New preface to the Silmarillion? *For those who keep track of new reissues*

Just a quick question: I noticed on Amazon.co.uk (while I live in America, new copies of The Road Goes Ever On are hard to come by on this side of the pond) that a printing of the Silmarillion was released in July 2006 that is said to contain a "preface" by Tolkien the elder. Is this something new, or is it the same letter to Milton Waldman they've been printing for the past 8 years? If anyone happened to buy it or look through it at the bookstore, I'd like to know if it us American fans were missing something (although I suppose that would be justice, since we get video games so much earlier than you).

Oh, and another question: Is there anything new in that huge three-volume History of Middle-earth set? Like a new forward or something?