Want to buy the Silmarillion

[Celebdil]

Hi, I am looking to buy a copy of The Silmarillion, however it appears there are many different versions to choose from on amazon.com. I would prefer a hardcover version and amazon.com has these choices:

# Hardcover: 416 pages
# Publisher: Houghton Mifflin; 2nd edition (November 15, 2004)
# Language: English
# ISBN-10: 0618391118

and

Product Details

* Hardcover: 384 pages
* Publisher: HarperCollins Publishers Ltd; De Luxe Ed edition (August 5, 2002)
* ISBN-10: 0007136609

and

# Hardcover: 384 pages
# Publisher: HarperCollins Publishers Ltd; New Ed edition (July 19, 1999)
# Language: English
# ISBN-10: 0261102427

and

# Hardcover: 416 pages
# Publisher: HarperCollins Publishers Ltd; Rev Ed edition (September 6, 2004)
# ISBN-10: 0007173024

and

# Hardcover
# Publisher: Houghton Mifflin (1977)
# ASIN: B000JV5JVK

All these choices.....argh! I want to get the "best" version so I am hoping the experts on here can help me out. It seems there is a first and second edition and several choices among both of those editions. Should I try to get a first edition copy or is the second edition ok? And which publisher is better? HarperCollins or Houghton Mifflin?

Any help is appreciated!

[davem]

Second Edition is basically the First Edition text with a few small corrections, but it does have a long letter from JRRT to Milton Waldman of Collins setting out the whole mythology & which is a nice synopsis of the whole thing.

As for which edition, its just down to what appeals to you. I've got four hardback editions - the Allen & Unwin first from 1977, the special edition with the Naismith illustrations, the recent slipcased deluxe, & the Harper Collins hardback from a couple of years back with Tolkien's painting of Taniquetil on the jacket. I think my favourite is the A&U - 'cos that's the one I read first, but the 'Taniquetil' one http://www.amazon.co.uk/Silmarillion-J-R-Tolkien/dp/0261102427/ref=pd_bbs_sr_3?ie=UTF8&s=gateway&qid=1202930429&sr=8-3
is nice, & has a matte dustjacket like the recent 50th anniversary LotR set, 70th anniversary Hobbit & 20th anniversary UT (all with Tolkien's paintings on the covers, so they make a nice set.

If you were looking for paperbacks, Harper Collins are bringing out a matching pb set of LotR, TH & CoH with Alan Lee's paintings in April, & a matching Sil paperback with the Naismith paintings later in the year in conjunction with the 2008 Calendar, which will also have some of the Naismith paintings.

As an aside First Edition Sil's from '77 are pretty cheap - I picked up one in mint condition a couple of years back for £2 - cheaper than when I bought it 30 years ago.