"Children of Húrin" has been published...

[Old_Tom_Bombadil]

Amazon.com now shows the cover for the non-deluxe version. As Voronwë surmised, it's the same as the one on Amazon.uk.

I concur with Prim's assessment of the U.S. market. I think the painting depicting Glaurung emerging from Nargothrond would be far more appealing.

Maybe they're using that for the deluxe edition?

[Alatar]

THe deluxe edition will I'm sure be a solid colour with the Gold leaf stamp already linked above!

[Alatar]

Hmm. Just checked the Canadian Amazon:

22.02 CAD Canada Dollars = 14.4198 EUR Euro

€15 for a Hardback book? That's pretty reasonable!

[Rowanberry]

I don't think that the cover is too bad - a bit bleak perhaps, but it fits the gloomy nature of the story.

And, I just love the dragon-helm stamp.

[Voronwë the Faithful]

I love the stamp, too. And the thing with the other picture is that it was misleading. Everyone thought that it was Túrin and Glaurung, when it was really Mablung with Glaurung.

[truehobbit]

I don't know. That cover just looks . . . British to me. It's balanced and classical and cool and static, and, by American pop culture standards, boring. I wonder if the U.S. publisher might have gone for something more like what we saw first?

I like the cover in general, but I think it's just on the verge of being gaudy. (Not gaudy yet, mind, but very, very close.)

I think 15 Euros is a real bargain for a hardback.

Hey, I'm worth it!

Ah, but will it make your skin smooth and shiny?

(Probably yes, because it'll be radiant with pleasure. )

[Primula Baggins]

Gaudy?

Clearly we need to get you into an American bookstore, hobby.

Americans understand that a book cover is not meant to be a tasteful hint at the contents of the book.

A book cover is meant to pull you from across the room, seize you by the neck, shake you around until your head is going wugga wugga, and deposit you in the parking lot with a purchase you have no memory of making.

That's a book cover.

[yovargas]

Gawdy?? It's a man quietly standing against a grey backdrop - it's practically the exact opposite of gawdy from my pov!

[truehobbit]

But what if being seized by the neck makes me kick and scream and run?

It depends on the book, really. I wouldn't mind something louder for a 'louder' book, but Tolkien is rather subdued and elegant, so I want a subdued and elegant cover. This one is quite nice, though I guess it also depends on what the spine and back are like.
The colours are subdued, but they are verging on purple (it seems) - that's why I felt it was very, very close to being gaudy - but as I said, as it is it's still fine.

But I'd still like to see an American bookstore.

[Alatar]

You really wouldn't Hobby! Trust me on this.

Tasteful is a distinct disadvantage!

[Rowanberry]

The colours are subdued, but they are verging on purple (it seems)

That must have something to do with your screen. On my screen, the picture comes up in very earthy colours .

[Voronwë the Faithful]

Finally, some solid information about what will be included in the two editions. From tolkienlibrary.com (thanks to ted at TORC for posting this there):

Q: What is Alan Lee’s involvement in the book?
In addition to the text The Children of Húrin will include a jacket, colour paintings and pencil drawings by Alan Lee, illustrator of The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings Centenary Edition and Oscar®-winning designer of the film trilogy.
The eight paintings, together with the dramatic front cover illustration and 25 drawings, have been a real labour of love for the artist. He says of his work, ‘It is always a privilege being asked to illustrate the work of such a distinguished and well-loved author. I had already worked on illustrations for editions of The Hobbit and The Lord of The Rings for HarperCollins so was familiar with the particular challenge of interpreting the characters and places unique to Tolkien. Illustrating The Children of Húrin was quite a responsibility but I hope that I have produced artwork that will successfully complement this wonderful tale for the reader.’
Q: What formats will The Children of Húrin be available in?
The Children of Húrin will be simultaneously published in two editions – a standard hardback edition at £18.99 (ISBN 0-00-724622-6) and a de luxe slipcased edition at £60.00 (ISBN 0-00-725223-4).
Q: What will be included in the hardback book?
The book will include the first standalone tale of Middle-earth since 1977 – the complete version of Tolkien’s most dramatic tale:
- A specially written introduction by J.R.R. Tolkien’s son Christopher
- Appendices on the history of the tale also written by Christopher Tolkien
- Exclusive new two-colour fold-out map of Beleriand and the lands to the north
- More than 30 new paintings and drawings by award-winning illustrator Alan Lee
- Three genealogical tables specially drawn by Christopher Tolkien for this new work
Q: What will be in the de luxe edition?
The de luxe edition will be housed in a custom-built slipcase; it will include the cover painting as an exclusive frontispiece; be decorated with a unique foiled motif created specially by Alan Lee for this edition; include a silk ribbon marker; and will be produced using superior materials and binding. It will be the perfect companion to de luxe editions of The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings. It is being published alongside The Children of Húrin hardback in April 2007. Have a look at the first picture reveiled by HarperCollins.

