How much is a first edition Lord of the Rings worth?

Hardcover. Condition: Very Good. Dust Jacket Condition: Near Fine. First Edition. Allen & Unwin, All First printings with lovely jackets. Fellowship of the Rings 1954, Two Towers 1954, The Return of the King 1955 all with original dust jackets, (the main value of a set). We recently sold a very similar set, nice jackets, this set has more wear to books, but just as nice jackets. These books need no explanation. The Holy Grail of collecting is to own a first edition set, rather the first printing of each title, as they were never sold as a set. More accurately still, a first edition set of "dust jackets" as the books are found occasionally without jackets for far less money. Most contemporary book collecting generally is the pursuit of fine dust jackets/ wrappers as these are now the rarest aspect and considered to "complete" a rare first edition. In the day, their purpose was only to protect the cloth covers and to advertise the publishers other books. The books have various age and use related marks, scuffs to cloth, minor stains. FotR has the most wear, as usual. Inside front cover and blank end page has bleed from old damp and evidence of old mould, black spots. Shame they didn't heat British houses at the time. TT and RotK are much cleaner. Bindings tight, spine title gilt darkened, reading creases, but no lean. Yes, maps are fine (they always are). Hard to tell whether they were kept together from purchase as the aging is fairly uniform. The dust jackets are amazing. As good as they come. No paper loss, tears or tattering. Darkening and spotting in places, again indicative of old mould. However, very bright overall. Nearly all the value is in the dust jackets as they are so rare.

Hardcover. Condition: Very Good. 1st Edition. Three volumes. Folding map in each volume. Return of the King is second state with sig. 4 and slipped type on p. 49 (this was formerly Hammond s first state, but the bibliographer has revised his opinion). Original red cloth and printed dust jackets. Show-through staining from old removed tape repairs to jackets of vols. 1-2, some wear, spines tanned. A good set. Signed by Author(s).

Hardcover. Condition: Fine. Dust Jacket Condition: Fine. 1st Edition. First Editions, First Impressions of ALL three books. A wonderful set. Each book is the TRUE FIRST EDITION with the ORIGINAL First Issue dustjacket. The dustjackets have the 21s net printed price is present on ALL three dustjackets. The dustjackets are vibrant in color with NO restoration but some discoloration from tape marks. The books are ALL First Printings with the words "First Published in 1954" printed on the copyright page of "Fellowship of the Ring" "The Two Towers" and "First Published in 1955" on the copyright page of "The Return of the King" The books are bound in the original RED boards from the publisher. There is some wear to the spine and edges. The pages are clean in ALL three books with NO writing, marks or bookplates. A beautiful complete set of all three books.

Hardcover. Condition: Near Fine. No Jacket. 1st Edition. The Lord of the Rings, 3 volumes, The Fellowship of the Ring, The Two Towers and The Return of the King. 1954, 1954 and 1955, all 3 volumes 1st printings of the 1st edition. Beautifully rebound by Temple Bookbinders of Oxford in exactly the style and colours requested by JRR Tolkien, Red / Crimson leather boards with the Ring & Eye device. Raised spine compartments with titles, all housed in a beautiful leather and cloth clam shell case. Volume 3, The Return of the King is beautifully signed by JRR Tolkien directly onto the page opposite the copyright page. Provenance available. Very heavy set, postage at cost. Please call with any questions. Andy 07785110512 (UK). Signed by Author(s).

Hardback. Dust Jacket Condition: Good. First Edition. The Lord of the Rings is one of the bestselling novels ever written, having sold over 150 million copies, and has been named Britain's bestloved novel of all time in BBC's The Big Read. This first edition, first issue set is scarce and highly collectable; with only 3000 copies of the first instalment, 3250 of the second and 7000 of the third. All in original, unrestored dust jackets bearing the iconic motif of the 'eye of Sauron'. All jackets unclipped with price of '21s net' displayed. All volumes in original publisher's red cloth with gilt tooled title to spines. Top edge of text block coloured red to all books. Faint pencil inscription to books one and two which can easily be erased. Neat ink inscription to ffep of volume one 'Joyce CarjerSmith sic. Book one has some bumping to spine edges with a little fading to cloth here; and two small faded marks, one along the bottom edge of the cover and one at the foreedge. To the jacket there is toning, darkening to spine. Spine edges are a little worn with shallow chips, not affecting text. Shallow split about 1 cm in length to hinge at the top. Creasing to spine over printed 'J. R. R.' although still legible. Very small dark mark covering the 't' in 'part' to the spine. Endpapers are toned. Faint infrequent spotting to some of the pages, marginal and mostly to the rear. Fold out map to rear is present and intact; clean and crisp. 424 pp fold out map. Book two has a little bumping and fading to spine edges of cloth, and very slight fading along the bottom edge of the cover. Jacket is toned with darkening to spine. Shallow chips to spine edges, and shallow loss to top left edge of spine, about 1 cm in length, not affecting text. Split to lower hinge of jacket about 1.5 cm in length. Light toning to endpapers. Very faint marginal spotting occasionally to rear pages. Fold out map to rear present and intact; clean and crisp. 352 pp fold out map. Book three has very minor bumping to spine edges of cloth binding, otherwise sharp. Jacket is lightly toned to extremities but crisp without chipping. Faint toning and some foxing to ffep and rear endpapers. Very faint spotting to edge of text block. Fold out map to rear is present and intact; crisp and clean. 416 pp fold out map.nbsp; book.

