Lot 297
Tolkien, J. R. R.
[The Lord of the Rings] First Editions
£8,820
Rare Books, Manuscripts, Maps & Photographs
Auction: 07 February 2024 from 10:00 GMT
Description
The Fellowship of the Ring; The Two Towers; The Return of the King. London: George Allen & Unwin Ltd, 1954-5. First editions, first impressions, 3 volumes, 8vo, 423, 352, 416 pp. original red cloth, textblock top edges dyed red, folding map printed in red and black to rear of each volume, Fellowship with map ('A Part of the Shire) and line-drawing of the gate of Moria in text (both full-page), half-page line-drawing of Dwarven runes on p. 333. Spines rolled and sunned, scattered markings to cloth (chiefly to spines), tips bumped, fading to dye on top edges of textblocks, a few trivial marks to text, contemporary ownership inscriptions in pen or pencil to front free endpapers, Fellowship with bleeding of edge-dye into free endpapers and to top margins of final few leaves, free endpapers browned, Two Towers endpapers spotted, Return of the King front board very slightly sprung [Hammond A5 a i-iii]
(3)
Footnote
Respectively 3000, 3250 and 7000 copies were printed, making 3000 the maximum possible number of first-impression sets in existence.The Return of the King with the signature mark '4' and sagging type on p. 49, priority not assigned. The lot sold on behalf of Oxfam UK.