At this time there are no plans for there to be a signed edition. In september 2007 there will be published a large type edition

http://www.tolkienlibrary.com/press/Chi ... in-FAQ.htm

[Primula Baggins]

That's interesting—thanks, Voronwë.

The back of my deluxe red one-volume LotR has broken (it was Mr. Prim's wedding present to me, and I've been extremely careful with it, but I have also actually read it a few times). I hope the quality of this deluxe edition matches its beauty.

I don't intend to buy either one until I hear from people here that it stands on its own as a story.

Edit: Has there ever been a seriously deluxe, leatherbound LotR? I'd buy one. Maybe a leatherbound version of the recent new edition with all the Alan Lee illustrations. . . .

[Old_Tom_Bombadil]

The back of my deluxe red one-volume LotR has broken (it was Mr. Prim's wedding present to me, and I've been extremely careful with it, but I have also actually read it a few times). I hope the quality of this deluxe edition matches its beauty.

I have a nice four volume paperback edition (it includes The Hobbit) with Alan Lee's artwork on the dust jacket. I believe it's The Hobbit 50th anniversary of The Hobbit edition, which I guess would make it 1987, although I purchased it a few years after that. Anyway, I've read them many times, and they show very little wear. Of course I'm pretty gentle with books. I suggest something like that for reading. Leave the nice hardbound editions, such as the Alan Lee illustrated version, for show.

A book cover is meant to pull you from across the room, seize you by the neck, shake you around until your head is going wugga wugga, and deposit you in the parking lot with a purchase you have no memory of making.

Obviously we go to different bookstores. Either than or I'm not going down the right aisle.

[Primula Baggins]

Well, you probably don't hang out in the science fiction section.

P.S. The red LotR is the one I read to my kids. It took a lot of wear, but it really helped to have that big fold-out map where we could trace the journey at a scale everyone could see. I suppose if that book had to be broken, breaking it in that cause was not a bad thing.

Nowadays when I read LotR, I read our old paperbacks, of which we have three sets so I can usually round up the volume I need.

[Alatar]

Prim, there was a deluxe edition of LotR that I fantasised over about 15 years ago. It was black, leatherbound in a black leather slipcase. Printed on india paper, so the entire volume was about the thickness of, say Harry Potter and the Sorcerors/Philosophers Stone.

It was about £85, 15 years ago, so a comparable price today would be maybe $300?

Mrs Alatar was going to buy it for me for our first Christmas, but then she thought, "Well he already has a couple of copies". I'm working hard to forgive her

[Voronwë the Faithful]

You know, after re-reading The Wanderings of Húrin again I have to say that I am having second thoughts about the inclusion of all of that material in this book. I think that it could be too much of an anti-climax. I think everyone can agree that the true climax of the story is Túrin's death. To have that then be followed by this whole involved situation with new elements of Brethil's politics and Húrin becoming the main character after being missing from the story almost from the beginning just doesn't seem to work from a storytelling point of view. Of course some would say the same about the Scouring of the Shire, but I think there is a definite difference. First of all LOTR is longer then CoH, yet the Wanderings of Húrin is much longer then the Scouring. Second, at least the main characters of the Scouring have been the main characters all along. And most importantly, the Scouring is followed by the final resolution of the primary character, Frodo's story. Really the only way that that would be accomplished here would be if the Second Prophecy is tacked on to the end after the Wanderings of Húrin. I'm afraid that that would come across too much as a series of episodes tacked on to each other rather then the single coherent story that this is being billed as.

