Heavens! I have to admit I didn't know your Birthdays; but happy birthday to you both anyway...

BH

Hope so -since I won it!

No seriously, provenance (from private correspondence with seller) is good. They are going to (altho' obviously haven't seen anything yet) provide some written evidence of their employment at GA&U in the 1970's. They're also still in touch with 'several' old employees at GA&U, and are going to sound them out about some of the exact details regarding how many of these were given out etc. Sounds good enough.

As for the signature itself; I asked a few people for advice before bidding. I have a copy of that letter Christopher wrote to Carl Hostetter (that went with CoH's he distributed). In it he asks what kind of signature Carl wants on the stickers. One very like this, that he writes as an example, is described as 'my name written' i.e. not his signature proper (which he also gives for Carl to choose between). This (altho' thirty years ago) looks like a good example of this. Not a signature in the current CoH mould, just his full name basically.

I'll have a good look once I have the book in front of me. I thought £92 was a far better price than that US Silmarillion that went to David Miller (again) for £355. There was a US BoLTs I almost identical to this (except inscribed to 'John') on ABE for a good few years for $225. I didn't fancy either because they were personalised. However they are both good examples of a more ornate 'written name' (with the stylised 'T' curling underneath); but still not his signature proper. Possibly even firmer provenance tho'...

BH

Yes, there may not have been 1000 bound; but not 100 signed? How come one proud owner (Deagol) has a signed #91?

BH

There are a couple of points to made here I think (...and I don't have either of these fine editions!)

The copy David Miller has listed on Abebooks was bought on eBay this year for £741. Although the pound has moved a lot recently against the dollar, this is roughly £1600 i.e. more than double the purchase price. How representative is this price, and how long will he have it listed there I wonder?

You say there were so many of those printed (the first edition of The Silmarillion); but, there can only be 1000 copies of the 'first thousand' sheets! I don't personally believe (like you) that this particularly makes a quality edition, or justifies the prices.

But consider (in reality) what your comparing it to (text/literature aside): A new edition of The Hobbit, 50 years after it was first published. How many hardback copies of The Hobbit do you reckon had been produced in that time? What exactly is so special about this edition; other than its limited number?

The 1982 Silmarillion on the other hand, was produced only five years after its publication; using the first sheets of the press. The binding and production (by all accounts) is of the finest quality; perhaps the finest edition GA&U brought out of Tolkien's work.

If you were to compare it to some imagained 1940/50's Hobbit, which had used the first sheets of the very first Hobbit printing; bound into some fabulous edition; limited in number etc etc -then perhaps the comparison would be on equal grounds.

Put it this way, look at the new CoH Super Deluxe (which I paid £350 for). It this worth more than the 1987 Hobbit? Top this up with another £350, and you could almost have bought that #117 Silmarillion...

I think the reasonably low prices for the 1987 Hobbit (in comparison) suggest the edition just does not have the same appeal as the 1982 Silmarillion. Would love to have them both in front of me to pass comment tho'...

BH

An 'Advance Uncorrected Proof' copy of Lays (Houghton Mifflin), sold on eBay earlier this year for £34 (not sure what it was in $; although I'm sure it was from US.) Don't recall much about it, other than the fact that I'd never seen one; and that the final price was pretty low. Jeremy (Rowns) was (if I recall correctly) definitely in on the bidding; don't recall if he won it tho'...

BH