J.R.R. TOLKIEN — CULT OR CULTURE? by J.S. Ryan, published by University of New England Press, Armidale NSW in a limited run in 1969, thus a first edition, first printing. A rare book.

John Sprott Ryan was one of the pioneers of Tolkien studies, with this monograph being one of earliest book-length studies on Tolkien's works. He himself was a student at Oxford under J.R.R. Tolkien, and established himself during his lifetime as one of the world’s leading Tolkien scholars. He was awarded an Honorary Doctorate by the American Tolkien Society in 1992.

Mild wear: Spotting to illustrated wrappers, top page edges; fraying to top and bottom of spine; previous owner's name, Robyn Cameron, written in ink on top of loose front endpaper; University of New England stamp on bottom right of title page; all preliminary pages have a diagonal crease across them, ending at page 3.

Overall good condition; The binding is tight. Interior pages are clean and crisp, with no notations or writing. No loose pages, nor any risk of loose pages. Taking into affount the the age and format of the book, despite the cosmetic issues this copy is in excellent condition. Please inspect photos for more details.

Further information below copied from a past listing by Blue Mountain Books:

"An academic overview of the impact of J.R.R. Tolkien on western culture by one of his students who later became a firm friend of the Tolkien family. This monograph was first printed in a limited run in 1969 (with the front cover title "J.R.R. Tolkien - Cult or Culture?") and was only committed to a second edition in 2012 - again, only a small number were printed, the typeface and title used on the front cover was changed, and a coloured decoration was added to the title page. This is an extremely rare and much sought-after item."

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