I'll throw in another vote for The One Ring; it might just be my favorite system right now. The Tolkien "feel" is present in nearly every aspect of the game, from the emphasis on journeys, to the encounter structure, to the shadow, hope, fellowship, and fatigue systems, etc. The arrangement of the social skills helps steer players in a Tolkienesque direction as well; instead of your typical Bluff, Diplomacy, Intimidate skills you get Awe, Courtesy, Riddle, Persuade, and Inspire. Also the fact that Riddle and Song are both skills at all is pretty awesome (and in fact I have one player for whom Song is probably the most frequently used common skill).
The combat system emphasizes quick, cinematic, narrative play, but offers enough tactical depth (the stance system and battle rolls for combat advantages) to keep it from becoming stale. The wealth system is very abstract, keeping in line with the fact that money is not often mentioned in Tolkien's works. Finally, I especially like the Traits system, which gives players plenty of narrative control and is a great conduit for creativity. Things like Smoking and Elven-Lore can provide different approaches for using the existing skills, all while emphasizing character development.
And as others have said, the books are really pretty too.