The Lord of the Rings, Ace Books, Pirated Edition in Custom Red Leather Slipcase
New York: Ace Books, 1965.
Jack Gaughan. First Thus. Mass Market Paperback. 12mo - over 6¾" - 7¾" tall. Very Good Plus / No Jacket, as Issued. Item #2550
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.
Price: $600.00 save 5% $570.00