Tolkien Collector's Guide
Sign In
Tolkien Collector's Guide
Important links:

Guide to Tolkien's Letters
-
Winner of the 2019 Tolkien Society award for Best Website

11 Feb, 2011
2011-2-11 10:08:15 AM UTC
i had a look at my copy and the signature is the rare, un-indented copy, like garms.

I also had not noticed the original price on the book until now, 50 shillings in 1962, this was a very expensive book when it came out.
12 Feb, 2011
2011-2-12 1:11:55 PM UTC
In our two copies, the impression of the signature on the plate is very shallow, but can be detected by touch, if a finger is sensitive enough, or by looking at the back of the plate with a raking (sideways) light. In letterpress printing, in which inked letters and images are pressed into the paper, the depth of impression will vary according to the preference of the printer -- some like a deep indentation, others only what is called a 'kiss', and everywhere in between -- and the depth may vary slightly also through the course of the print run as a result of wear of the printing materials or mechanical variations in the press.

Wayne
17 Feb, 2011
2011-2-17 10:19:06 PM UTC
I also have two copies. In one, the impression of the signature is very clear when looked at from the other side of the page. The other is quite different. Only the upper branch of the 'K' and the underline appear as a raised area on the other side of the page. There is no other difference between the two volumes that I can discern, although the copy with a weak signature impression is somewhat more used. There is a little foxing and the dustwrapper is missing.

The other Tolkien books with facsimile impressions that I have checked (all the Tree and Leaf versions) do not show this impression, but of course they are not printed on this glossy high quality paper.
9 Jan, 2017
2017-1-9 7:22:16 PM UTC
I have the print on demand edition, and it included a printed version of Tolkien's signature on the title page, much like how the grey collector's / cloth edition of The Hobbit from 2013 does as well.
Jump to Last
All original content ©2024 by the submitting authors. Terms of Use | Privacy Policy | Cookie Policy | Contact Us