Does it need to be hardcover? I have two beautiful collector's editions, but I bought a ultra-cheap, movie-tie in softcover boxset for general reading purposes. It's been great so far. They can get beat to hell and back (and do) and I don't have to worry about it. (This here: http://www.amazon.com/J-R-R-Tolkien-Boxed-Hobbit-Rings/dp/0345340426/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1265820511&sr=1-1 Price is totally right, and they even include The Hobbit). There are other, nicer sets out there, but the majority of reasonably priced, readable box sets are going to be paperback I think.

For softcover box sets that are not collectible but a good reading size and don't have crappy movie tie-in photos on the cover, I own this set, and am very pleased with it: http://www.amazon.com/Hobbit-Lord-Rings-Boxed-Set/dp/B001DBWBXO/ref=sr_1_85?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1265820693&sr=1-85

Oh I quite like those! Very cool looking, and more than worthy of a midrange reading set I think. (I.e. good for general daily reading purposes, but not the set you want to just throw on a car seat or stuff in the bottom of a rucksack during a field mission ).

Fwiw, I think I have...four different editions lol. One big, expensive beautiful box set with the Alan Lee illustrations, one edition with all three stories bound together in one book, and two paperback box sets. (I'm the same way with Shakespeare...I have like three Complete Works, a huge and gorgeous tri-book boxed set, and one set where every play is its own small book. Great for portability.)

I really need a decent edition of The Hobbit though. The only one I have now came with the crappy movie tie-in boxed set. I'm thinking of getting the 70th anniversary Alan Lee illustrated hardcover...readily available, looks very pretty, and not even very expensive.

Knyte speaks truth; if you like LOTR, DragonLance is a very logical next step. You might also consider investigating Robert Jordan's Wheel of Time series. I *almost* hesitate to recommend it just because it really tends to get bogged down and drag in a lot of places, but so many people love the series so much I can't leave it out--besides, the world he creates is just incredible and quite unique (as high-fantasy settings go) in a lot of ways. (Besides, if you can make it through LOTR happy, you can read almost anything. The problem with Jordan is he's not nearly as good a writer as Tolkien, so when he gets distracted by four pages of irrelevant description, it tends to be a lot more painful than it is in LOTR.) I won't blame you if you don't get farther than book two or three, but its well worth a look to see if it does anything for you.

To answer your other question though, this is the version of The Hobbit I'm looking at: http://www.amazon.com/Hobbit-Illustrated-J-R-R-Tolkien/dp/0395873460/ref=wl_it_dp_o?ie=UTF8&coliid=I35YOBLOQU38R7&colid=2YF5ARJ9ZF680

username wrote:

and the WoT series is finally coming to an end. they released book 12a in november. now we need to wait for 12b & 12c to finally finish.

Oh dear god, there's a 12b and 12c? Then it's not really a 12-book series, now is it Mr. Jordan's estate?

^ Could not agree more. Beowulf is easily one of my all time favorite pieces of literature. I wouldn't recommend to someone just searching for more Tolkienesque fantasy just because the poetry/prose is difficult at the best of times, and a decent translation is even harder to come by, especially if you don't know you should be looking for one.

Those caveats aside though, Pleth, if you're looking to go off the beaten path and drink deep from the font of literature (and Tolkien's inspiration,) Thorton is completely right--you could do no better than Beowulf.

Which reminds me: read the Chronicles of Narnia, if you haven't yet. They aren't the best written books in the world and the Christian symbolism is worked in with all the bluntness of a sledgehammer, but its still worth the time just because of how classic they are, and how important they are to the genre. Each of them are quick reads. (Worth noting, too, that C.S. Lewis and Tolkien were good friends, and corresponded--and argued about religion--a whole lot.) Some of the characters you'll meet in the books are well worth the price of admission in and of themselves. (Aslan, Reepicheep, Eustace, Shasta, Bree, Caspian...they're all wonderful. And don't let the stupid CGI-wankfest movie convince you they're not.)