Hardcover. Condition: Near Fine. 1st Edition. John Ronald Reuel Tolkien (1954-55) The Lord of the Rings , UK first edition, first printing set, published by George Allen & Unwin. Beautifully rebound in full black leather. In addition, an original handwritten and signed Tolkien letter. The letter: one page, 8vo (176 x 135mm.), on cream-coloured Sandfield Road headed notepaper, one central fold presumably to fit an envelope, some creases and light spotting, Headington, Oxford, 15 August 1964. A response to a questionnaire which Potts sent Tolkien. The master of fantasy responds in the most eloquent way to basically say to get lost: Dear Mr Potts I think you are asking too much of a busy man. Most of your questions are in any case unanswerable, by me, and some impertient. You may put me down as an odd character, for personally I do not believe that any valuable truths or insights are discoverable by such questionnairs. Yours sincerely JRR Tolkien. Richard Potts sent Tolkien a questionnaire whilst working on his dissertation on children s literature, hoping that the bestselling author would shed some light on his craft. A copy of the questions that caused so much ire does not survive but Potts remembers I was taken back by his letter. It was not what I had expected. I had asked a number of questions, how and when he wrote, what was the source of his writing. I greatly admired his work but found the length daunting. I may have made reference to this reservation and it was perhaps this that prompted the angry tone of his letter . Potts went on to be a successful children s author in his own right, with titles such as A Boy and his Bike, Haunted Mine and Tod s Owl. A great letter revealing a little bit of Tolkien s character and how protective he became when his work was criticised. Tolkien received a ton of fan mail during his lifetime and many complained that LOTR was too short. Tolkien himslef wrote in an introduction to a later edition of LOTR that it was NOT an allegory of anything and that his only regret was that it was too short. Therefore, it is not surprising that Potts hit a nerve there which prompted such a response. Tolkien would have probably not wasted his ink had he known that any of his letters and signatures would fetch an enormous amount of money. The books: A complete set of The Lord of the Rings , all true UK first editions, and first impressions published by George Allen & Unwin, comprised of: The Fellowship of the Ring The Two Towers The Return of the Ring All three volumes bear a 4 at the bottom of page 49 as shown. All original maps at the back are present as called for. Beautifully rebound in full black Nigerian goatskin. Five raised bands to the spine. All three page block edges gilded. Embossed and gilded are the corresponding titles and author on the spines. Each front panel also bears Sauron s eye surrounded by elvish runes and the Ring a design developed by Tolkien himslef which also graces the front panels of the original dust jackets. Marbled endpapersas shown. Condition: presented in near fine condition. There are no previous owners names, no stamps, no inscriptions, nor grafitti of any sorts. Fellowhsip of the Rings has a little foxing/ ageing on the half title and a few spots on a few pages, but nothing major. A very nice set of perhaps the best achievement of modern fantasy writing to date. Generations have enjoyed reading the adventure of the fellowship in its many translations. It has had a colossal influence on the genre. It was also adapted into the monumental three films by Peter Jackson. First and Fine. Signed by Author(s).

Hardcover. Condition: Very Good. Dust Jacket Condition: Near Fine. 1st Edition. First edition, first impressions of 'The Fellowship of the Ring' (1954), 'The Two Towers' (1954) and 'The Return of the King' (1955). The books were separately pubished in a printrun of 3.000, 3.250 and 7.000 copies. A Very Good+++/ Near Fine set. Minor damage to the rear hinge of the cover of The Fellowship of the Ring and to the spine bottom of The return of the King has been professionally repaired by one of Europe's leading book restorers. The dust jacket of The Fellowship of the Rings is a fourth impression, the dust jackets of The Two Towers and The Return of the King are first impressions. The latter two have a slight spine fold from years of storage separately from the books. Because of the separate storage they have remained remarkably bright and fresh with exceptionally clear red lettering on the spine and hardly any damage or fading. The return of the King is the second state of the first printing, with "4" at the bottom of page 49, along with some dropped letters. This beautiful set comes in a masterfully crafted, full leather Oxford Bodleian library style slipcase with Tolkien's embossed logo on the sides.--- Please contact us before purchasing to discuss the most suitable shipping method.

Hardcover. Condition: Fine. 1st Edition. A spectacular set of J.R.R. Tolkien's Lord of the Rings, all three volumes first editions, first printings, with the first volume signed by the author. Bespoke red Morocco leather bindings, with matching slipcase. Gilt edges, lettering and Tolkien's signature reproduced on front covers. Raised bands on spines, with date of publication at base--1954, 1954, 1955, as issued. Marbled endpapers. Autographed plate with Tolkien's signature attached to front endpaper of Volume I, The Fellowship of the Ring. Cloth from original spines and covers professionally bound in at rear of each volume. Map at rear of each volume, as issued. For The Return of the King, this volume is the second state of the first printing, with "4" at the bottom of page 49, along with the "dropped" letter "g". On page 281, the gap has been closed for "Men". First state and second state issued simultaneously as part of the first printing. A beautiful set in every respect. Trivial wear to slipcase. Signed by Author(s).

Hardcover. Condition: Very Good. 1st Edition. Tolkien, J.R.R., The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring, The Two Towers, The Return of the King. London: Allen & Unwin, 1955, 1956. First edition, second and fourth impression printings. Masterfully rebound in full Moroccan leather, with custom gilt and blind embossed stamps, gilt tooling, and a new archival lined slipcase. All first editions, the books were published by Allen & Unwin in London. The Fellowship of the Ring is a first edition, second impression printing, published in November of 1955. The Two Towers is a first edition, fourth impression printing, published in November of 1956. Return of the King is a first edition, second impression printing, published in November of 1956.

Finely bound set of each title comprising the The Lord of the Rings Trilogy. Octavo, 3 volumes, bound in full red morocco, gilt titles and tooling to the spine, front panels, folding maps. In fine condition. Housed in a custom slipcase. The first printing of the second, revised, edition (with "Second Edition 1966" on the copyright page with no further printings listed). An exceptional set. The Lord of the Rings began as a sequel to Tolkien's 1937 children's fantasy novel The Hobbit, but eventually developed into a much larger work. It was written in stages between 1937 and 1949, much of it during World War II in letters to his son, "and finally, having polished it to his own satisfaction, published it as a trilogy from 1954 to 1955, a volume at a time, impatiently awaited by a growing audience. It is considered one of this century s lasting contributions to that borderland of literature between youth and age. It seems destined to become this century s contribution to that select list of books which continue through the ages to be read by children and adults with almost equal pleasure." (Eyre, 134-35). It has went on to become the third best selling novel of all-time with 150 million copies sold.

Hardcover. Condition: Very Good. Dust Jacket Condition: Very Good. 1st Edition. FIRST EDITION, first printings of Volumes 2 and 3, 1st volume is 1963 13th impression. THREE VOLUMES. 8vo. (9 x 5.9 inches). Top edge of the fellowship dyed red, the others plain. Fold out maps at the end of each volume are all in bright and crisp condition with no tears or damage. Original red cloth bindings with gilt lettering to the spines. This is bright and sharp on the Fellowship but dulled on the other 2 books. Some very light offsetting and spotting to the blank endpapers otherwise very good copies throughout. In correct original dustwrappers which are uniformly a little toned to the spines and have some minor creasing but are overall in very good condition. The books certainly look like they have been together since the early 1960's. An attractive set which shows very well on the shelf. ------ Return of the king has signature number 4 present and mostly straight text on page 49, with a few letters just starting drop. It is thought that the printers noticed that the signature '4' was missing from the page soon after printing had begun. They stopped the presses and, while inserting it, knocked the text block, resulting in the sloping lettering along the bottom four lines, which is quite bad in some copies. This copy having just the mild sloping would suggest it was printed very soon after the 4 was inserted. --- More photos available on request.

