Heritage Auctions has two Tolkien lots coming up for live auction in the next few weeks, a reasonably nice 1st impression Hobbit and a set of 1st impression Lord of the Rings.

2020 October 15 - 16
Rare Books Signature Auction - Dallas #6230


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Lot #45111
J. R. R. Tolkien. The Hobbit or There and Back Again. London: George Allen & Unwin Ltd., [1937]. First edition with "First published in 1937" on the copyright page and all 16 misprints called-for in the Hammond and Anderson bibliography. Octavo. 310, [two-page Overleaf / advertisement, the latter of which lists two Capek titles and one by Huxley] pages. Jacket illustration, both endpapers, frontispiece, and internal illustrations by the author. Publisher's full green cloth with dark blue decorative stamping and titles designed by the author. First state dust jacket with "Dodgson" misspelled as "Dodgeson" on the back flap (the "e" has been blacked out by the publisher). Spine only slightly cocked. Two stray faint pencil or pen marks to front board, the larger of which is not quite an inch long. Mild staining to the board edges. Corners lightly bumped. Small Oxford bookstore sticker to bottom of front pastedown, overlapping onto the cloth with thin strip of discoloration to sticker and evidence that there has been an attempt to remove it at the corner. A few spots to the top textblock edge, including a 1.25 x .25 inch grayish stain; three tiny spots to bottom edge. Dust jacket ever so slightly dust-soiled. Top and bottom of jacket lightly chipped, especially at the spine ends and the flap folds. Substantial splits and paper loss along both flap folds, possibly affected by vermin at some point. A small repair to jacket verso at rear flap. Mild abrading to a few spots on the front panel. Spine somewhat darkened. Inked name to top of front flap. Otherwise, a very good copy with clean and bright pages in the striking and vibrantly colored original and unrestored dust jacket.
Estimate: $12,000 - $18,000
[Bid as of 25 September 2020: $10,500 - with Buyer's Premium : $13,125]


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Lot #45112
J. R. R. Tolkien. The Lord of the Rings, including:

The Fellowship of the Ring. London: George Allen & Unwin, 1954. First edition. Octavo. 423 pages. Map attached to rear flyleaf. Publisher's full red cloth with gilt spine titles, in the original dust jacket. "4" at the bottom of page 49. Dust jacket priced "21s net". Tolkien's colleague at Oxford, Gustav Braunholtz has signed his last name and address on the front free endpaper of this volume. Braunholtz was the Oxford Professor of Comparative Philology, and a friend and colleague of both C. S. Lewis and Tolkien. This copy of Fellowship is in good condition, with bumped corners and edges, a cocked spine, and mild toning to the textblock edges and endpapers. Bookseller's ticket on front pastedown. The dust jacket is in good condition, with edge wear, rubbed corners, wrinkling on the spine, and mild chipping at the spine ends.

[Together with:] J. R. R. Tolkien. The Two Towers. London: George Allen & Unwin, 1954. First edition. Octavo. 352 pages. Map attached to rear flyleaf. Publisher's full red cloth with gilt spine titles, in the original dust jacket. "4" at the bottom of page 49. Dust jacket priced "21s net". Inscription on front free endpaper reads "M.B from G.B. Christmas 1954", most likely a gift from Braunholtz to his wife or child. The book is also in good condition, with bumped corners and edges, a cocked spine, and mild toning to the textblock edges and endpapers. Bookseller's ticket on front pastedown. The dust jacket is also in good condition, with edge wear, rubbed corners, wrinkling and a small tear across the spine, and chipping at the spine ends.

[And:] J. R. R. Tolkien. The Return of the King. London: George Allen & Unwin, 1955. First edition, first state (incorporating the corrected bibliographical information from Hammond, now stating that the absence of the signature mark and the correct text layout for page 49 is actually the first state, and not the second state as he had previously thought). Octavo. 423 pages. Map attached to rear flyleaf, red cloth with gilt spine titles, dust jacket. Dust jacket priced "21s net". The book is in about very good condition, with minor edge wear, bumped corners, and the hint of cocking to the spine, some mild soiling to endleaves. The dust jacket is very good, with minor edge wear present, lightly bumped corners, and mild rubbing to the panels. Chipping is minimal at the spine ends. Overall, a very good set of this epic story. It is rare to find a set of Tolkien's classic owned by one of his fellow Oxford professors.
Estimate: USD 6,400 - 9,600
[Bid as of 25 September 2020: $6,250 - with Buyer's Premium : $7,812]