A New Chapter for Tolkien Library – Rare Proofs & Review Copies Available

€6000 for the Dummy Sil with part blocked ISBN. BH picked one of those up on eBay very recently for £30 (surprising that two showed up so close together - though pure coincidence). He will be very happy if you get the asking price, I suspect…

The prices in your listings aren’t really aimed at enthusiasts I don’t think. They are aimed at investors betting on future appreciation that have money to burn on the off-chance.

Beren wrote:

Dear fellow Tolkien collectors,
As some of you may know, I’ve been quietly preparing for a big change: I’m moving from Belgium to Norway — a country whose forests, fjords, and stillness feel like they’ve been pulled straight from the pages of The Silmarillion or an Alan Lee watercolor.

Congratulations Pieter on your move to Norway and wishing you all the best for the future. I don't envy you the task of relocating all your books! Hope it all goes smoothly....

The physical bookstore sounds like a wonderful idea.

Best of luck for the move and the sale. Some wonderful items for sale too.

What a great adventure it sounds 😊

Thank you all for the kind words and encouragement — it truly means a lot.

For me, this really is the beginning of a new chapter. The last ten years have been difficult ones, spent mostly taking care of my wife through a long and exhausting battle with illness. Now that all the radiation, chemotherapy, and other treatments are behind us, we made the decision not to wait any longer — to go to the place we’ve always dreamed of living, and not keep putting it off until “someday.”

Norway has always felt like a place out of Tolkien’s world — a landscape of peace and beauty where we hope to rest, rebuild, and begin again.

Once I’ve settled, I hope to finally have more time to devote to Tolkien. The long-term dream is to open a physical bookshop — something intimate and deeply focused, a space that feels like a crossroads between Middle-earth and the real world. But for now, the reality is that moving over 6,500 Tolkien books is both a logistical and financial challenge.

So I’ve gone through my personal collection — built over 30 years — and selected some items to part with. These were never really intended to be sold, but I thought it would be meaningful to share them now: to give others a chance to enjoy them, and in doing so, help fund this new beginning for my wife and me. It’s bittersweet to let them go, but it gives us the means to make this move and give her the healing landscape she’s been looking forward to for so long.

Thanks again to this community — for the support, the inspiration, and the shared love of Tolkien’s world.

Warm wishes,
Pieter
TolkienLibrary.com

Congratulations on the move to Norway Beren! I think the brick and mortar Tolkien shop sounds wonderful, imagine an entire history of Tolkien publishing all in one location. It's giving me yet another reason to visit Norway.

A BIG congratulations to your wife as well for finally getting on the other side of her cancer, that is fantastic to read.

Dear Pieter, I wish you all the best and a wonderful life in advance for the new chapter you’re starting in Norway. I also heard that your wife has recovered. I’m truly glad. Wishing you and your family a long, happy, and peaceful life together.

Hey Pieter 👋🏽 How lovely to read this post and I’m so glad to hear that your wife is well again after such a long ordeal.

As heartbreaking as it may feel to part with your beloved books, just remember that at the end of the day, they’re just “things”. Life is meant to be lived, and you’ve been given the chance to continue living it with your wife, so I’m sure that as you go on to live your dreams, you’ll not regret parting with anything.

As my antique collector friend always says, we’re all going to be dead in 50 years anyway… don’t worry about breaking the fine China, instead, break out the fine China! 😀

I remember browsing your website in the early 2000s and being awed by your collection then. I can’t imagine what it would feel like to be in a room physically surrounded by them all. I genuinely hope your dream of opening a bookshop becomes a reality.

Wishing you and your wife the best on your amazing adventure ahead.

Thank you so much, everyone — your kind words have touched both me and my wife deeply.

Mr. Underhill — yes, the idea of creating a space that holds the entire history of Tolkien publishing in one place has always lived quietly in the back of my mind… but now, maybe it’s time to give that dream a real chance. If you ever do make it to Norway, know that a visit to Risør will come with tea, books, and plenty of good Tolkien conversation.

Alplock — thank you for your heartfelt wishes. We’re looking forward to building something peaceful and new, one book and one breath at a time.

Eorl the Young — your message hit home. You’re absolutely right: in the end, they are just things, no matter how beautiful or meaningful. What matters most is this life we’ve been given — and the people we walk it with. I love your friend’s take on the fine china — I might just start applying that rule to first editions too. 😉

It means so much to feel the support of this community. I’ve been quietly walking beside many of you for years through these shared shelves and stories, and it’s comforting to know this world of ours — Middle-earth and beyond — is so full of kindness and camaraderie.

I’ll do my best to keep you updated on the next steps. And should a little shop in Risør ever open its round green door, you’ll all be most welcome.

With heartfelt thanks,
Pieter
TolkienLibrary.com

Just catching up on TCG posts I see this wonderful news, Pieter. Congratulations to you both on this incredible news. I am so happy for you both and the very best on the next adventure.