Hardcover. Condition: Very Good. Dust Jacket Condition: Very Good. First Edition. Very Good Book in Very Good Dustjacket (See additonal photos attached). First UK Edition, First Impression 1954. Dustjacket Price Clipped. Some Edgewear / Small Tears to Dustjacket especially at top and base of spine and top and base of Dustjacket folds. Fading to Spine of Dustjacket. Fold Out Map attached at Rear of Book and in excellent condition with no marks, tears or extra folds. Some Browning & Foxing to Endpapers. Text Clean and Unmarked. No Inscriptions. The year '1954' is printed at the bottom of the title page with no later impressions noted on the Copyright Page. Nice solid copy.

Hardcover. Condition: Fair. No Jacket. 1st Edition. FIRST EDITION, FIRST PRINTING. HARDBACK BOUND IN THE ORIGINAL PUBLISHERS CLOTH BINDING, HALF TITLE & FOLDING MAP TO REAR BOTH PRESENT, NO DUST JACKET. BOOK MEASURES APPROX 9 x 6 INCHES. PLEASE NOTE THAT THIS IS A COPY IN NEED OF RESTORATION OR A REBIND WITH CLOTH BOARDS MARKED, CLOTH SPINE FADED, ALMOST DETACHED & A LITTLE FRAGILE, CORNERS BUMPED, MINOR CREASES THAT APPEAR SLIGHTLY WORSE IN IMAGES TO FRONT ENDPAPERS, HALF TITLE, TITLE PAGE & FIRST COUPLE OF TEXT PAGES, COUPLE OF MINOR MARKS TO BLANK REVERSE OF FOLDING MAP, LAST TEXT PAGE WITH SOME MINOR FOXING TO OUTER PAGE MARGIN. INTERNALLY THE BOOK IS VERY GOOD WITH NEARLY ALL PAGES CLEAN & BRIGHT, NO INSCRIPTIONS & NO TEARS TO MAP, EXTERNALLY THE BOOK IS IN FAIR CONDITION. EXTRA POSTAGE MAY APPLY FOR OVERSEAS ORDERS. ALL BOOKS ARE POSTED IN A STURDY BOOK BOX.

Hardcover. Condition: Very Good. 3 vols. 9 x 5.5", red cloth, 423pp + folding map, 352pp + folding map; 416pp + folding map, extremities bumped and a little worn, eps unevenly toned, pp toned, scattered finger soiling else a decent set in worn, edge-chipped, browned, spine-sunned dustjackets with former owner's ink name at top of front flaps of first two volumes. Volume one is "Second Impression December 1954", Volume two is "Second Impression 1955", and Volume Three is FIRST EDITION, FIRST PRINTING. The set.

Hardcover. Condition: Very Good. Dust Jacket Condition: Very Good. First Edition. Allen and Unwin. 1956, 57, 57. Impr. 5,5,3 A lovely first edition set with first ever slipcase. This was the first time you could buy a set, as a proper set of the three books sold in shops. They produce a special slipcase which states "63s net the set of three volumes" (the sum price of the three books). Only 300 were produced. The wear is uniform, books and jackets, indicating it has been kept together since the original purchase. This is a special set. No tattering on the dust jackets ends, spines are darkened. There is no serious wear to any of the books, bindings tight. FotR 5th has a 1957 7th jacket. Quite normal at the time for the publisher to mismatch jackets to use them up. There are printing records from the time, but A&U publishing and distribution records were not kept. What printings were available at a given bookstore could have also been changed by the bookstore. While you could have searched London bookstores to make an earlier "set" , this was the first one sold as one. 1957 set printings could also comprise a 5th, 6th or 7th Fellowship. Own a piece of history. See our fine 1,1,1 printing set.

Hardcover. Condition: Fine. 1st Edition. FIRST EDITION, first printings of Volumes 2 and 3. The 1st volume is 1954 2nd impression. THREE VOLUMES. 8vo. (8.6 x 5.5 inches). A bright and clean set throughout. Fold out map of Middle earth at the end of each volume. The set has been finely bound in recent full red morocco leather. Spines with raised bands, the compartments lettered, ruled and decorated in gilt. Decorative gilt roll border on the boards. All edges gilt. Plain magnolia endpapers. The three volumes are housed in a burgundy cloth covered slipcase. ------ An fine and attractive set with the earliest reprint of the first book and first impressions of the second and third. The Return of the King in the third variant of p. 49 (which Hammond's bibliography mis-states as the first), with sagging text and signature mark 4 present. --- More photos available on request.

Hardcover. First Edition; 5th Impression. A very nice set. First UK edition set, [seventh impression, fifth impression, fifth impression]. Cloth-bound. Octavo (230 x 150 mm). Pp. 423; 352; 416. Original red cloth with gilt titles to spines. Top edges tinted red. The Fellowship of The Ring seventh impression in an eighth impression dust jacket. Foldout map to rear of each volume. Condition: VERY GOOD+. Bindings tight, secure and square. The edges and points sharp. Covers largely clean. Interiors very clean, the maps excellent. Dust jackets complete, very bright and without tears. An excellent very well-preserved set. Part 1: The Fellowship of the Ring. London: George Allen & Unwin Ltd. , 1957 [7th impression]. Part 2: The Two Towers. London: George Allen & Unwin Ltd. , 1957 [5th impression]. Part 3: The Return of the King. London: George Allen & Unwin Ltd. , 1959 [5th impression]. Owner bookplate on each volume's front pastedown. Light rubbing along panel edges. Light stain on Part 1 spine heel. Light bump on Part 2 spine heel. Light stain, shelf wear on Part 3 rear panel.

Hardcover. First Edition; Seventh Printing. A very nice set. First UK edition set, [seventh impression, fifth impression, seventh impression]. Cloth-bound. Octavo (230 x 150 mm). Pp. 423; 352; 416. Original red cloth with gilt titles to spines. Top edges tinted red. Foldout map to rear of each volume. Condition: VERY GOOD+. Bindings tight, secure and square. The edges and points sharp. Covers largely clean. Interiors clean, the maps excellent. Dust jackets complete, very bright and without tears. An excellent very well-preserved set. Part 1: The Fellowship of the Ring. London: George Allen & Unwin Ltd. , 1957 [7th impression]. Part 2: The Two Towers. London: George Allen & Unwin Ltd. , 1957 [5th impression]. Part 3: The Return of the King. London: George Allen & Unwin Ltd. , 1959 [7th impression]. Light staining on Return of the King top text block edge and rear pastedown/end page. Tape along spine edges and rear flap fold.

