London: Harper Collins, 1991. John Howe. First Thus. Hardcover. 8vo - over 7¾ - 9¾" tall. The Lord of the Rings, by J.R.R. Tolkien. Published by Harper Collins in 1991, the Centenary Edition three volume set housed in its original publishers red slipcase, featuring the title and author stamped in gold to the sides, along with the Centenary device to the rear boards. The slipcase shows some rubbing and scuffs along the edges, a stain to the back panel, but it is still holding up well without any splits to the seams. The books are all 1st impressions in unclipped dustjackets. The dustjackets feature some of John Howe's most famous illustrations, with a Gold Band to the top and bottom with the runes in black. All dustjackets in Near Fine condition with minor rubbing and a small split just starting to the spine fold on The Fellowship and one to the flap fold on The Two Towers. None of the dustjackets show any fading to the red lettering on the spine as so often found. A very uncommon and extremely hard to find set, lovely condition, bound in green cloth with title, author, publisher and Tolkien monogram in gold to the spines of the books. No previous owners names, dates or any other writing noted. None of the dustjackets are price clipped, all in lovely condition. The edges of the textblocks are clean and bright, unfoxed. An exceptional set of books quite hard to find in this lovely condition. 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. Item #2508

London: Allen & Unwin, 1962. J.R.R. Tolkien. 1st Edition, Hobbits, Lord of the Rings. Hardcover. 8vo - over 7¾ - 9¾" 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 George Allen and Unwin in 1962 & 1963, these books are later impressions of the 1st UK Edition, originally published in 1954/1954/1955 respectively. The Fellowship of the Rings is a 12th impression published in 1962, in its correct Twelfth impression dustjacket. The Two Towers is an 10th impression published in 1963, in its correct Tenth Impression dustjacket. The Return of the King is a 9th impression published in 1962, in it's correct Ninth Impression dustjacket. The dustjackets are all in Very Good Plus/Near Fine condition showing some light rubbing and very mild tanning to the spines, with the lightest amount of wear to the edges of the dustjackets. The books are in Very Good Plus condition with no offsetting or foxing, with same neat previous owners name to the first two books, with no other markings noted. A slight bit of spine lean noted in all the books. The first two books are price clipped, with a small Melbourne booksellers sticker to the front pastedown. The red boards on all three books are clean and bright. The gilt on the books is clean and bright on all books. Each book has it's own original foldout map tipped in at the rear, all are in excellent condition with no tears or extra folds noted, no tanning to the folds. Red topstain is bright and slightly faded, on all three books. A custom red leather slipcase, with a ribbon pull, featuring Tolkien's own Ring & Eye with Tengwar Title & Author to one side and the JRRT monogram to the reverse. A lovely way to house and protect this wonderful set of books. 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. Item #2506

London: Allen & Unwin, 1954. J.R.R. Tolkien. 1st Edition, Hobbits, Lord of the Rings, Original Cloth. 8vo - over 7¾" - 9¾" tall. The Lord of the Rings, by J.R.R. Tolkien. Published by George Allen & Unwin, in 1954, 1954, and 1955, the 1st UK Edition, 1st impressions. The Fellowship of the Ring is a 1st impression published July 29th, 1954, one of 1500 printed for the UK. The Two Towers is a 1st impression published November 11th, 1954, one of 2250 printed for the UK. The Return of the King is a 1st impression published October 20th, 1955. This copy is the 1st State, as per Hammond & Anderson, with the signature mark '4' and having the slipped type on page 49. Correspondence with Wayne Hammond has indicated he has revised his original definition of the 1st state, from what was described in the Tolkien Bibliography, making this the later state. All original maps are present and in Near Fine condition, no tears or extra folds. All three books are in their original dustjackets showing some soiling and a little fading to the red lettering on the books. Previous owners names (different) to all three books, along with a couple of bookstore stickers. No other markings or writing in any of the books. The front endpapers show a moderate amount of offsetting on the books, less so to the Two Towers and Return of the King. No foxing noted in any of the books. The dustjackets are not price clipped, and they have some loss to the tops and bottoms of the spine on the Fellowship and The Two Towers. A bit of rubbing and splits or loss to a few area's, mostly around the folds. The previous owner had reinforced the folds of all three dustjackets with (what appears to be) archival tape, along with a couple of small closed tears as well. These are a unsophisticated set of books, there was no restoration work performed on any of the three books. The text blocks are all clean, bright and tight, without any internal foxing. Red topstain is still bright and clean on all three books, not faded as often found. A beautiful, collectable set of first editions of this classic of fantasy literature. The gilt is bright and untarnished on the spines. The boards are very clean and bright, with a couple of minor liquid spots to the boards, virtually no shelf wear on the bottom edge. The maps in the first two books are the 1st state maps with the point of the red dot off the coast of Umbar. A highly sought after set of First Impressions of this classic of fantasy literature, with a custom red leather slipcase to protect and house these 'precious' books. 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. Item #2231

Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 1970. J.R.R. Tolkien. 2nd Edition. Hardcover. 8vo - over 7¾ - 9¾" tall. The Lord of the Rings, by J.R.R. Tolkien. Published in 1970 by Houghton Mifflin, Second Editions, 6th/5th/5th impressions . An exceptionally clean and bright set of this classic of fantasy literature. The set is in original cloth with the original unpriced dustjackets, now in removable archival protectors. The black cloth boards feature Tolkiens original "Ring & Eye" device stamped in various colors, with matching topstain and dustjacket color on each book. The books are all in Near Fine condition, the gilt title & author on the spine is clean and bright on the books. No names or writing or foxing whatsoever to the books. The Very Good Plus dustjackets show slight rubbing to the edges and tops of the spines, with a little chipping and minor color loss. The spines are slightly faded as is common to these brightly colored jackets. There is a small scuff, with minor color loss to the spine Two Towers dustjacket. The dustjackets are not priced or clipped, and all have the blindstamp on the rear boards, meaning these are the Book Club edition. The topstain on the books is slightly marked with a couple of small damp stains, otherwise clean, slightly darkened but not faded. The set is housed in the original publishers slipcase in Very Good Plus condition showing a little fading to the black paper covering as is the norm, along with a scuff to the entry edge showing the boards underneath. Original maps are attached at the rear, in Near Fine condition, with no tears or extra folds, clean and bright. A lovely vibrant early set of the 2nd US Edition. 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. Item #2529

New York: Ace Books, 1965. Jack Gaughan. First Thus. Mass Market Paperback. 12mo - over 6¾" - 7¾" tall. The Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien. These are the infamous Ace Books "Pirated Edition" from 1965. The opening salvo of the "War over Middle- Earth". A Very Good Plus set of this notorious edition. The books show almost no wrinkling of the spines along with a little rubbing and a fold to the front cover of The Return of the King. No spine lean to this set, in remarkable condition for their age. The covers still show good colors, with some rubbing and a little color loss to the middle of the front panel of The Two Towers. No previous owners name, no other writing noted in any of the books. This is the only paperback 'Lord of the Rings' to be printed based on later printings of the 1st Edition. All others were based on the revised 2nd editions. Houghton Mifflin, seemed to have been in technical violation of the law by having imported too many copies printed by Allen & Unwin. Ace Books took notice of the sales and overseas production of the books, (which are marked, 'Printed in Great Britain'), determined that LotR's had fallen into the public domain in the United States, and launched their own edition in spring 1965. {Hammond and Anderson, pg 104} So to secure their American copyright, Tolkien was asked to submit new material to create a new Edition, and so secure their copyright beyond question. Tolkien conducted a personal campaign against Ace Books in letters to his American fans. The "War over Middle-earth' was fought in the popular press, with the publicity contributing to increased sales and popularity. Within a year, Ace gave in to public pressure. They agreed to print no more copies, and they negotiated royalties to be paid to Tolkien. This set of books has darkened pages, from the highly acidic paper, still not near as bad as many copies. A custom slipcase featuring Tolkien's Ring and Eye device on one side with Tengwar Title and Author, and his JRRT monogram gilt stamped on the rear of the case. Makes for a beautiful presentation of these classic books. 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. Item #2550

London: Allen & Unwin, 1978. J.R.R. Tolkien. 2nd Edition. Original Cloth. 8vo - over 7¾" - 9¾" tall. The Lord of the Rings, De Luxe Edition, by George Allen & Unwin. This is the 6th impression of the 1 Volume De Luxe Edition of the Lord of the Rings, published by Allen & Unwin in 1978. A Near Fine copy of the book, in a Very Good Plus case, with the lightly soiled label to the front. The book basically has no faults, clean and bright., with a couple of small spots to the black buckram cloth. The case has a couple of corners that look to have split and been neatly repaired with a little touchup to the edges. This edition is printed on India Paper, making the full 3 volumes bound into a single volume, only 1 inch thick. The black buckram cloth has the Tolkien design depicting the Numenorean throne with 'Elendil' in tengwar, stamped on upper cover in gilt, silver and green. Mottled black and grey wove endpapers, all edges trimmed and speckled light green. Housed in the original publishers box, with noted repairs. Still has the original tissue wrapper laid in, showing how careful previous owner must have been. Both maps bound in, and in Fine condition, no tears or loss. An excellent example of this wonderful edition. 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. Item #2416

London: Folio Society, 1990. Ingahild Grathmer & Drawn By Eric Fraser. First Thus. Hardcover. 8vo - over 7¾ - 9¾" tall. The Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien. A beautiful, Near Fine, 1st impression set of the second style of binding issued by the Folio Society in 1990. They are illustrated by Ingahild Grathmer and redrawn by Eric Fraser. Printed in Great Britain, set in Barbou with Libra Display type, bound in full "Elephant-Hide" at the Bath Press in Avon. This binding features the "Seven (Silver) Rings for the Dwarf-lords", within "Three (Gold) Rings for the Elven-kings", surrounded by "Nine (Red) Rings for Mortal Men", encompassed by the "One Ring" (Gold) "to rule them all". Wonderful symbology, and beautiful execution to form the gilt design for the front boards of each book. Topstain in a dark 'blood red' color. This set of books shows no faults, clean and tight. Housed in the original publishers slipcase in Near Fine condition as well, with some light general rubbing. A beautiful set, hard to find in this lovely condition. 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. Item #2448