Anyone have any thoughts about this?

[Voronwë the Faithful]

I guess not.

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Well, it looks like The Wanderings of Húrin will not be in. Here is the Table of Contents (from that same TolkienLibrary faq that I linked to before):

Q: What will be the table of contents for the children of Húrin?
Contents data are machine generated based on pre-publication provided by the publisher and info was recovered from the Library of Congress. Contents may have variations from the printed book or be incomplete. This table of content comes from The Children of Húrin first proofs (10/1/07 16:15) of the Houghton Mifflin Edition.

CONTENTS
Preface 7
Introduction 13
Note on Pronunciation 28
NARN I CHIN Húrin 31
The Tale of the Children of Húrin
I The Childhood of Húrin 33
II The Battle of Unnumbered Tears 52
III The words of Húrin and Morgoth 61
IV The Departure of Túrin 66
V Túrin in Doriath 80
VI Túrin among the Outlaws 98
VII Of Mîm the Dwarf 121
VIII The Land of Bow and Helm 141
IX The Death of Beleg 151
X Túrin in Nargothrond 159
XI The Fall of Nargothrond 171
XII The Return of Túrin to Dor-lómin 182
XIII The Coming of Túrin into Brethil 192
XIV The Journey of Morwen and Niënor to Nargothrond 198
XV Niënor in Brethil 213
XVI The Coming of Glaurung 221
XVII The Death of Glaurung 234
XVIII The Death of Túrin 248
TABLES 261
Genealogies:
I The House of Hador & the people of Haleth 262
II The House of Bëor 263
III The princes of the Noldor 264
APPENDIX 265
(1) The Evolution of the Great Tales 267
(2) The Composition of the Text 281
LIST OF NAMES 291
Note on the map 319

Here is the explanation for not including The Wanderings of Húrin:

More on Húrin can be found in The War of the Jewels, the eleventh volume of The History of Middle-earth series, published in 1994, in "The Wanderings of Húrin". These additional narratives involving Húrin and the tragedy of his children, "The Wanderings of Húrin" is the conclusion to the "Narn". It was not included in the final Silmarillion because Christopher Tolkien feared that the heavy compression which would have been necessary to make it a stylistic match with the rest of the book would have been too difficult and would have made the story overly complex and difficult to read. These will for the same reason not be included in "the Children of Húrin".

I can see why CT felt that the Wanderings of Húrin would have needed to be overly compressed to fit into the truncated version of the Silmarillion that he gave us, but I thought the whole point of this new work was to present the story on a full narrative scale. I don't see why the Wanderings of Húrin would have needed to be compressed to make a stylistic match with the rest of this book.

This does suggest that, unless the font size is quite large, some other parts of the narrative are quite expanded from what we have seen before. For instance, 43 pages for "Túrin among the Outlaws" and "Of Mîm the Dwarf ". That should be interesting. And "The Childhood of Húrin" suggests that Húrin and Huor in Gondolin is in. The fact that there are two page from "NARN I CHIN Húrin" (yeah! "Chin" not "Hin") to the beginning of the first chapter suggests that at least part of the introductory text AElfwine and Dirhaval might open it.

[Athrabeth]

Hey, you only posed the question five days ago.
And you know I don't like being hasty.

<hoom>

(we reeaallly should get an Ent emoticon)

Hmmm.......there seems to be something a little unbalanced about leaving out the Wanderings of Húrin. I feel it leaves things incomplete, with the reader not knowing the ultimate fates of Húrin and Morwen, who are also bound by the curse of Morgoth. They really do deserve better than being entirely dropped out of the picture after the deaths of their children, especially since their characters are drawn with so much more detail at the beginning of the tale.

I was rather hoping for an Epilogue or a specific Appendix dedicated to the Wanderings, because I agree that the death of Túrin is most definitely the emotional climax and perfect ending to to the "story proper".

AND I would love to see the Second Prophesy as the final words of the tale.

[axordil]

Does anyone else suspect that the publishers were pressuring CJRT for something "Done" at almost any cost? Houghton-Mifflin must have known the thing would sell a bajillion copies, regardless of reception from the community.