Hardcover. Condition: Very Good. 1st Edition. London: George Allen & Unwin, Ltd. 1955, Fourth, Second and Second Impressions. First Edition, Fourth, Second and Second Impressions. 8vo. Finely rebound in full red Morocco leather with the Eye of Sauron to each front board in gilt on black leather, titles in gilt to the spine. A most attractive set of Tolkien's three Landmark Books: The Fellowship of the Ring, First Edition, Fourth Impression, November 1955; The Two Towers, First Edition, Second Impression, 1955; The Return of the King, First Edition, Second Impression, November 1955. All volumes complete with folded maps of Middle Earth tipped in at the rear of the volumes (see photos). Tolkien began The Lord of the Rings between 16 and 19 December 1937, three months after The Hobbit was published and George Allen & Unwin were encouraging Tolkien, against his inclination, to write a sequel. The rest is history. As C. S. Lewis commented: "If Ariosto rivalled it in invention (in fact he does not) he would still lack its heroic seriousness. No imaginary world has been projected which is at once so multifarious and so true to its own inner laws; none so seemingly objective, so disinfected from the taint of the author's merely individual psychology, no so relevant to the actual human situation yet so free from allegory. And what fine shading there is in the variations of style to meet the almost endless diversity of scenes and characters - comic, homely, epic, monstrous, or diabolic." All three volumes housed in a custom made slip case. 423pp, folding map; 352pp, folding map; 416pp, folding map. Slipcase approximately 9 � inches tall. Books approximately 9 inches tall. Condition Report Externally Spine very good condition gilt titles to plain morocco spine. Joints very good condition. Corners very good condition. Boards very good condition gilt and black leather Eye of Sauron to the front of plain morocco goatskin boards. Page edges very good condition top edges original red colour, others gently tanned. See above and photos. Internally Hinges very good condition. Paste downs very good condition marbled paper. End papers very good condition marbled. Title very good condition lightly tanned. Pages very good condition lightly tanned throughout. Binding very good condition. See photos. Publisher: see above. Publication Date: 1955 Binding: Hardback.

Hardcover. Condition: Very Good. Dust Jacket Condition: Very Good. 1st Edition. Allen & Unwin 1956, 55, 55, impressions 5, 2, 1. Unique for having matching jacket impressions. Most early sets for sale have mis-matched jacket and book impressions. All three books in near fine condition with folding maps to the rear of each volume. Return of the King is a 1st edition/1st printing, Hammond and Anderson's 1st state (Signature mark 4 present on page 49 and lines of type sagging in the middle). see photo. Dust jackets are in very good condition, with a few small closed tears, with one larger (approx 3cm) up the spine from the base of the Two Towers dust jacket. There is some slight tattering to the spine ends (worst being at the base of the spine on the RotK, but no excessive stains or marks on either of the three jackets or books. Two Towers and Return of the King have uniform wear with an owners inscription on end page 'M.B.C. Canney' (see photo). Fellowship of the Ring is very close in shading/ageing to the other two but does not have any owners names. Overall the three books look to have remained a set together for many years. As you can see from the photos the jackets look more grey in colour which is the original colour as seen on the flaps, not white. As you can see the spines show some browning which is extremely common for these sets. All three jackets are protected in a Brodart protector (removed for photographs). The Two Towers 2nd and Return of the King 1st were both printed late 1955, while the Fellowship 5th was printed February 1956. Judging by the owners inscription we can speculate that the Two Towers and Return of the King were purchased together and the Fellowship was purchased separately. The clamshell boxes are a recent extra which I purchased to protect each book from further wearing/shading. Made to the highest standard by well established book binder S. Conway and included in the sale. All books are packaged in boxes with an abundance of bubble wrap, totally secure, no risk of any damage in transit. Please get in touch if you have any questions.

Finely bound set of each title comprising the The Lord of the Rings Trilogy. Octavo, 3 volumes bound in three quarter calf over marbled boards with gilt tooling to the spine in six compartments within raised bands, morocco spine labels lettered in gilt, watered silk endleaves, all edges marbled, ribbons bound in, folding maps. The sets includes a first edition, first impression of The Return of the King; first edition, second impression of The Two Towers; first edition, fifth impression of The Fellowship of the Ring. In very good condition. "The Lord of the Rings began as a sequel to Tolkien's 1937 children's fantasy novel The Hobbit, but eventually developed into a much larger work. It was written in stages between 1937 and 1949, much of it during World War II in letters to his son, "and finally, having polished it to his own satisfaction, published it as a trilogy from 1954 to 1955, a volume at a time, impatiently awaited by a growing audience. It is considered one of this century� s lasting contributions to that borderland of literature between youth and age. It seems destined to become this century� s contribution to that select list of books which continue through the ages to be read by children and adults with almost equal pleasure." (Eyre, 134-35). It has went on to become the third best selling novel of all-time with 150 million copies sold.

Hardcover. Condition: Very Good. Dust Jacket Condition: Very Good. First Edition. Allen & Unwin 1957, 57, 58, Impressions 7,5,4 with matching jackets impressions. Now our earliest printing set we have for sale. These are now so rare in any condition, it seems unkind to be critical at all. We have sold five early sets in as many weeks. (note they are listed on other sights and could sell at anytime). Though the dust jackets are grubby and spotty (old mould), there is very little paper loss as usually found. This set was not purchase together, but the jacket cover aging and spines are very similar so they look like a set. FotR has old water stain on the cover and edge, which hides well in the Mylar. All the jackets have spots, stains and darkening, but again are similar overall. The books are clean, no lean, bindings tight, small owners name to RotK and light tape marks to inside cover of FotR. We have seen better condition sets of these printings, but not for several years now. This likely as good as you will find this early and in nearly matching books and jackets. We have described before how true first editions set could have been purchase together as a set off the shelf and what impressions/printing combinations you might have compiled in the mid to late -1950's. You could never buy a 1,1,1 set at the same time, only as they were released. However by 1958 , 7,5,3 and 7,5,4 impressions could have been part of the first 300 sets sold in a special slipcase, the first state. We have seem more 7,5,4 found together and likely sold together, than 7,5,3 but as there's not a record of distribution, only printings, we can only speculate. This set of printings is likely the first set of printings as planned by the publishers you could buy as a "set", with or without slipcase. As we advise our customers, Tolkien's masterpiece was not a best seller until the mid-1960's. By the later first edition printings, collectors knew to take better care of them and did. The print runs also got bigger with each later printings. Collecting first editions sets is a trade-off between buying early printings with more wear, but are scarce, or later printings which are in much nicer condition, but more common. Nicer early printing sets simply aren't coming on the market anymore. They go into collections and never come out, passed from one generation to the next. Don't delay, buy this set now while you can. It's listed on other sites and being offered to our client base. It could sell anytime.

