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Recent Sotheby's Auctions

Lot 269 - Attacks of Taste - See This TCG Article for more information
Fine collection of over 600 typed and autograph letters signed by leading literary and artistic figures of 1967–1970, each discussing their youthful reading, some with additional drawings and photographs, varying sizes, with accompanying envelopes, in five loose-leaf binders with a typed list of the contents and index of authors, and a published compilation of a selection, Attacks of Taste. New York: Gotham Book Mart, 1971.
Estimate: $6,000 - $8,000
Hammer Price with Buyer's Premium: $32,500
June 17, 2010 - New York
Lot 337 - TOLKIEN, J.R.R. - LORD OF THE RINGS [TRILOGY] FELLOWSHIP OF THE RING AND THE TWO TOWERS. LONDON: 1954 Together with Return of the King. London, 1955. Full red morocco paneled gilt, spines gilt by Asprey. First editions. 3 pieces.
Estimate: $4000-$6000
Hammer Price with Buyer's Premium: $17,500
June 8, 2010 - New York
Lot 147 - TOLKIEN, J.R.R. - THE HOBBIT. GEORGE ALLEN & UNWIN LTD., 1937. 8vo, first edition, first issue ("Dodgeson" corrected in ink on lower inside flap of dust-jacket), 10 illustrations, pictorial end-papers in red and black by the author, 2 pages of publisher's advertisements at end, original pictorial green cloth, pictorial dust-jacket by the author, some minor browning, spotting to edges, head and foot of spine very slightly bumped, slightly spotted dust-jacket with tear to upper joint and some small loss. An unrestored dust-jacket in remarkably clean condition.
Estimate: 3000-5000 GBP
Hammer Price with Buyer's Premium: 4750 GBP
July 14, 2009 - London
Lot 341 - TOLKIEN, J.R.R. - THE LORD OF THE RINGS. GEORGE ALLEN & UNWIN, 1954-1955. 8vo, 3 volumes, first edition, first impressions (volume three in first state of first impression), illustrations, maps including folding maps at end of each volume, original red cloth lettered in gilt on spine, dust-jackets, collector's marbled slipcase, light browning to endpapers, bindings slightly worn with occasional soiling, dust-jackets slightly discoloured and soiled, dust-jackets slightly frayed at extremities, third volume in price-clipped dust-jacket.
Estimate: 5000-7000 GBP
Hammer Price with Buyer's Premium: 7500 GBP
July 17, 2008 - London
Lot 302 - TOLKIEN, J.R.R. - THE LORD OF THE RINGS. GEORGE ALLEN & UNWIN, 1954-1955. 8vo, 3 volumes, first edition, first impressions (volume three in first state of first impression), illustrations, maps including folding maps at end of each volume, original red cloth lettered in gilt on spine, dust-jackets, some light browning or soiling to endpapers, bindings worn with extremities bumped and occasional staining, upper hinge repaired in volume one, soiled dust-jackets frayed at extremities with adhesive tape repairs, staining from adhesive tape .
Estimate: 2000-3000 GBP
Hammer Price with Buyer's Premium: 2750 GBP
December 13, 2007 - London
Lot 305 - TOLKIEN, J.R.R. - FINE AUTOGRAPH LETTER SIGNED TO MR [DR DERRICK] PARNUM.

Noting ill-health, apologising for not having written earlier and presumably responding to the correspondent's omission of his title ("I have now been a 'professor' so long (since 1924 in fact) that it no longer seems at all important. It never has been regarded as important in Oxford, anyway...")

Discussing birthday dates the author notes "I, like many males, cannot convince myself that they are important, and so cannot remember them..." and also the process of suggesting presents ("...hints amounting almost to plain statements go ignored... while a casual remark may produce (now and again) some staggeringly costly present, hardly really dreamed of...") Tolkien then tells of having received a pair of binoculars following "a casual remark about a blackbird friend of mine..."

Tolkien then states his feelings about the lord of the rings and provides a statement of intention ("Nothing irritates me about my book not even abusive reviews or patronizing ones. But I have to try not to be absorbed myself by it. In primary intentions it is, of course, meant just to be a good tale in its kind, written first of all for my own satisfaction, there being very little of that kind of literature available, and I need more. But a lot of things have got caught up in it. It is not an "allegory", all the same. Though one soon discovers that the more you put into any story the more capable it becomes of being generally or particularly applied to other matters... It was imagined as a 'plot', and largely written before nuclear physics became political and mixed up with power...")

4 pages, 4to, 76 Sandfield Road, Oxford, 2 March 1955, some browning to edges and minor soiling.

