since starting my channel about a year and a half ago i've been asked for tolkien gift ideas a ton
of times so i thought i'd throw together a list of great gift ideas for the tolkien fan in your life
first up books what better place to start a tolkien gift list than the place where this world
originates over the past couple years there's been some terrific new releases of tolkien's work we've
gotten new illustrated editions of unfinished tales the silmarillion and a new box set of the
hobbit and the lord of the rings featuring work by the holy trinity of tolkien illustrators john howe
allen lee and ted naismith these books are perfect for anyone needing a nice hardcover edition
of these books but it's not only the big three that got illustrated versions this year the most
recently released illustrated edition comes from the one himself j.r.r tolkien in a new single book
edition of the lord of the rings we are treated to illustrations made by the famed author himself
another in a line of fantastic hardcovers for fans of middle earth now for the more serious
collectors there are deluxe versions of unfinished tales the silmarillion and the tolkien illustrated
lord of the rings that come in a fancy slip case and a larger size than their regular edition
counterparts if you're looking for something with new written material that's right nearly 50 years
after his death we are still being treated to newly released tolkien writings this year we got
the new nature of middle earth book edited by carl hostetter when we spoke to him here on the channel
carl gave us a bit of insight into this book and the treasure trove of new tidbits within
now if you're wanting something for the young tolkien fan i always love recommending the
hobbit illustrated edition by jemima catlin it's a wonderfully whimsical style that calls to mind
the classic illustrations of children's books like winnie the pooh and it's my preferred edition when
i read to my kids the past calendar year has also given us two releases of the middle earth film
series in their highest resolution ever last year the lord of the rings and the hobbit trilogies
both extended and theatrical were released in 4k uhd sets and just recently a new ultimate
edition features the same 4k discs plus remasters of the standard blu-rays and a few extras now i've
already reviewed each of these in depth but if you've got a 4k capable tv or projector i'd highly
recommend experiencing middle earth in this way of course if you're looking for something out of the
ordinary there's some pretty fun adaptations of tolkien stories to find here on youtube that are
free to watch most of which we've done reaction streams for here on the channel check them out
with your family for a fun time watching unique takes on tolkien's world another fantastic way
to experience middle earth is through audio those who've been around the channel for a while will
know that i'm a huge audiobook fan and we just happen to get brand new audiobooks this year for
the entire lord of the rings trilogy the books are performed by the one and only andy serkis
who brings his voice talents and fantastic voice acting abilities to this release combined with
his reading of the hobbit these are now my go-to definitive versions of these audiobooks of course
there's always the incredible performance of the children of horin read by christopher lee that i
will always recommend to anyone who hasn't heard it tolkien's world brings out the creativity in
so many and that brings me to possibly my favorite recommendation on this list you can support some
of the many incredible artists that do work based on middle earth by purchasing their prints online
in the description of any video you find here on the channel i've listed the artists and the
artwork used in that video so look them up and support them by purchasing some of their wonderful
work while scoring yourself a great piece of art to represent your favorite moments or characters
from tolkien's world now full disclosure this next item does come from someone who has run
sponsorships here on the channel that being said i truly believe i would have included lord of maps
on this list anyway as i've been following them for a long time on instagram and have
enjoyed their maps ever since and it's cool to see real world states and countries represented in a
fantastical way when it comes to collectibles i'm a huge fan of the weta mini epics of course
wetta has long made a vast range of collectible figures and statues and many come with a pretty
hefty price tag to go with their incredible detail and size the mini epics have a style all their own
and are much more budget-friendly and they make me dream of the day when someone at warner
brothers decides to make an animated or perhaps stop-motion series based on the lord of the rings
now for the more silly tolkien fans or perhaps the younger ones there's the lord of the rings
ducks made by tubs while i initially laughed these off when they were first announced after
receiving one of the golem ones i can actually say i'm a bit of a fan there's definitely a
couple standouts in the group and they're bigger and more detailed than i had expected seriously
this golem one it cracks me up and i absolutely love it of course if you want something for the
kid in your life big or small there's always the new lovable lord of the rings build-a-bears
they come as either gandalf or frodo and while they are pretty pricey for a plush the real steal
is gollum gollum has never looked this cute and the price tag is much easier on the wallet now
should you have an aspiring artist on your list or just someone interested in the creative process of
illustration the previously mentioned master of middle earth john howe recently released a book
called john howe's ultimate fantasy art academy inspiration approaches and techniques for drawing
and painting in the fantasy realm this next one i enjoy not only for the product itself
but also that i could potentially gift it to my non-tolkien fan mom and she may not immediately
realize there's a connection mythology candles has an incredible fantasy theme to all their products
and many names which you may find familiar from your days in middle earth
i personally enjoy lighting one of these candles for my lord of the rings online gaming sessions
to put me in my dwarven frame of mind finally what better gift to go into the new year than
the annual tolkien calendar a staple since 1969 the tolkien calendar is a great way to
track your days of adventure in the year ahead and even more importantly features some of the
greatest tolkien art year after year if you've snagged one of the previously mentioned books
you're bound to find some familiar artwork of course there's a multitude of great tolkien
products to be found so let me know some of your favorites in the comments if there's
something i didn't mention in this quick video that you love i want to hear about it and i'm
sure others here on the channel would love the recommendations thanks so much for watching
and subscribing to nerd of the rings i hope you all have a merry christmas and a happy holidays