1955, 1st edition. (Hardcover set) Very good in good to very good dust jacket. 423, 352, 416pp. Fellowship is 4th impression in 4th impression jacket, Two Towers is 2nd impression in 3rd impression jacket, and Return of the King is 2nd impression in 2nd impression jacket. Red cloth with top edges stained red, and a colored folding map at the back of each volume. Ghosting and spotting to the endpapers, spotting to the edges, the spine of the Two Towers is cocked, the jackets are clipped on the bottom of the front flaps, are somewhat soiled, the spines darkened and have minor edgewear. (Fantasy Fiction, Fantasy Fiction, Sets).

Hardcover. Condition: Near Fine. Dust Jacket Condition: Near Fine. J.R.R. Tolkien (illustrator). First Edition. The Lord of the Rings, by J.R.R. Tolkien. Published by Houghton Mifflin, 1955/1955/1956 1st Editions, 2nd imp./3rd imp./1st Impression respectively. A beautiful set of first editions of this classic of fantasy literature. The set is housed in a custom red leather slipcase to show and protect this beautiful set. The set is all original cloth with the correct original dustjackets. The Fellowship of the Ring corresponds to the 3rd impression of the UK 1st Edition, but is the 2nd US impression, as Houghton Mifflin did not order any of the textblocks from the 2nd UK impressions. The Near Fine dustjacket of the Fellowship has clean bright colors with almost no wear or rubbing, but the spine has a bit of fading. The rear panel has no soiling to the white areas, nor any loss to any edges or folds. The Fellowship dustjacket has the photo of Tolkien in a 'V' on the rear panel, is not priced or clipped, and has the 'w' nicked on the front flap, line 11, the correct issue points for this impression's dustjacket. The Two Towers Near Fine dustjacket exhibits all the correct issue points for this early copy, including the "stripe, gap and cufflink" points. There is some rubbing at the ends of the spine area with minor color loss and a few small chips, beautiful bright colors with a tiny bit of tanning to the spine, hardly noticeable. The Return of the King dustjacket is price clipped, so unfortunately does not show the oversized '5' in the price with double uprights, the correct issue point for a true 1st Impression. The Near Fine dustjacket on The Return of the King shows almost no rubbing, with a tiny closed tear to the top edge, without any loss or rubbing at the spine tips or along the flap folds. The books are tight and clean with no names or writing noted. No bumped corners, the exterior of the books are clean and bright, no tarnish to the gilt stampings, the Return shows a pull at the top of the cloth spine, which has split the cloth without any loss. None of the dustjackets show any foxing whatsoever. Besides being a truly beautiful looking set, this set is very scarce and collectable. The yellow topstain is faded on all three books, with the Fellowship the most faded, but still a little color on the others. The original maps are present in all three volumes, no extra folds or tears noted. The full red leather slipcase is felt lined, and stamped with Tolkiens Ring & Eye Design with Tengwar Title and Author, the JRRT Monogram to the rear panel. Additional digital images can be supplied on request. Other Tolkien books available, include both the UK and US editions, original cloth bindings, custom fine bindings, and Signed/Numbered/Limited Editions. A wonderful addition to anyone's Tolkien collection.

Hardcover. Condition: Very Good. Dust Jacket Condition: Very Good. 1st Edition. UK The Fellowship of the Ring: G/G condition, First edition, fourth impression November 1955 The Two Towers: VG/VG condition, first edition, second impression 1955 The Return of the King: VG/VG condition, first edition, second impression November 1955 Each novel includes a map.

Hardcover. Condition: New. No Jacket. Alan Lee (illustrator). 1st Edition. Brand new copy, will be shipped in Folio's original packaging. Limited to just 1,000 sets and this is numbered 281. Signed by Alan Lee, this is the finest version of Tolkien's masterpiece. Signed by Illustrator(s).

The Lord of the Rings, 1959, 60, 60 Set, Imp.8, 7, 6 The Fellowship of the Ring, Two Towers, Return of the King

J.R.R. Tolkien

Published by George Allen and Unwin, London, 1960

Book First Edition

Hardcover. Condition: Near Fine. Dust Jacket Condition: Near Fine. First Edition. Allen and Unwin. 1959, 60's Impressions 8,7,6 A lovely first edition set. Uniform darkening to jacket spine colours, but no tattering to spine ends or other paper loss to the jackets. Books have no serious flaws, gilt bright, pages clean. Fellowship has small stain to cover, RotK has a shading line to jacket cover. Wear and color is to all jackets is uniform indicating they have been kept together as a set. These early impressions are increasingly hard to find without much more wear and tear, especially to the dust jackets which are often damaged, restored or laminated making them worthless. Please note, all our listing are on other sites and could sell anytime. Don't be disappointed, buy now. We can add a period slipcase 4th state for an additional �450. Please ask for a full set of photos!.

Hardcover. Condition: Very Good. Dust Jacket Condition: Near Fine. 1st Edition. Hardcover. Condition: Book 1:Near Fine, Book 2: Near Fine, Book 3: Very Good. Dust Jacket Condition: Book 1: Very Good (1cm tears on top and bottom spine corners, mylar cover), Book 2: Very Good (3rd impression jacket, 1cm tears on top and bottom spine corners, mylar cover), Book 3: Very Good+ 11th impression jacket, no tears slightly discolored). The Lord of the Rings First Edition Trilogy by J.R.R. Tolkien Published George Allen & Unwin 1955. The Fellowship of the Ring: 1955 first edition, 4th impression with 4th impression dust jacket (as issued). The Two Towers: 1955 first edition, 2nd impression in a 3rd impression dust jacket. The Return of the King: 1955 first edition first impression in 11th impression jacket. Books 1 and 2 are in near fine condition, Book 3 in Very Good condition. Books 1 and 2 completely free of any blemishes and Book 3 minor blemish on front and inside front cover with inscription on first page. No inscriptions on Books 1 and 2. No foxing. Top edge tint still present and page edges clean. Gold gilt lettering still bold. Not price clipped on books 1 and 2, Book 3 11th imp jacket price clipped. An excellent set. Fold out maps in near fine condition on all three volumes. Further images are available upon request.