London: Allen & Unwin, 1954. J.R.R. Tolkien. First Edition. Original Cloth. 8vo - over 7¾" - 9¾" tall. The Lord of the Rings, by J.R.R. Tolkien. Published by George Allen & Unwin, 1954/54/55 1st UK Edition set with each book in its original dustjacket. The Fellowship of the Ring is a 2nd impression, dated December 1954, less than 6 months after the 1st impression was released. The 2nd impression is significant for the errors introduced when the printers hurriedly reset the type to fill the 2nd order, without the publishers knowledge. Having broken down the original typeset, they reset the type, without offering proofs or even acknowledging it had been reset. Introducing numerous errors to the text, as well as incorporating a few of Tolkien's corrections. Many of the errors have remained in print to this day. The Two Towers is a stated 2nd impression in a 3rd impression dustjacket. This is the correct dustjacket for this book, as it lacks the 1955 date below the publisher on the Title page indicating it is actually the 3rd impression, with the printer omitting the 3rd impression date in the print history on the verso of the title page. The Return of the King is a 1st impression published October 20th, 1955. This copy is the 1st State, as per Hammond & Anderson corrected opinion, lacking the signature mark '4' and not having the slipped type on page 49. Correspondence with Wayne Hammond has indicated he has revised his original definition of the 1st state, from what was described in the Tolkien Bibliography, making this book the first state. The dustjacket for the Return is not the 1st State, having the blurbs on the rear flap. All original maps are present and in Near Fine condition. The Fellowship of the Ring map is the 1st State with a red dot off the coast of Umbar. An extraordinary set of first editions of this classic of fantasy literature. All show considerable tanning and darkening to the dustjackets, while the books remain clean and bright, without foxing and only a slight amount of offsetting from the dustjackets flaps. A previous owners sticker under the front flap of The Fellowship, no other names or writing in any of the books. The original boards are all clean and bright, with shiny gilt on the spines of the last two books with The Fellowship tarnished. The red topstain is quite faded on the Fellowship, while still clear on the Return, dusty on The Two Towers. The dustjackets are uniformly darkened and soiled, with some fading to the red lettering on the spines. The Fellowship is the only one price clipped, also the only one with tape ghosts to the back side where a previous owner reinforced some edges and folds. One small chip to upper rear fold on the Fellowship dustjacket, rubbing and minor loss to the spine and flap folds noted. The Two Towers dustjacket shows some rubbing and minor loss to the flap folds, no other loss noted. The Return dustjacket has slightly more loss to the top and bottom of the spine folds, as well as rubbing and minor loss to the flap fold areas. An early matched set of First Editions of this classic of fantasy literature, with a custom red leather covered slipcase, to protect and house these 'precious' books. Any questions, please feel free to inquire. 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. Item #2439

London: Harper Collins, 1998. Ted Nasmith. First Thus. Hardcover. 4to - over 9¾" - 12" tall. The Silmarillion, the Myths and Legends of Middle-Earth, published by Harper Collins in 1998. This is the 1st impression of this lovely illustrated edition. This new edition contains 20 full color illustrations specially commissioned from artist Ted Nasmith. J.R.R. Tolkien's account of the Elder Days, the tales of the Silmarillion are legends deriving from a much deeper past, when Morgoth, the first Dark Lord, dwelt in Middle-Earth, and the High Elves made war upon him to recover the Silmarils. Originally published in 1977, 4 years after his death, Christopher Tolkien has gathered together and edited, what he considered his life's work. This book is in Near Fine condition, now housed in a custom faux leather slipcase to help protect this beautiful copy. 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. Item #2469

London: Harper Collins, 2020. Alan Lee, Ted Nasmith, John Howe. Illustrated Edition. Hardcover. 8vo - over 7¾" - 9¾" tall. "Unfinished Tales of Numenor and Middle-Earth" 40th Anniversary De Luxe Illustrated Edition, is a collection of narratives by J.R.R. Tolkien, edited by his son, Christopher Tolkien, who provides a short commentary on each story, helping the reader to fill in the gaps and put each story into the context of the rest of his father's writings." "Fully clothbound hardback, stamped in gold foil with an inset miniature of John Howe's 'The Hunt for the Ring'." "Housed in a custom-built slipcase illustrated with wraparound artwork by Ted Nasmith, featuring his 'The Blue Wizards Journey East'." "Colour fold-out poster which reveals the complete version of Alan Lee's dustjacket painting depicting the Numenorean royal ships." "Large Double=sided colour poster which folds out to reveal colored versions of the maps of 'Beleriand and the Lands to the North' and 'The West of Middle-earth at the End of the Third Age', drawn by Christopher Tolkien." "Definitive version of the text specially reset for this edition and printed in two colors on heavyweight acid-free paper, and including a ribbon marker." "Illustrated with eighteen full-colour paintings by John Howe, Alan Lee & Ted Nasmith, and five delicate pencil drawings." "A worldwide first printing of just 4,000 copies." 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. Item #2132