Sotheby's Timed Auction A&U 1st Printing Lord of the Rings

Tolkien, J.R.R.

[The Lord of the Rings]. London: George Allen & Unwin Ltd., 1954-1955


3 vols, comprising:

The Fellowship of the Ring. London: George Allen & Unwin Ltd., 1954. 8vo (220 x 139 mm). Half-title, two maps printed in red and black, one of which folding and tipped onto the recto of the rear free-endpaper, illustrations by and after Tolkien; lightly toned. Publisher's dark red cloth, spine gilt lettered, top edge stained red, in the original printed dustjacket; edges of text block with mild foxing, endpapers browned, dustjacket with tears at head and tail of spine at joints, spine panel sunned, a few tiny nicks and abrasions, red dampstain at foot of front panel, some spotting to the verso. — The Two Towers. London: George Allen & Unwin Ltd., 1955. 8vo (220 x 139 mm). Half-title, folding map tipped onto the recto of the rear free-endpaper; lightly toned, stray spots. Publisher's red cloth, spine gilt lettered, top edge stained red, in the original printed dustjacket; edges of the text block foxed, stray blue stain to fore-edge, endpapers browned and foxed, dustjacket with tears at head and tail of spine at joints, a few tiny nicks, abrasions, and minor creases, soiling to front and spine panels, smudging to back panel, spine sunned, tape remnants on verso. — The Return of the King. London: George Allen & Unwin Ltd., 1955. 8vo (220 x 139 mm). Half-title, appendices, folding map tipped onto the recto of the rear free-endpaper; lightly toned. Publisher's red cloth, spine gilt lettered, top edge stained red, in the original printed dustjacket; edges of the text block foxed, stray black stains to cloth, endpapers browned and foxed, dustjacket with closed tear along rear joint at foot, one or two tiny nicks, foot of spine panel with some smudging and rubbing, minor spotting on the recto with more prominent foxing on the verso.


First editions of all three volumes of the greatest work of modern fantasy.