No Binding. Condition: Near Fine. MICHAEL HAGUE (illustrator). 1st Edition. MICHAEL HAGUE ORIGINAL PUBLISHED ILLUSTRATION FROM "THE FELLOWSHIP OF THE RING", THE LORD OF THE RINGS MICHAEL HAGUE, (AMERICAN 1948-DATE) A STUNNING DETAILED PUBLISHED ILLUSTRATION, USED AS THE FRONTIS PIECE FROM THE PREMIUM LEATHER BOUND COLLECTOR'S EDITION, THREE BOOK SET PUBLISHED BY THE EASTON PRESS, 1984. THE ARTWORK DEPICTS GANDALF AND THE BALROG FROM THE FELLOWSHIP OF THE RING, FROM THE LORD OF THE RINGS TRILOGY. WATERCOLOR ON BOARD, 7?X 11? ART IMAGE SIZE AND 9" X 13" BOARD SIZE, UNFRAMED Stunning Published Original watercolor illustration on board by Michael Hague which is the Frontis piece for the book, THE FELLOWSHIP OF THE RING. The piece depicts Gandalf and The Balrog from the infamous scene on the bridge. This is a beautifully detailed piece, (with Gandolf's sword and flowing hair appearing as magically illuminated-use the zoom feature for a close-up view), by one of the leading American illustrators from one of the most important pieces of fantasy literature in the 20th century.The illustration is signed lower right. The art is in overall excellent condition with publishers notes outside of margins. Unframed. PROVENANCE: The art was purchased from an Auction House who was commissioned to sell several original illustrations by Michael Hague. A copy of the original bill of sale will be included with the piece, and will provide both provenance and authenticity for the art. This piece is SIGNED by Michael Hague lower right. The art is in great condition and would be stunning framed. ADDITIONAL IMAGES AVAILABLE UPON REQUEST. Please see our Abe store for other original illustration art and rare books.

Three volumes, original blue cloth, slight fading and slight shelf wear on the first volume. First American editions (from English sheets) of The Fellowship of the Ring and The Return of the King; The Two Towers is a later printing, with undated title page.

Hardcover. Condition: Fine. Dust Jacket Condition: No Dust Jacket. First Edition Thus. The 2002 3 Volume set published by the Folio Society. Limited to 1750 numbered copies. A Fine set in a Fine example of the original slipcase. Hand-woven indian silk sides, moroccan wassa goatskin backs lettered in gilt, gilt tops, silk ribbons, all 3 volumes housed in a Moroccan wassa goatskin slip-case with scalloped edges and elaborately decorated and lettered in gilt. Probably the nicest of the Folio Editions.

Hardcover. Condition: New. Dust Jacket Condition: New. Alan Lee (illustrator). 1st Edition. **** THIS SET WEIGHS OVER 10KGS THEREFORE CANNOT BE SOLD TO CANADA OR ANYWHERE IN THE EU DUE TO YOUR COUNTRY'S WEIGHT RESTRICTIONS ON PRINTED PAPER. *** This is a brand new, shrink wrapped, limited edition of The Lord of the Rings published by the Folio Society in 2000 AND SIGNED BY ALAN LEE & NUMBERED 316/1000 COPIES. This edition sold out in less than 48 hours, even allowing for a couple hours where the Folio website crashed. PRODUCTION DETAILS: Limited to 1,000 sets numbered and signed by Alan Lee.? Quarter-bound in leather with cloth sides blocked in silver and inset with illustration labels. Circular limitation tip printed letterpress on Tintoretto paper hand tipped within a gold border. Set in Dante with Testament as display. 1,504 pages in total over three volumes printed on Munken Pure paper. Printed in black and burgundy throughout. 53 colour illustrations in total printed on Veltique paper tipped within printed borders. 57 illustrated chapter openers?. Endpapers printed with a design by the artist. Also included is a Note on the Text by Douglas A. Anderson, a Note on the Revised Text by Wayne G. Hammond and Christina Scull, Tolkien?s Foreword to the Second Edition and Prologue, as well as Appendices and Indexes. Silver page tops. Burgundy satin ribbon markers. Two maps printed together in black and red and enclosed in a case covered in blocked cloth. Hand-made cloth-covered slipcase blocked in silver and gunmetal with printed illustration inside. 12? �?7�? size?. Separate print presented in a folder of Pergamenata paper. Signed by Illustrator(s).

First one-volume edition. The Lord of the Rings was always intended as a single-volume work, though it was originally published in three volumes in 1954 and 1955, in part due to post-war paper shortages. This edition, originally issued as a paperback, has Tolkien's definitive text, from the second edition of 1966, published in one volume for the first time. Octavo. Finely bound by the Chelsea Bindery in dark red morocco, spine lettered in gilt, raised bands, single rule to front boards gilt with large eye of Sauron motif in gilt, dark green endpapers, twin rule to turn-ins, gilt edges. A fine copy.

Hardcover. Condition: Very Good. Dust Jacket Condition: Very Good. 1st Edition. This is a lovely set of the highly sought-after fantasy classic in the first edition format, including the iconic "eye in the ring" motif. These are the 14th / 11th / 11th impressions, dating 1965 / 1965 / 1965. They are sharp cornered, have extremely bright clean gilt, do not have inscriptions and are good solid bindings. The maps are extremely clean and bright, again with no sign of handling. The classic grey dustwrappers are sharp and not price clipped, each showing a 25s price. All wrapper shave some yellowing and sunning / yellowing to spines, as per pictures, with The Return of the King having more yellowing across the front panel and with a delicate joint on the wrapper showing signs of starting to separate, but stabilised in a removable plastic sleeve. There is also some minor darker marking to the wrappers, and a short closed tear (2.5cm) to The Fellowship of the Ring front panel. Internally, these lovely volumes are all very clean. In all, these books present very well indeed. This is a collectable clean copy of the 1st ed format in original unclipped wrappers. In all, a superior set. A note about this edition: The value of the later printings in first edition format have steadily risen over the last decade as the contribution of Tolkien to culture and the scale of his achievement has been recognised. His work continues to inspire new generations of fantasy readers and watchers, and his books show no sign of dropping in people's estimations and continuing to climb in value.

Used - Hardcover
Condition: Very Good Plus

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Hardcover. Condition: Very Good Plus. Dust Jacket Condition: Very Good Plus. J.R.R. Tolkien (illustrator). 1st Edition. 8vo - over 7�" - 9�" tall. The Lord of the Rings, Comprised of the Fellowship of the Ring, the Two Towers, and the Return of the King, by J.R.R. Tolkien. Published by Houghton Mifflin. A lovely set consisting of the 9th impression of 1960 for The Fellowship of the Ring, the 8th impression of 1961 for The Two Towers, and the 8th impression of 1961 for The Return of the King. These books and dustjackets are all in Very Good Plus condition, with some scuffs and edgewear, mainly to the spines of the first two books. The Two Towers shows a scrape along the top edge with the boards showing thru a bit. No foxing or offsetting to the text block or endpapers. No previous owner's name, no other writing in any of the books. None of the dustjackets are price clipped, all show the original $5.00 price, except the Fellowship which was unpriced until 11th or 12 impression. All maps are mounted to the rear pastedown as issued, in Fine condition with no tears or misfolds, minor browning to the folds. A beautiful, tight, bright set still shows a hint of the yellow topstain, with the top edges being a bit dusty. Not many matched sets in this lovely condition any more. A custom slipcase, covered with black leather gilt stamped featuring Tolkien's own Ring & Eye design stamped to the front panel, the Tolkien monogram to the back panel, and the Ring Verse to the other side panel, providing protection and a beautiful display of this valuable set. Digital photo's available, inquire if interested. Other Tolkien books available, include both the UK and US editions, original cloth bindings, custom fine bindings, and Signed/Numbered/Limited Editions. Very Good Plus / Very Good Plus.

