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I used to own a single volume trade paperback Lord of the Rings edition that had appendices at the end which were useful for keeping timelines straight and providing enjoyable additional material.

I'm considering purchasing a three-volume hardback edition illustrated by Alan Lee to replace my long lost copy but I'm concerned about whether the appendices are included and--if so--how they are split between volumes. If this varies between different three-volume editions, where can I find details for popular editions?

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    Wiki suggests that they were included in the final book
    – Valorum
    Dec 3, 2018 at 22:02
  • I should have realized there was a LotR wiki! That looks very useful and suggests that it'll be in RotK for any legit English version Dec 3, 2018 at 22:05
  • Do you want to make that an answer or shall I? Dec 3, 2018 at 22:07
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    Knock yourself out.
    – Valorum
    Dec 3, 2018 at 22:08

1 Answer 1

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According to the wiki it is included in Return of the King.

The Lord of the Rings Appendices were published in The Return of the King and were the reason that the release of the book was delayed.

Furthermore, they should be complete in English editions aside from a particular one-volume version and its bookclub reprints.

In 1968 Allen and Unwin published a one volume paperback edition, including only Appendix A I v, ‘The Tale of Aragorn and Arwen’. Apparently this was done because a paperback thick enough to include all Appendices could not be produced economically. Tolkien agreed, but he made a special plea to include The Tale of Aragorn and Arwen.[10] This is the only edition in English (several print runs of which were issued hardbound as book club editions) known not to include the complete Appendices. 

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    Confirming data point: My old 3 volume paperback edition has the appendices in ROTK. Dec 3, 2018 at 22:47
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    Extra confirmation, all 5 of my 3 volume compiled contain the entire appendices in ROTK!
    – Edlothiad
    Dec 3, 2018 at 23:16
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    Extra extra confirmation, I say so 😛 Dec 5, 2018 at 13:38
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    Every copy of Lord of the Rings I ever owned or read has the appendixes at the end of The Return of the Kings. Note - one of the History of Middle Earth series has the Original appendixes as first written by Tolkien before being shorted for publication in The Return of the King. Dec 5, 2018 at 18:02
  • @MAGolding would that be Sauron Defeated?
    – Spencer
    Dec 28, 2018 at 15:26

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