New York: Ballantine Books, 1975. J.R.R. Tolkien. 2nd Edition. Mass Market Paperback. 12mo - over 6¾" - 7¾" tall. The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings, by J.R.R. Tolkien. A four volume paperback set housed in the Publishers original Gold Foil covered slipcase, featuring the Heraldic symbols that were drawn by J.R.R. Tolkien. These illustrations include the ones designed to represent Feanor, Idril Celebrindal, Earendil, Luthien Tinuviel, Fingolfin, Elwe, Luthien Tinuviel and Finwe. This is one of the few published sets that includes all four books, The Hobbit, The Fellowship of the Ring, The Two Towers, and The Return of the King. This is also the first set to feature the illustrations by J.R.R. Tolkien, as the covers of the book and slipcase, rather then the Barbara Remington designs as found on previous issues. Hammond and Anderson's, A Descriptive Bibliography notes that "after the 40th (March 1973) and no later than the forty-second (September 1973)", the Hobbit was sold in sets with the Lord of the Rings, housed "in a slipcase, gold (or red) printed paper over boards, featuring Heraldic devices by Tolkien." This design was used until 1983, when the covers were changed again. So this set is from that period, 1973 - 1983. Very unusual to find a set that has aged this well after 45 plus years. The case shows a bumped corner, that has slightly dented the upper back corner of The Return of the King. The Hobbit is a 55th printing, The Fellowship is a 53rd printing, The Two Towers is a 49th printing, and the Return of the King is a 48th printing, all from July 1975. The books are in lovely unread condition with lightly creased spines, and show a light tanning to the white areas of the spines. The textblock of all four books are clean and bright, with no tanning or foxing, no previous owners names or marks noted. A lovely find for the collector. Other Tolkien books available, include both the UK and US editions, original cloth bindings, custom fine bindings, and Signed/Numbered/Limited Editions. Item #2350

London: Philip Smith, 1970. Philip Smith. Soft Cover. 8vo - over 7¾" - 9¾" tall. The Lord of the Rings and other Bookbindings of Philip Smith. Signed by C Philip Smith to the top of the title page. Self published in London in 1970. The first part of the book is devoted to the renowned 'Lord of the Rings Wall of Books'. Very well illustrated in black and white, with technical notes on the binding process he used. The second part of the book deals with other superb bindings by this renowned bookbinding artist. The text is by Philip Smith in English with parallel French translation. The covers are silvered card with black printing - very difficult to photograph properly. The cover show some rubbing and creasing with minor color loss at the fold area. A minor amount of edgewear, but still in Very Good condition for it's 40 years of age. No previous owners names or writing noted. A very scarce and desired book, rarely available for the collector. 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 #1192

London: Harper Collins, 1991. John Howe. First Thus. Hard Cover. 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 a custom red leather slipcase featuring the Centenary device on the front and rear boards. The Fellowship is a 2nd impression, while the Two Towers and Return are 1st impressions. The books feature John Howe's Illustrations to the 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 Very Good Plus condition with minor rubbing to the gold bands, minor loss of color, a few small wrinkled areas to top gold band on the books along with a couple of spots to the rear boards. Dustjackets do not show any fading to the red lettering on the spine as so often found. The red leather slipcase features a fully felt lined interior with a ribbon pull. 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. None of the dustjackets are price clipped, all in lovely condition. Top edge of the textblocks are a little dusty, the Fellowship textblock is toned compared to the other two books. 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 #2357

London: Allen & Unwin, 1960. J.R.R. Tolkien. 1st Edition, Hobbits, Lord of the Rings, Hard Cover. 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 1959 thru 1961, these books are middle impressions of the 1st UK Edition, originally published in 1954/1954/1955 respectively. The Fellowship of the Rings is a 9th impression published in 1960, in its correct 9th impression dustjacket. This copy incorrectly claims to be the 8th impression, which was actually published in 1959. The printers changed the 8th impression date to 1960, but did not add in the 9th impression listing, as per The Tolkien Collector, Number 20, edited by Christina Scull and Wayne Hammond. The Two Towers is a 6th impression published in 1959. The Return of the King is an 8th impression published in 1961. All three books have their original dustjackets which are in Very Good Plus condition showing some light rubbing with no tears or loss to the edges, and only very lightly tanned to the spine. The Fellowship dustjacket shows some discoloration (dampstain?) to the back panel and to the top back edge of the spine, however no marking to the books covers. The dustjackets are not price clipped. The books are in Very Good Plus condition without any offsetting or foxing. Small previous owners stamp to the Two Towers, while the Fellowship has a small gift inscription on the page following the printing history. There is also a small "pg 219" to the front endpaper, and page 219 has a couple of marks to start and end a poem on that and the following page. The gilt to the spines are all clean and bright. Each book has it's own original foldout map tipped in at the rear, and all are in excellent condition with no tears or extra folds noted. A custom red leather slipcase 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 #2345

