Bonhams, Fine Books and Manuscripts

TOLKIEN (J.R.R.)
The Hobbit or There and Back Again, FIRST EDITION, SECOND IMPRESSION, half-title, 13 plates and illustrations (4 colour), advertisement leaf at end, map endpapers by the author printed in red and black, light spotting, publisher's pictorial light green cloth (one small dent on lower edge of upper cover, spine a little faded, spine ends bumped), dust-jacket (some loss at head and foot of spine and folds, edges frayed, toned, spotted on verso) [cf. Hammond A3(a) and p.13], 8vo, George Allen & Unwin, [1937, but 1938]
Footnotes

The first edition, second impression was dated 1937 but actually published in January 1938. It saw the first appearance of four additional colour illustrations by Tolkien. Some 2300 copies were printed, although 423 unbound copies were destroyed at the binders during the Blitz in 1940.

TOLKIEN (J.R.R.)
[The Lord of the Rings], FIRST EDITIONS: The Fellowship of the Ring, fifteenth impression; The Two Towers, twelfth impression; The Return of the King, eleventh impression, 3 vol., EACH VOLUME SIGNED BY THE AUTHOR, folding map at end of each volume, light toning, tape stains on endpapers (probably from old dust-jacket cover), publisher's red cloth, dust-jackets (light staining and toning mostly to "The Return of the King"), 8vo, George Allen and Unwin, [1965-1966]; together with typed letter and newspaper cutting (5)
Footnotes

'A HONEYMOON COUPLE I KNOW SPENT LAST WEEK READING IT ALOUD TO EACH OTHER': these volumes were signed by the author for Jenny and Mike Bangs, the couple so described in the opening paragraph of John Ezard's interview with Tolkien, 'Writers Talking - 1: The Hobbit Man,' published in the Oxford Mail, 3 August 1966, p. 4 (the interview having taken place on 26 July 1966), a press cutting of which is included in the lot. Tolkien signed the books following the interview with Ezard. Also accompanying the volumes is a typed letter signed from Ezard to the Bangs, in which the journalist writes: "Dear Mike and Jenny, So far eight people in the office have read that opening paragraph and assumed I was talking about the Kama Sutra". Ezard was, of course, describing The Lord of the Rings.

Provenance: Mike and Jenny Bangs, thence by descent.

TOLKIEN (J.R.R.)
Autograph letter signed twice ("J.R.R. Tolkien" and with initials "J.R.R.T") to Mr Wood ("Dear Mr Wood"), enclosing three signed cards [not present], sending his publisher's addresses as he moved from Oxford two years ago ("...into 'retirement': not from writing but from publicity..."), extensive postscript on verso discussing the dust-jacket of the India paper edition of volume 3, describing its simplified design ("...The erupting mountain & the long arm of Sauron 'terrible but impotent', in the top background, could not be accommodated to stamping... the silver inscription, between the wings and the throne containing the words of Elendil... was too delicate..."), ending with clarifying a point regarding the iteration of Elendil's name ("...without vowel-signs L-ND-L..."), 2 pages, dust-staining, creased, small tear lower edge, 8vo (169 x 129mm.), London, [n.d. but late summer/autumn 1970]
Footnotes

'THE ERUPTING MOUNTAIN & THE LONG ARM OF SAURON "TERRIBLE BUT IMPOTENT"': TOLKIEN ADAPTS HIS DUST-JACKET DESIGN FOR THE NEW EDITION OF THE RETURN OF THE KING.

In early 1954, Tolkien perfected the final drawings for the first hardback edition of The Lord of the Rings. The third volume, The Return of the King, included elements associated with Aragorn and his Numenorean heritage. Due to the cost, however, the publisher Allen & Unwin eventually settled for a single design, with variations, for all three volumes. For the India paper edition, published in 1969, Tolkien here explains that certain elements such as the quote from Elendil, the first High King of Gondor and Arnor, had to be simplified to accommodate the stamping process.

Our letter is noted in Christina Scull and Wayne G Hammond, The Tolkien Companion and Guide; I Chronology, 2006, p.750 and published on Tolkien Gateway online but not in Humphrey Carpenter (ed.), The Letters of J.R.R. Tolkien, 1981.

TOLKIEN (J.R.R.)
The Hobbit, third edition, fifth impression, AUTHOR'S PRESENTATION COPY, inscribed on half-title "signed for Michael Dobson / J.R.R. Tolkien", and with further inscription from Dobson's aunt and uncle at foot of page dated 1971, 12 illustrations, advertisement leaf at end, publisher's green cloth (slight soiling to upper cover and offsetting to spine, some browning to endpapers), dust-jacket (price-clipped, tape stains on upper flap, edges a little frayed), 8vo, George Allen and Unwin, 1970
Footnotes

A BIRTHDAY PRESENT FOR THE NEPHEW OF A NEIGHBOUR, INSCRIBED BY TOLKIEN DURING HIS FINAL YEARS.

