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LoTR Second Edition - 1st Impression

21 Nov, 2020
2020-11-21 12:26:55 PM UTC

Hey everyone,

After years of being interested and dreaming about collecting tolkien books, it is almost as if it was meant to be, when browsing a second hand market online I stumbled upon an ad posted 10 minutes prior to my search with a beautiful collection of books. This sweet older lady said her late husband was a huge fan of Tolkien and she wanted to sell some of his books. I immediately bought them of course as I was really interested in a 1st or 2nd edition collection. In the pics below you can see what I got, in total I paid about €150.

When I received the books I was amazed to find that I had in my possession first impression copies of the 1966 2nd edition, with all the maps present!

No writing or inscription or damage within the books as far as I saw, apart from some age related browning.

In addition, the Silmarillion also appears to be a 1st UK edition copy, ''Billings'' printing, and the Hobbit was a 2nd edition 15th impression, alas with only half the dust jacket present. Lastly I also got a Tolkien Reader which appears to also be a 1st edition 2nd impression, which has a lot of interesting stories within :).

I'd love to know what condition can the LoTR copies can be considered as, as well as if I overpaid or got these on a good deal? I found certain ads on abe as well as in antique shops such as the peter harrington website with prices ranging from €200-€800 for 1st impressions.
I'm definitely not looking to sell but would still like to know what you think and what the actual value is:).

And an couple of additional questions:
I'm looking to protect the dust jackets from harm, but searching online I only keep finding mentions of Brodart mylar covers which I cannot find in the EU. Do you have any recommendations as to what else I could use to cover and protect the DJ's?

Also, I've heard that there are differences and corrections between the 1st and 2nd impressions of the 2nd edition, is there a place where I can read about those, and also does this make the 1st or 2nd impression any more rare and collectible?

Thanks! Let me know if you'd like more photos for whatever reason

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21 Nov, 2020
2020-11-21 2:24:53 PM UTC
Welcome to the crazy world of Tolkien collecting
A good set of books to start with. The LOTR jackets look well loved and to be honest have seen better , the hobbit looks faded as well.

Was e150 too much ? If you are happy, and assume you were when your brought them then the price is right. Remember the prices on such ads are the prices advertised not the prices they actually sell at and condition is everything and importantly is where the main value lies.
There are numerous stockists of protective covers in the uk but not sure about elsewhere , am sure others can advise more accurately.

Congrats again, may you have many years happy collecting
21 Nov, 2020
2020-11-21 11:08:33 PM UTC
With regards to jacket covers, I usually buy it but the roll (which lasts me a long time). I've used Brodart and Demco - it isn't available here in NZ, so shipping from the US is the norm, unfortunately. I usually pick it up from whichever eBay seller is offering the best deal including shipping at the time.
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