Ok - Well, funny thing is I used to have those covers, but can't find that set of books. I am afraid I will have to take your word for it on the fine details! Is this Tolkien artwork? - I seem to remember that he did the cover artwork for this addition.
Yes! Tolkien did them, which is what interests me so much about them! I feel I get a glimpse of what Tolkien really thought in his own head what the hobbits must have looked like. This particular watercolor is called "Fangorn".
I really feel like PJ did a good job of casting E. Wood and the Sean, Dominic and Billy...they just went right along with my imagination of hobbits, based completely on the picture of Bilbo riding out on the barrel on the cover of The Hobbit (another Tolkien watercolor) and this Fangorn print.I can stop talking about this now, since probably no one but me finds it all that interesting! ;-)