world, and occasional collectors' editions become prized and valuable items of publishing. An example of textual mistake has been the phrase "from the lowlands to the Dwarf-kingdom" (Book II, Chapter 6) which has been changed to "from the lowlands of the Dwarf-kingdom" in a subsequent edition (whereas Moria had no lowlands); the couple restored it to its original correct form. [4] In addition I also read that when comparing the books people are talking mostly of the first copies printed. Can anyone let me know what the quality is between the two editions available today?

This new edition includes the fiftieth-anniversary fully corrected text setting and, for the first time, an extensive new index. For information on other books by and about J.R.R. Tolkien published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, visit www.lordoftheringstrilogy.com." J.R.R. Tolkien (1892-1973), beloved throughout the world as the creator of The Hobbit, The Lord of the Rings, and The Silmarillion, was a professor of Anglo-Saxon at Oxford, a fellow of Pembroke College, and a fellow of Merton College until his retirement in 1959. His chief interest was the linguistic aspects of the early English written tradition, but while he studied classic works of the past, he was creating a set of his own. This special 50th anniversary edition includes three volumes of The Lord of the Rings ( The Fellowship of the Ring, The Two Towers, and The Return of the King), along with an extensive new index—a must-own tome for old and new Tolkien readers alike .Supervised by Christopher Tolkien, and based on the latest compared text, the couple made fixes to typographical errors and mistakes, and corrections to the text when it was certain that the latest text reflected Tolkien's preference. Whenever those were clear, spelling and capitalization were regularized. More substantial textual mistakes (see below) were conservatively considered by case. [4] Christopher Tolkien was positive in "getting rid" of such inconsistencies that distract observant readers, pointing out that were his father notified about them, he would immediately correct them. [1] Since it was first published in 1954, The Lord of the Rings has been a book people have treasured. Steeped in unrivalled magic and otherworldliness, its sweeping fantasy and epic adventure has touched the hearts of young and old alike. Over 150 million copies of its many editions have been sold around the world, and occasional collectors’ editions become prized and valuable items of publishing.

Both J.R.R. Tolkien and his son, Christopher Tolkien, had prepared lists of such errors to guide emendations for future editions. Steven M. Frisby had also made comparisons of different LotR copies, and researched Tolkien's original manuscripts in the libraries at the Marquette University. David Bratman also authored A Corrigenda to The Lord of the Rings in The Tolkien Collector #6. Similar lists and comments have been made independently by scholars such as Douglas Anderson, Charles Noad and Arden Smith. The Fellowship of the Ring (Lord of the Rings 1) (978-0007203543) and The Two Towers (Lord of the Rings 2) (978-0007203550) and The Return of the King (Lord of the Rings 3) (978-0007203567)One Ring to rule them all, One Ring to find them, One Ring to bring them all and in the darkness bind them. He further adds "In addition, the text has been updated to include all the corrections from the 50th Anniversary edition, so it’s the first time the final text and final pictures will have appeared in the same volume."