Edited by Urulókë on 2020-12-11 5:41:03 PM UTC Edited by Trotter on 2020-12-13 4:08:45 PM UTC Edited by Trotter on 2020-12-14 5:27:05 PM UTC Edited by Trotter on 2020-12-16 12:13:34 PM UTC Edited by Trotter on 2020-12-16 6:29:11 PM UTC Edited by Trotter on 2020-12-16 6:30:00 PM UTC Edited by Trotter on 2020-12-16 7:01:01 PM UTC Edited by Trotter on 2020-12-17 5:22:01 AM UTC Edited by Trotter on 2020-12-17 5:23:11 AM UTC
8vo (187 x 130 mm). Frontispiece, 8 plates and one vignette by Tolkien, advertisement leaf at end; . Full green morocco by Bayntun-Riviere, upper cover with gilt motif of Smaug the dragon in lower right corner, all edges gilt, marbled endpapers, original cartographic endpapers bound in.
The Fellowship of the Ring. London: George Allen & Unwin Ltd., 1954 — The Two Towers. London: George Allen & Unwin Ltd., 1955 — The Return of the King. London: George Allen & Unwin Ltd., 1955. All 8vo (135 x 219 mm). Half-titles, The Fellowship of the Ring signed by Tolkien, folding maps printed in red and black tipped in at end; minor toning, one or two stray spots. Modern full green crushed morocco, covers with gilt rules, spines with raised bands in six compartments, second and third with gilt-lettered brown morocco labels, others with repeat gilt rules and cornerpieces, topstained burgundy, marbled endpapers; minor scuffs or indentations to upper cover of The Two Towers, some spotting to fore-edges. First editions, first printings, signed by Tolkien on the general half-title of The Fellowship of the Ring.
[Update - the signature has been called into question]
I hadn't shared that picture yet, as I wanted to dig further (asking you, essentially). It does look a bit off to me as well, and I noted that Sotheby's doesn't provide any provenance for this specific book.
It isn't quite the blatant fake that the other one is, but I don't like the "R"s and dots, nor the curve at the bottom of the "T", which looks like it was started and then corrected.
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