Estimate: 1000-1500 GBP
Hammer Price with Buyer's Premium: 5625 GBP
December 13, 2007 - London
Lot 301 - TOLKIEN, J.R.R. - THE HOBBIT. GEORGE ALLEN & UNWIN LTD., 1937.
8vo, first edition, first issue ("Dodgeson" corrected in ink on inside lower flap of dust-jacket), 10 illustrations, pictorial end-papers in red and black by the author, 2 pages of publisher's advertisements at end, original pictorial green cloth, original pictorial dust-jacket by the author, collector's green morocco-backed folding box, internally clean with some very minor finger-soiling on a few leaves, head and foot of spine very slightly bumped, dust-jacket with some professional restoration including restored sections at head of spine (10 by 25mm.) and restoration to some other minor chips and tears at extremities, some minor staining.
Estimate: 8000-10,000 GBP
Hammer Price with Buyer's Premium: 12,500 GBP
December 13, 2007 - London
Lot 303 - TOLKIEN, J.R.R. - THE LORD OF THE RINGS. GEORGE ALLEN & UNWIN, 1960-1961
8vo, 3 volumes, tenth impression [volume one], seventh impression [volumes two and three], each volume signed by the author on title-page ("J.R.R. Tolkien"), illustrations, maps including folding maps at end of each volume, later full green morocco featuring Tolkien's 'Ring and Eye' device in gilt and black on upper covers together with Tolkien's 'certar' lettering in black at top edge, spine with title as written by Frodo in The Return of the King ("The Downfall of the Lord of the Rings and the Return of the King Together with extracts from Books of Lore translated by Bilbo in Rivendell") in black and gilt, gilt edges, some minor browning to endpapers.
Estimate: 4000-6000 GBP
Hammer Price with Buyer's Premium: 9375 GBP
December 13, 2007 - London
Lot 304 - TOLKIEN, J.R.R. - THE LORD OF THE RINGS. GEORGE ALLEN AND UNWIN LTD., 1969
8vo, 3 volumes in one as issued, presentation copy inscribed by the author ("Christmas 1969 E.M. Jebb with best wishes and kind re- membrances from J.R.R.T.") on slip laid-down to front free endpaper, first 'india paper edition', 3 maps (including 2 folding) printed in red and black, later full red morocco by Bayntun-Riviere with design on upper cover in gilt together with grey and black morocco onlays, spine in compartments, gilt edges, colllector's red morocco folding box.
Estimate: 2500-3500 GBP
Hammer Price with Buyer's Premium: 5625 GBP
December 13, 2007 - London
Lot 300 - TOLKIEN, J.R.R. - THE HOBBIT. GEORGE ALLEN & UNWIN LTD., 1937. 8vo, first edition, first issue ("Dodgeson" corrected in ink on inside lower flap of dust-jacket), 10 illustrations, pictorial end-papers in red and black by the author, 2 pages of publisher's advertisements at end, rebound in sumptuous full green morocco and signed by bayntun-riviere with morocco onlays on both upper and lower covers of Smaug the dragon in red and brown together with mountains in brown and black, spine with morocco onlays of mountains in brown and black together with lettering and runic symbols in gilt, upper cover of original binding trimmed and bound at rear, marbled endpapers, gilt edges, sewn head and foot bands, full green morocco folding box duplicating spine of volume in gilt and onlays
Estimate: 10,000-15,000 GBP
Hammer Price with Buyer's Premium: 11,875 GBP
December 13, 2007 - London
Lot 290 - TOLKIEN, J.R.R. - THE HOBBIT. GEORGE ALLEN & UNWIN LTD., 1937. 8vo, first edition, first issue ("Dodgeson" corrected in ink on inside lower flap of dust-jacket), 10 illustrations, pictorial end-papers in red and black by the author, 2 pages of publisher's advertisements at end, original pictorial green cloth, original pictorial dust-jacket by the author, preliminary blank with character and location listing in pencil, presentation inscription on half-title in pencil, corners very slightly bumped, head and foot of spine very slightly bumped, minor discolouration to cloth at extremities and head of spine, soiled dust-jacket frayed at extremities with some loss and tears (including 60 by 35mm. section at head of spine).
Estimate: 3000-5000 GBP
Hammer Price with Buyer's Premium: 5280 GBP
21 June 2007 - New York
Lot 145 - [TOLKIEN, J. R. R.] - Cauty, James. "Lord of the Rings," original drawing in ink, pencil and crayon, signed ("Jimmy Cauty"), Kingsbridge, Devonshire, 1975-76, on poster board (29 3/4 x 19 3/4 in.; 753 x 504 mm), mounted to another sheet of poster board; minimal wear at edges.
Estimate: $30,000 - $50,000
Hammer Price with Buyer's Premium: $30,000
21 June 2007 - New York
Last modified: 03/09/20 by Urulókë
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