must refer just to the
maps you mentioned.
It does.
"3-volume set of LoTR just text, with covers not having illustrations
There's actually also a 4-volume set of this work including The
Hobbit.
However, Ent is trying very hard to be CERTAIN it has no illustrations. With Amazon, we can never really tell. "Reviews" for it often are referring to a different set or edition entirely, etc. Amazon is not very 'trustworthy' in keeping things sorted. The priority is to move product rather than represent product.
Ent may buy a set and have it delivered to be sure... though he's trying to downsize his tree-based products. Someone will enjoy receiving it once he's gotten his look at it. He already has the 'mass market paperback set' somewhere on his shelves apparently... (shown below)... Amazon says he bought the set last July. He'll dig it out tonight and look through it.
It's
the one in the center of the prices... the better regular "paperback" set... (also shown below)... he was first looking at for you. "More tonight."
he 75th-anniversary edition is my leading candidate at this point. Do you happen to know whether the illustrations are on pages by themselves (and thus more easily ignored) or inserted here and there on pages with text
Ent doesn't know or remember. He fears he let this version go many years ago, when the textually corrected and updated versions came out.
If you've a friendly used book store close, it can sometimes be found there for a quick perusal.
Tolkien himself did color illustrations?
Not entirely sure, but Ent thinks 'no'. Can look this up too, though. there's much information out there about his original artwork. (
Books of it in fact.) Others have colorized some of his work, included in later editions. there is a lonely bit of heartwood in Ent trying to tell him Tolkien tried to have color plates inserted, but the publisher declined due to expense in the original edition.
the illustrations in the 75th-a. Hobbit are the same as the ones in the first edition (if it had any)?
Sadly, Ent's knowledge is lacking here yet again. He's never been interested or intrigued by 'illustrated' books... even with Tolkien's own, though if he wanted to look at illustrations, Tolkien's would be the only ones he'd refer to as 'possibly based on Tolkien's descriptions'. yet Tolkien was no well-disciplined artist himself... though a good dabbler in the artform.
Regarding them being 'same as in the first edition', there were some 'reproductions' of the first edition Ent thinks... so those could possibly be found. But whether the 75th restricted it to that Ent can't confirm (yet).
Again, the text of the very first edition was soon corrupted by US publishers, future publishers put in accidental changes, and Tolkien himself edited a later edition, with Christopher ultimately restoring what is considered to be 'the right text'. Yet the very first edition of Hobbit, intentionally altered by Tolkien in spots due to advent of LoTR as Ent recalls, will differ from the 'right text' finalized in 2002
(if memory serves).
It may be if you really want 'the original experience' your search is for a 1st Edition Hobbit, and a 1st Edition LoTR.... and quie a few shillings they'll set you back, to be sure.
This is Ent's best at the moment..... happy to help, if help it at all is.
disclaimer: Ent is old, but just an Enting in Tolkien, being 'at it' in depth only a little over a year. Therefore, some of what's said 'from memory rather than diligent research' above may be incorrect in terms of dating, etc.
ADDITION:
Ent has located a 1937 Hobbit 1st Edition: George Allen & Unwin, UK - It did have some full page illustrations... black and white... the only color was in the few maps, which used red for some few things on them. Only $19,750.00 list price.
There's also a 1938 '1st Edition'... Houghton Mifflin - has color plates and maps all in red vs. black and red. Current bid is at $6,201.00. Climbing fast. Was $5,855.00 just a moment ago when Ent looked...
