(Please note: I wrote this review in 2005 about the 50th Anniversary Deluxe Edition (Hardcover) - the UK and US versions thereof. My apologies, however, if this appears as a review for any other edition, paperback, audiobook, etc.. At the time of writing - 2012 - Amazon appear to be lumping all the LOTR reviews together, regardless of edition, leading to unintentional inaccuracies across the board.)
Tolkien's US publisher, Houghton Mifflin, has produced a slightly larger book in leather, with a faint marbled appearance and a brushed feel. The paper on the US edition is good quality too, with an appealing translucency that sits well with the gilded edges (although when the book is closed, the gold looks a little cheap compared with the pale finish on the available HarperCollins India paper edition). The boards, however, both for the slipcase and book seem a little thin, and once the gilded pages have had a cursory ruffle, it's a surprise to find the book needs squeezing back in the slipcase, which then bows out in response. Should you wish to remove the book, a good shake is required to free it.
Where the US edition shines, however, is in the inclusion of the two large-scale fold out maps, laid in at either end of the book. These are exceptional, but sadly omitted in the UK deluxe edition of this release.
What, the UK edition doesn't have fold out maps? At twice the price? Well, it does, but they are not the large-scale affairs that graced the original releases and which are represented in the US edition in question; the ones HarperCollins have laid in throughout the text of their deluxe edition fold out horizontally only, which is to say they are scaled down. I presume that this design choice is made to tie in with the format of the fold out Thror's Map in the matching deluxe Hobbit, but still, it seems a wasted opportunity.
Indeed, compared with the US edition, it is easy to see what this edition does not have: i.e., leather, big maps, two tone print, and gilding, but a cursory glance at the design and build of HarperCollins' deluxe edition quickly reveals its superior quality. For a start, the boards used for both book and slipcase are thicker and sturdier, and the uncovered slipcase innards are constructed from a closely matched, light grey board. Similar care has been taken in the UK edition's old fashioned presentation: the case has a gently curved front for effortless book removal, and a circular window reveals part of the book's front design, completing it with its own embossed motif. The selection of fine quality coverings cannot be faulted either: the mottled grey paper perfectly complements the textured maroon quarter-binding and matching slipcase (in turn, the grey backing is also used on the deluxe Hobbit, going equally well with green).
Crucially, however, the execution of the design is spot on, something sorely lacking in the US edition: the folds of the covering within the slipcase are deep and symmetrical, which is even more impressive considering the curved front, and the embossing is firmly pressed in, lending depth and texture. Basically, everything you expect from the manufacture of such an expensive book is delivered in the UK edition: from the engineering of the slipcase window, to the squareness of every available edge, care with the details shines through.