5 Feb
2023/2/5 3:39:18 (GMT) Greenwich Mean Time, London, Dublin, Lisbon, Casablanca, Monrovia
This booklet/pamphlet was published in 1981 by Ballantine Books. Can those of you who happen to own a copy, please share here what the illustration is on the cover of your copy? Also, does it have the ISBN and price at the top of the front cover?
Thanks!
5 Feb
2023/2/5 10:13:27 (GMT) Greenwich Mean Time, London, Dublin, Lisbon, Casablanca, Monrovia
5 Feb
2023/2/5 18:20:04 (GMT) Greenwich Mean Time, London, Dublin, Lisbon, Casablanca, Monrovia
Mine doesn’t…..see photo of cover and also of last page where it states the ISBN.
5 Feb
2023/2/5 18:39:48 (GMT) Greenwich Mean Time, London, Dublin, Lisbon, Casablanca, Monrovia
Thanks! I pulled my copy out yesterday to compare with a copy I saw for sale, and noticed there are some interesting differences.
Note that mine has the Darrel K. Sweet artist credit but Tolkien’s art on the cover instead.
10 Feb
2023/2/10 0:13:18 (GMT) Greenwich Mean Time, London, Dublin, Lisbon, Casablanca, Monrovia
NDJ wrote:
Mine doesn’t…..see photo of cover and also of last page where it states the ISBN.
Does your copy have a list of Tolkien books you can order? If so, can you post a picture of it? That helps me date these variations, thanks!
10 Feb
2023/2/10 5:09:43 (GMT) Greenwich Mean Time, London, Dublin, Lisbon, Casablanca, Monrovia
I’m trying to figure out why on the back cover it says “Essay: ‘Fantasy: A Mirror of Our Own World’” when the essay is actually called “The Uses of Fantasy”.
11 Feb
2023/2/11 8:39:52 (GMT) Greenwich Mean Time, London, Dublin, Lisbon, Casablanca, Monrovia
No, no list of books you can order in it.
11 Feb
2023/2/11 16:40:00 (GMT) Greenwich Mean Time, London, Dublin, Lisbon, Casablanca, Monrovia
NDJ wrote:
No, no list of books you can order in it.
Thanks! I think it likely that you have an early (perhaps first) printing, with no ISBN/price on the front. My "Bilbo comes to the huts of the raft elves" cover is a late variation, as the price list has (for example) the Hobbit at 3.95 (1985 and on). My Darrel Sweet cover has the price list with (for example) The Hobbit at $2.50 (1981 until 1984 when the price changed to $2.95)
All of them say "First edition: August 1981" so the copyright page doesn't indicate reprints at all.
As for the essay title, I am guessing that Foster (or an editor) changed the working title at some point, and never noticed (or perhaps cared) about the back cover. The essay itself says (bottom of page 8) "Thus, a fantasy world is inevitably a mirror of our own world...".
11 Feb
2023/2/11 20:12:34 (GMT) Greenwich Mean Time, London, Dublin, Lisbon, Casablanca, Monrovia
Cool. If you need any more info or photos let me know.
14 Feb
2023/2/14 15:37:05 (GMT) Greenwich Mean Time, London, Dublin, Lisbon, Casablanca, Monrovia
Here is the list of books available to order on mine: