Harper Has Tolkien eRights Worldwide

From Publishers Lunch at the London Book Fair

Harper Collins UK, which publishes JRR Tolkien, has acquired worldwide electronic rights to the authors work. Six titles are available today for direct download, including The Hobbit, the Lord of the Rings, and The Children of Hurin, followed by The Legend of Sigurd and Gudrún, The Silmarillion and Unfinished Tales on May 5, "with further titles later in the year."

Harper UK is selling epub files directly from their site, served by technology partner Overdrive, with files also available Waterstone's. In the US, the books are available in multiple formats, serving all major devices and platforms. And Harper says that the 100 Classic Book Collection for the Nintendo DS has sold 200,000 units since its release in December.