Like the three volumes in the following lot, the present copy of The Hobbit was inscribed by Tolkien as a favour for his neighbours, with whom the author was on friendly terms during the years he spent living in Poole. Having purchased the books as a birthday present for their nephew, Michael Dobson, they asked Tolkien to sign them for him, and he graciously agreed. Tolkien and his wife Edith had moved to Branksome, Poole in 1968, to escape the intrusions caused by his growing fame in Oxford following his retirement. They lived there until Edith's death in November 1971, after which Tolkien moved back to Oxford in March 1972.

Provenance: Michael Dobson, gift inscription on half-title "From Auntie Win and Uncle Bert, 1971", and thence by descent to the present owner.

TOLKIEN (J.R.R.)
[The Lord of the Rings:] The Fellowship of the Ring; The Two Towers; The Return of the King, all revised second edition, fifth impression, AUTHOR'S PRESENTATION COPIES, EACH INSCRIBED ON HALF-TITLES "signed for Michael Dobson" (in 'The Two Towers' "Tolkien" neatly crossed out and replaced with "Dobson"), folding map at end of each volume, tape stains on endpapers (probably from old dust-jacket covers), publisher's red cloth (spine ends bumped), dust-jackets (clipped, 20mm. mark on spine of 'The Two Towers", edges and spine ends a little bumped), 8vo, George Allen and Unwin, 1970
Footnotes

A SET OF THE LORD OF THE RINGS TRILOGY INSCRIBED BY THE DISTRACTED TOLKIEN FOR HIS NEIGHBOURS' NEPHEW.

The three volumes were inscribed by Tolkien as a special favour for his neighbours, with whom the author was on friendly terms during the years he spent living in Poole. Having purchased the trilogy as a birthday gift for their nephew, Michael Dobson, they asked Tolkien to sign them for him, and he graciously agreed. Tolkien and his wife Edith had moved to Branksome, Poole in 1968, to escape the intrusions caused by his growing fame in Oxford following his retirement. They lived there until Edith's death in November 1971, after which Tolkien moved back to Oxford in March 1972.

All three volumes, revised editions of The Fellowship of the Ring, The Two Towers and The Return of the King, bear presentation inscriptions in the author's hand. Particularly poignant is the inscription in The Two Towers, where Tolkien begins to write his own surname in place of the recipient's, catching the error and striking it through neatly before completing the inscription with the correct surname "Dobson".

Provenance: Michael Dobson, gift inscriptions on endpapers "From Auntie Win and Uncle Bert, 1971", and thence by descent.

TOLKIEN (J.R.R.)
Autograph letter signed ("Ronald Tolkien") to "My dear Ladies", sending them two signed copies of Verses "...I hope for your enjoyment, and in any case as a memento of our meetings...", and apologising for the delay in so doing since their return from "...the ease of the Belmont...", commenting that the weather has been good "...in this favoured corner of England..." until today: " ...the weather has only just turned bad...in sunshine, immune from storms... at 4 a.m. a Noachic rain began and is still going on non-stop (8 p.m.). One does not read of the great play-cycles of biblical episodes, that used to be performed on Corpus Christi in the open being 'washed out'... It may have made the play of Noah more realistic...", ending by sending best wishes from himself and his wife; with a note at end "please mark any reply Personal...", one page, dust-staining, creased particularly at head, 4to (215 x 155mm.), c/o George Allen & Unwin, London, "Corpus Christi [10 June] 1971"
Footnotes

'NOACHIC RAIN': TOLKIEN REFLECTS ON MEDIAEVAL MYSTERY PLAYS AND THE BRITISH WEATHER.

Tolkien and his wife had spent a week in May at the Belmont Hotel in Sidmouth (Christina Scull and Wayne G. Hammond (eds), The J.R.R. Tolkien Companion and Guide, 2006, pp.753-4) and commented on the fine weather there in a letter to his son Christopher on 2 June: 'Our brief holiday to Sidmouth, which was what Dr Tolhurst's advice boiled down to, was very pleasant indeed. We were lucky in our time – in fact the only week available at the hotel – since May was such a wonderful month – and we came in for a "spring explosion" of glory' (Letters, p.323). The "Verses" sent with the letter were copies of The Adventures of Tom Bombadil and Other Verses from the Red Book, published by Allen & Unwin in 1962. The passage describing "Noachic rain" from our letter is published in Humphrey Carpenter (ed.), The Letters of J.R.R. Tolkien, 1981, where the recipient is named as Phyllis Robertson (no.324a, p.576), although this letter is addressed to two "Ladies".

The form of signature used here – "Ronald" as opposed to "J.R.R." Tolkien – is rare and was used for friends only; in 1963 he wrote to his publishers, who proposed reproducing the "Ronald" signature in facsimile, 'I do not and never have used the signature "Ronald Tolkien" as an auctorial signature, and I do not think it suitable for this purpose' (3 February 1964, to Ronald Eames, Tolkien Companion, p.616).

Provenance: Bonhams, 19 March 2013, lot 186.