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, 1955. J.R.R. Tolkien. First Edition. Hard Cover. 8vo - over 7¾" - 9¾" tall. 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. Item #2157

Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 1972. J.R.R. Tolkien. Second Edition. Original Cloth. 8vo - over 7¾" - 9¾" tall. The Lord of the Rings, by J.R.R. Tolkien. Published by Houghton Mifflin, 1965 Second Editions, 9th/8th/8th impressions issued in 1972/1973. An exceptionally clean and bright set of this classic of fantasy literature still housed in the original publishers slipcase. 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, with their matching Very Good Plus dustjackets with minor edgewear, mostly to the flap & spine fold areas. No names or writing or foxing whatsoever to the books. The dustjackets show some fading to the colors and a few minor rubs or scuffs, the only faults noted. Dustjackets are unpriced, and all have the blindstamp on the rear boards, meaning these are the book club edition. The topstain on the books is unmarked and clean, slightly darkened on The Fellowship. The set is housed in the original publishers slipcase with the label to the front, still in Near Fine condition, one bump to the upper edge. Original maps are attached at the rear, in Fine condition, with no extra folds, or tears to any of the maps. 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 #2373

London: Harper Collins, 2021. J.R.R. Tolkien. First Thus. Quarter Leather. 8vo - over 7¾" - 9¾" tall. The Lord of the Rings, by J.R.R. Tolkien. Published in 2021 by Harper Collins. This is the first illustrated De Luxe Edition which features Tolkien own paintings, drawings, and illustrations. This is the 1st Edition. 1st impression of this lovely deluxe slipcased edition of Tolkiens classic tale of adventure, fully illustrated in colour for the first time by the author himself. This deluxe volume is quarterbound in leather and cloth, and includes many special features unique to this edition. Including the original red and black maps drawn by Christopher Tolkien appearing as large fold out posters. It also features the "Kings's Letter' written in tengwar and sent by King Elessar to Sam, printed in black with silver foil. From the blurb, "Since it was first published in 1954, The Lord of the Rings has been a book people have treasured. Steeped in unrivalled magic and otherworldliness, its sweeping fantasy and epic adventure has touched the hearts of young and old alike." This one-volume deluxe slipcased edition contains the complete text, fully corrected and reset, which is printed in red and black and features, for the very first time, thirty colour illustrations, maps and sketches drawn by Tolkien himself as he composed this epic work. These include the pages from the Book of Mazarbul, as marvellous facsimiles created by Tolkien. This very special deluxe edition is quarterbound in cloth and red leather, with raised ribs on the spine and stamped in two foils. The pages are gilt edged in gold and contained within the publishers custom built slipcase, bound in red cloth and stamped in gold foil, with a die-cut revealing the Eye of Sauron. Still Sealed in shrinkwrap from the publisher, As New!. 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 #2323

New York: Ace Books, 1965. Jack Gaughan. First Thus. Mass Market Paperback. 12mo - over 6¾" - 7¾" tall. The infamous Ace Books "pirated edition" from 1965. The opening salvo of the "War over Middle- Earth". A lovely Very Good Plus matched set of this notorious edition. 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 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 is Near Fine, almost no wear to the edges or covers. Also much less tanning to the pages than the norm, from the highly acidic paper, and almost no creasing to the spines. Only minor amount of rubbing to the exterior, with the covers very bright and clean. No previous owners names in any of the books, no other marks or writing noted. A custom red leather slipcase featuring Tolkien's Ring and Eye device, with Tengwar Title & Author on one side, and his JRRT monogram gilt stamped on the back. Makes a beautiful presentation of these exceptional 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 #2353

Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 1988. Second Edition. Hard Cover. 8vo - over 7¾" - 9¾" tall. The Lord of the Rings, by J.R.R. Tolkien, published by Houghton Mifflin in 1988. These are later printings of the 2nd Edition, since they are still sealed in shrinkwrap, I can not confirm the impression number. The brown boards feature the multicolored "Ring & Eye" device to the front boards. The As New dustjackets are illustrated with one of Alan Lee's most famous works. Photos from an open set are shown for illustrative purposes only. Both books and dustjacket are in As New condition, still sealed in shrinkwrap, no bumps to the corners, nor any splits to the slipcase. Each book features its own large scale map at the rear. 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 #2358