Sorry Khamul... just last week was cleaning out some book shelves and re-organizing things when I noticed that I had several copies. If I remember well I got them with other purchases I did - probably from Thorntons who gave them away as mathom (now a long long time ago). I think that is how I ended up having more then one copy.

got some of those somewhere... (the limited edition that is... you guys post too much too fast)

The paperback was released separately in 1975 with the title on the cover, the first known box holding this book was in 1976 and this box is from 1977 (can't see if which exactly, since there are different boxes in my collection with different states of the hobbit in there). So if you want to know when the "title" first appeared on the cover of a book - that is in 1975. But might need to see if there is any earlier edition of The Tolkien Reader that also holds this title... but not that I'm aware of.

Just a question... why are we discussing when it first appeared on the cover of a book? This tale was published in 1953 and maybe over 100 times since then...

haha... that was me checking out if all was ok with my nice signed copy! :)

Thanks so much for this... I just recall i had a discussion a long long time ago where I was asked to post some examples of Tolkien's autograph done by a secretary... this is a great 'per procurationem' signature

I have seen several like these and this is indeed a secretary signature. Nice letter however. Now I wonder whether Tolkien dictated it, but then why have a secretary sign it in his name? And why use an autograph that 'looks' like Tolkien's but is not. These are peculiar items and highly interesting... thanks for posting!