THOME box in 3 Boxes or every 📔Book one by one?

[LotR_lotro]

Hello. I am planing on reading the complete history of middle earth and here comes my question: should I buy the edition put into 3 books or should I buy all 12 books 1by1? I want to read it in english for the first time and want to know what the best desicion is.

Can anyone tell me if there are any diffrences between the THOME 3 box sets from the diffrent release years? Or did they just change the cover?

 

[Ent]

Can anyone tell me if there are any differences between the THOME 3 box sets from the diffrent release years? Or did they just change the cover?

From all I can read, given my paperbacks and the Hard Covers, it appears the content of the printed works have just been moved into the 3-volume set.

Nothing represents as a "2nd edition" or "Revised edition" etc.
And the "forwards" to them are the same.

"Usually" when there has been a revised edition, there's an added "Forward to the 2nd (or Revised) Edition."

In addition, in its introductory presentation to the world it says:
"This very special collector’s edition brings together all twelve books into three hardcover volumes—more than 5,000 pages of fascinating Tolkien material—and places them in one matching box. The History Of Middle-Earth Boxed Set is a treasured boxed set for every Tolkien fan."

I can find no indications anywhere that any textual revision was done.

Christopher spent many years putting them together - quite a span of years. So I suspect his focus was more on getting them all out there, than in going back and revising anything.

In addition, much of the work is related to addressing original 'textual revisions' themselves, and presenting the best representation possible of JRRT's thinking. So there may be very little to change anyway as what the books are about is "coalescing and presenting his thinking and his changes in thinking" while covering the Lore that had not yet elsewhere presented. (And some that had, but showing the thinking/changes behind those as well.)

All that said, I'm not the 'best' one here to speak to it by far, but I would say the texts and contents (indices, etc) are the same, just repackaged.