Complete three-volume set of The Lord of the Rings by J. R. R. Tolkien, published by George Allen & Unwin. All three volumes are first editions in early impressions, retaining their original publisher’s cloth bindings, and are complete with all original fold-out maps.

Important clarification:
These volumes are not rebound. They remain in their original Allen & Unwin cloth bindings. An earlier draft of this listing mistakenly referenced a rebinding; that reference has been removed and corrected.

Exact impressions (verified from copyright pages):
• The Fellowship of the Ring — First edition, fifth impression (1954)
• The Two Towers — First edition, fourth impression (1954)
• The Return of the King — First edition, second impression (November 1955)

This set is offered as an authentic early Tolkien collector’s set, not a fine or jacketed example.

Condition
Bindings: Original Allen & Unwin red cloth. All spines show pronounced sun-fading, now a brownish-tan tone. Gilt spine lettering remains legible but dulled, most notably on The Fellowship. Cloth shows honest shelf wear, softening, and light fraying at spine ends and corners.
Boards: The Fellowship front board shows visible light staining and uneven fading. The Two Towers bears a gilt-stamped University of Birmingham crest on the front board, corresponding to its prize bookplate.
Endpapers: Noticeable vertical brown staining from historic adhesive tape on several front and rear endpapers, consistent with past protective covering.
Text blocks: Complete and firmly bound. Paper evenly age-toned throughout, heavier to prelims and endpapers, with scattered foxing consistent with age and use.
Maps: All three original fold-out maps present. The Two Towers map sits slightly off-register toward one side, as issued; folds intact with light handling wear.
Markings & provenance:
• The Two Towers contains a University of Birmingham, Faculty of Medicine prize bookplate awarded to Gordon Cumming (1955–1956).
• The Fellowship bears a contemporary ink ownership inscription with a Cambridge address.
Ephemera: Includes a loose, damaged fragment of an original dust-jacket flap from a 5th Impression, showing the original “21s net” price and publisher’s blurbs.

Overall, a sound, complete, early working set with clearly disclosed wear and institutional provenance.

Importance
Early Allen & Unwin impressions represent the first generation of Tolkien readership following initial publication. Sets retaining original cloth bindings with all maps present are increasingly scarce, particularly when offered honestly as collector-grade working sets rather than rebound or composite examples.

Authenticity
Guaranteed original Allen & Unwin printings. No facsimiles, no later bindings, no replaced components.

Codex Giga Rare Books

Codex Giga Rare Books specializes in carefully described antiquarian and early modern books, manuscripts, and historical documents. Descriptions are conservative, precise, and condition-forward.

Sister Store – Cosmographia Antique Maps

Our sister store, Cosmographia Antique Maps, focuses on original early maps, atlases, and cartographic material from the 16th through 19th centuries.

J R R Tolkien Lord of the Rings first edition set Fellowship 1954 Two Towers 1954 Return of the King 1955 Allen Unwin early fantasy literature Boots library rebinding