[Fantasy Classic] LEATHER BOUND SET, later impressions of the First Edition; the 12th, ninth, and ninth respectively. Complete in three volumes. Octavo (23 x 14 x 10cm), pp.[2] 423 [1]; pp.352; pp.416. With a folding map, and the original cloth spine, at the rear of each volume. Recently rebound in red half morocco, with raised bands, gilt titles to spines, and matching cloth over boards. A touch of spotting around the maps, otherwise a crisp, clean set in an attractive new leather binding. Very good. A fantastical trilogy, "The Lord of the Rings" is one of the greatest books of the twentieth century, containing amazing details of a new mythology, never really surpassed. Basis for the epic film series directed by Peter Jackson, 'The Return' (2003) winning a record 11 Oscars from 11 nominations.

Cloth with dust jacket. Condition: Good. First Edition - Seventh impression. 3 vols complete with folding maps - The Fellowship, 7th impression, The Two Towers, 5th impression, The return, 3th impression - some stains on the dust jackets !!!. not price-clipped.

Hardcover. Condition: Very Good. Dust Jacket Condition: Very Good. 1st Edition. First UK Editions, Early Printings. A first edition set compromising 8th, 7th and 7th printings. A very good to very good plus set in original jackets which are not price clipped. Fellowship has a 9th impression jacket the other two have 7th impression jackets, light rubbing a little wear, colours still bright, no serious flaws. The books are unmarked, with no writing, tears, clean bright pages, light off setting to the end pages of 'Return'. Lean to 'Return' with dulling to the spine of the jacket. Original red boards, lettering in gilt, all three have the red stained top edge of the text block as required, maps to the rear of all three. Increasingly difficult to find in nice condition.

Cloth with dust jacket. Condition: Good. First Edition - Eleventh impression. 3 vols complete with folding maps - The fellowship of the Ring : 1961, Eleventh impression - The Two Towers : 1961, Eight impression - The return of the King : 1961, Eight impression - all dust jackets not price clipped.

Cloth with dust jacket. Condition: Good. First Edition - Eleventh impression. 3 vols complete with folding maps - The fellowship of the Ring : 1961, Eleventh impression - The Two Towers : 1961, Eight impression - The return of the King : 1961, Eight impression - all dust jackets not price clipped - former owner name on title pages.

No Binding. Condition: Very Good. Barbara Remington (illustrator). First Edition. Ballentine Books, 1965. Part of a three poster set to promote the officially released books in paperback, see second photo, this poster is the largest the banner mural. The others are Come to Middle-earth poster and a map comprise the other two. All very rare now. We have the Map for sale as well as the original concept art previously owned by Betty Ballentine. Crinkling and damage to all the edges, numerous small closed tears and pin holes to the corners, colours true. Top left corner has paper loss to the trim, another section on the bottom edge, however once matted for framing these won't be visible. I've had many customers have these dry mounted and framed (dry mounted means hung from acid free tape) The matting covers the edges and part of the image to secure it, so damage to the edges won't be seen once framed. The rest image itself is clean and colours true. There is a certain company selling reproductions of this banner poster. We detest copies and fakes, at any price. Aside from being illegal, the point of collecting iconic art is to have the original, in any condition. Those buying fakes are missing the point, you only cheat yourself. Under our original art listing, item number 265024963290, we describe the importance of this art to Professor Tolkien's masterpieces becoming famous world-wide. Without the 1965 paperbacks with this artwork on the cover, it may never have happened. I see these come on the market only every few years now. These early promotional posters are now one of the more scarce and unique Tolkien collectibles, in any condition.

Octavo, three volumes, cloth. Follows the 1965 Ballantine Books text. Comprises THE FELLOWSHIP OF THE RING, THE TWO TOWERS and THE RETURN OF THE KING. Barron (ed), Fantasy Literature 3-40. Bleiler, The Guide to Supernatural Fiction 1606, 1607, and 1608. Cawthorn and Moorcock, Fantasy: The 100 Best Books 76. Pringle, Modern Fantasy: The Hundred Best Novels 16. Survey of Modern Fantasy Literature II, pp. 897-915. Tymn (ed), Fantasy Literature, pp. 193-96. A fine set in nearly fine dust jackets with mild wear to spine ends and corner tips, mild age darkening to spine panels. An attractive set of an important edition. (22905) First British (and first hardcover) printing of the second edition.

Hardcover. Condition: Very Good. Dust Jacket Included. 1st Edition. Complete set of the first edition of Tolkien's masterwork, later US printings of all three volumes. Volume 1 is the fourteenth printing, vol. 2 the twelfth, and vol. 3 the eleventh printing. As is well known, because of copyright problems, this edition was retired and a revised edition of the trilogy published in 1967. These printings are all of the original version. All volumes have identical gift inscriptions on the upper right corner of the front flyleaf and a small bookstore sticker (Vroman's, Pasadena) on the front pastedown, otherwise are in very good to fine condition. Maps in fine condition, appear not to have been looked at. Dust jackets are not price-clipped, all have the identical price of $5.95. The jackets are at a minimum very good; there is a small tear at the top of the spine panel on The Fellowship of the Ring and some nicking to the tops of the spines of the other two volumes, and some slight rubbing to the joints overall, but no chipping or tearing. Complete sets of relatively early printings are difficult to find.

Hardcover. Condition: Very Good. Dust Jacket Condition: Very Good. First Edition. Allen and Unwin. 1961,62, 62 A lovely first edition set, slight fading/ darkening to jacket spine colors, minor tattering to spine ends especially FotR and slight grubbiness to jacket edges. FotR has a closed tear to bottom section and seam of jacket spine which has been re-enforced with removable acid free tape. Books have no flaws, gilt bright, read many times. These early impressions are increasingly hard to find without much more wear and tear, especially to the dust jackets which are often damaged or laminated making them worthless. This set was likely purchased as a set in 1962. You can tell the books and jackets have been kept together by the uniform wearing and aging patterns. As early firsts are becoming so scarce, in any condition, buy these while they are available. Please ask for a complete set of photos! Feel free to ask questions about collecting Tolkien books, we are here to help! No question is too silly. We have been a specialist dealer in Tolkien for 20 years!.

