When we set out to find the best Lord of the Rings bookends you can buy right now, we expected to find a variety of really cool options. What we found instead was just a bunch of different versions of The Pillars of Kings in bookend form.
The Pillars of Kings, also known as the Gates of Argonath, are an enormous monument to the Kings of Gondor. The monument itself is made up of two carved statues in the likeness of Isildur and Anárion standing on either side of the River Anduin at the northern border of Gondor. You’ll likely recognize these big boys from Peter Jackson’s adaptation of The Fellowship of the Ring, and honestly, they work perfectly as bookends.
Like I mentioned above, we spent some time actually looking for other Lord of the Rings bookends before landing on these as the best. There are a few options available on Amazon and Etsy, but most of them are still recreations of the Pillars of Kings. Still, there’s a pretty wide range of different versions. So after some extensive research, we narrowed it down to this option from Grupo Erik as the best of the bunch.
What makes these particular bookends standout from all of the other similar options available is the attention to detail. The statues themselves are made from premium resin and painted to look like actual weathered stone. You also get the full cliff and a little bit of the river to bring the whole thing together. They are a bit on the expensive side compared to other models (at $65.99), but what you get is a more premium set of bookends that look legit.
These are a great gift for Lord of the Rings fans
We are always on the lookout for good Lord of the Rings gifts, and these bookends check all the right boxes for LotR fans. It’s an actual practical item that you can use based on an obscure enough reference that only fans of the movies or books will immediately get it. The one thing to point out is that these bookends work best for a smaller collection where they don’t have to be too far apart. This could be a set of Lord of the Rings books or LotR Blu-rays that are already sitting on a shelf somewhere. The more books you put between these, the more it loses that Gates of Argonath feel you get from a smaller gap.
If you’re looking for something a bit more epic than a pair of bookends, we also recommend checking out the upcoming Minas Tirith set LEGO just announced. It is intended to take up most of the space on a shelf.
Jacob Kienlen is a Senior Audience Development Strategist and Writer for IGN. Born and raised in Portland, Oregon, he has considered the Northwest his home for his entire life. With a bachelor’s degree in communication and 10 years of professional writing experience, his expertise is spread across a variety of different pop culture topics — from TV series to books and the latest Pokémon games.
