Lord of the Rings Tolkien First 1st Edition Set Fellowship Two Tower Return King

Description: A vintage first edition set of J. R. R. Tolkien’s masterpiece, The Lord of the Rings, dating from 1961 and evidently bought together in 1961. They are inscribed as gifts to Eileen F Scott from Pop (her father?) for Xmas 1960, (her birthday in) October 1961 and Xmas 1961. However, the 1961 printing of The Fellowship would not have been on sale in 1960 and the inscriptions look to have been written at the same time and the books are a very close match to one another. So, Pop must have bought the set together at Xmas 1961 and took the opportunity to cover a couple of earlier celebrations that he may have missed! The Fellowship of the Ring, 10th printing 1961; The Two Towers, 8th printing 1961; The Return of the King, 8th Printing 1961. Published in London by George Allen & Unwin and bound in scarlet cloth with gilt lettering to the spine and Tolkien’s fold-out red and black maps of Middle-Earth mounted on the rear endpapers. Jacket designs and all illustrations are by the author. These books were adapted into perhaps the most famous trilogy of movies of the 21st century to date and are regularly cited as the greatest fictional writings ever in public polls. The continuing interest in Tolkien’s works is exemplified by Amazon’s ongoing Rings of Power series set in Tolkien’s Middle-Earth in its Second Age. Some of the material on which the Amazon series is based first appeared in the appendices to the first edition of The Return of the King. Jackets are age-toned in the white areas and the spines to look like antique parchment, which Tolkien must have intended since he designed the covers and he left these areas unprinted (i.e. did not use white ink), so this is not sunning but the natural sepia toning of the unprinted paper with long exposure to the air. Will be posted in bubblewrap and cardboard layers to preserve their condition. Dustjackets will be protected in removable clear cellophane when delivered. CONDITION A collectible, well-matched, complete (including maps) and intact original set with faint traces of its 63-year history. Very good plus condition with some light marks and a few small dustjacket repairs (see photos). The Fellowship of the Ring: Book is very good with a faint mark to the lower rear corner of its spine. The dustjacket is price-clipped and is very good with a small repair to the bottom of its spine and tiny repairs to the upper corners of its spine and age-toning to its spine. Gift inscription to the front endpaper. The Two Towers: Book is near fine with a gift inscription to the front endpaper. The dustjacket is price-clipped and is very good plus with age-toning to its spine. The Return of the King: Book is near fine with a gift inscription to the front endpaper and an identical inscription to its rear endpaper, since Pop initially inscribed the book upside down😊 The dustjacket is price-clipped and is very good plus with age-toning to its spine and tiny repairs to a couple of the upper corners and a 1-inch closed tear repair to the bottom end of the rear spine fold.

Price: 1499.99 GBP

Location: Bristol

End Time: 2025-01-09T23:29:15.000Z

Shipping Cost: 102.37 GBP