Hardcover. Condition: Near Fine. 1st Edition, Special Edition. First edition, first impression of the India paper edition published in 1969. A little of the usual fading to the spine, near fine otherwise. The slipcase has a couple of marks to one side and slight rubbing to corners and bottom. A near fine example.

Hardcover. Condition: Very Good. Dust Jacket Condition: Good. 1st Edition. Three volume set with unblemished red boards and spines, the latter lettered in gilt; The spine of vol 1 has a vague vertical crease down its center. Clean fore edges and top edges stained pink. All three jackets price clipped; jacket of vol 1 slightly soiled, its spine moderately tanned, the red lettering a little faded and a 5 mm x 2 mm stain near center; similar soiling to jacket of vol 2, its spine more tanned, red lettering more faded and a 3 mm split at top with attendant crease; condition of vol 3's jacket similar to vol 1; all three jackets crisp and their leading corners undamaged. Internally the name 'A. M. Sugden' written on each of the free front end papers; all contents clean and unmarked save for slight offsetting to front end papers of first volume with a few inconsequential spots in a 1 cm area. Vol 1: fifteenth impression 1966 Vol 2: eleventh impression 1965 Vol 3: twelfth impression 1966.

Hardcover. Condition: Near Fine. Dust Jacket Condition: Very Good plus. 1st Edition. George Allen and Unwin, 1961-1962. The Fellowship of The Ring, First edition, 12th impression. Hardcover with dust jacket. Condition: Near Fine: very clean and bright red and gilt boards with sharp corners; very clean paste downs and end papers with just a hint of offsetting; no former owner's marks or gift dedication; very clean unmarked text block with no spotting or foxing; attached map to rear in fine condition; dark red staining to top edge unfaded. Dust jacket condition: Very Good+: matching 12th impression; clean and unmarked front and rear panels with no tears; very light scuffing and creasing to some extremities; spine tanned; very clear red and black title, author and publisher spine letters unfaded; slight scuffing and creasing to spine tips; not price clipped (21s net). The Two Towers, First edition, 9th impression. Hardcover. Condition: Near Fine: very clean and bright red and gilt boards with sharp corners; very clean paste downs and end papers with hardly any offsetting; no former owner's marks or gift dedication; very clean unmarked text block with no spotting or foxing; attached map to rear in fine condition; dark red staining to top edge unfaded. Dust jacket condition: Very Good: matching 9th impression; clean and unmarked front and rear panels with single 3cm closed tear to top edge of rear panel; spine tanned; very clear red and black title, author and publisher spine letters unfaded; very slight scuffing and crease to top spine tip only; 3cm crease to top edge of front flap, otherwise no creasing; not price clipped (21s net). The Return of The King, First edition, seventh impression, 1961. Hardcover. Condition: Near Fine: very clean and bright boards with sharp corners; very clean paste downs; end papers have offsetting; no previous owner's marks or gift dedications; slight shadow to small part of title page; very clean and tight text block with no spotting or foxing; dark red staining to top edge intact with spotting. Attached folding map at rear in Fine conditionDust jacket condition: Near Fine: matching seventh impression; very clean and unmarked front and rear panels with no tears, nicks or creasing; almost no tanning to spine with red and black letters clear and barely faded; not price clipped (21s net).

Hardcover. Condition: Near Fine. Dust Jacket Condition: Very Good. Complete in three volumes. With a new foreword by the author. Each volume is a stated first printing of the second edition, revised. Fold-out map is present at the rear of each volume. Each volume is near fine in a very good (trace edge wear and age toning) dust jacket with the original $6.00 price and the "0267" date on the front flap. Housed in a very good (minor shelf wear and aging) slipcase. B00BFNNYAO.

Hardcover. Condition: Very Good. Dust Jacket Condition: Very Good. 1st Edition. "Here are beauties which pierce like swords or burn like cold iron. Here is a book which will break your heart." C. S. Lewis wrote this about J. R. R. Tolkien's masterpiece, Lord Of The Rings. As the success grew into a cult over the years it was decided, in 1966, to issue a corrected and revised Second Edition. Tolkien requested this and this is a complete set of that revised edition, all first printings, all FIRST EDITIONS THUS. This became the final and definitive text of Lord of the Rings. Original red cloth, spines lettered in gilt, top edges red, cream endpapers. The original dust jackets - not reproductions! - have signs of wear. A few minor chippings and some small slits and discolouration; but these are the original jackets and all three are safely protected now. The photos are taken without the protective sleeves by the way. The folded maps in red and black are close to new at the rear of each volume. As with most first printings there is a little rubbing to extremities. This is a Near Fine set when the age is allowed for but I have opted for Very Good. The books have obviously been read, but carefully and respectfully, and although there are slight signs of a lean this first edition set is highly collectable. No annotations, no owner names, no turned down corners. The spines are virtually unfaded. In the 2003 "Big Read" survey by the BBC, The Lord of the Rings was voted the "Nation's best-loved book". In 2004 both Germany and Australia chose The Lord of the Rings as their favourite book. In an Amazon poll, The Lord of the Rings was judged favourite "book of the millennium". In 2019 The Lord of the Rings was listed among the 100 most influential novels. With the radio serials and movies the books have continued to pull in huge audiences. This set is now hard to find in such a collectable condition.

Three volumes. 8vo. 423, [1]; 352; 416 pp., w/ maps (3 large folding, 1 at end of each vol.). Uniformly bound in blue cloth, gilt lettering front covers & spines (minor shelfwear, minor thumbing to fore-edges), w/ d.j.s. cover art by Walter Lorraine (minor edgewear, darkening to spines, minor closed tears on vols. I & III on spines, ghosting of old tape repairs on versos), still VG/VG- set, all preserving $ 5.95 price on front flaps, preserved in open-backed slipcase. First American edition, 14th printing of vol. I, 11th printings of Vols. II & III, of Tolkien's gound breaking fantasy classic which was originally published successively in England by George Allen & Unwin from 1954-1955, with sheets imported to the United States for use by Houghton Mifflin for the American editions. Due to the copyright controversy spawned by the tremendously successful Ace paperback edition launched by Donald Wollheim in 1965 which went onto sell 100,000 copies, this edition was retired and replaced with 2nd Revised edition in 1967, which featured an expanded Return of the King, and entirely new bindings and jacket art.