[Rarebooks] FS: A Fine Set of the Second Edition of THE LORD OF THE RINGS

[Michael John Thompson]

TOLKIEN, J.R.R. [John Ronald Reuel].

THE LORD OF THE RINGS comprising THE FELLOWSHIP 
OF THE RING [along with] THE TWO TOWERS [along 
with] THE RETURN OF THE KING. Three Volumes. 
First printings of the Revised Second Edition.

London: George Allen & Unwin Ltd. [1966]. Second Edition.

First British [and first hardcover] printing of 
the Revised Second Edition. Three volumes, 
comprising 'The Fellowship of the Ring', 'The Two 
Towers' and 'The Return of the King'. Octavo, 
original red cloth stamped in gold on spine 
panels, top edges stained red, folding maps at 
rear of each volume. 423 + 352 + 440 pp. 1,500 
copies printed. Small book tickets of the 
original owner under the dust jacket flaps, along 
with his pencil signature and date of acquisition 
(February, 1967) on front free endpapers; slight 
browning to the rear panel of the dust jacket of 
'Fellowship', but otherwise and overall a 
remarkably Fine, bright set in Fine dust jackets, 
none of which are price-clipped. An excellent, 
attractive set, fine & unread. An important 
edition, and quite scarce in Fine condition.

¶ The 'best' edition of the Last Great Classic. 
When 'The Lord of the Rings' was first published 
in America in 1955-56, it was before the United 
States joined the international copyright 
convention. In 1965 Houghton Mifflin - Tolkien's 
American publisher - seemed to be in violation of 
the new copyright laws designed to protect the 
American printing industry by importing sheets of 
'The Lord of the Rings' that were printed in the 
UK by Allen & Unwin (which were clearly marked 
'Printed in Great Britain'). As such, Ace Books - 
under the direction of Donald Wollheim - 
determined that 'The Lord of the Rings' had 
fallen into the public domain and issued their 
own edition. Tolkien's authorized publishers 
asked Tolkien to provide new material for 'The 
Lord of the Rings', to create a new edition which 
could be copyrighted. The heavily revised text, 
with additions - including a new Foreword to the 
first volume & the long-promised Index - was 
first issued in paperback by Ballantine Books in 
1965, and later in hardcover in the UK by Allen & 
Unwin. It should be noted that Tolkien continued 
to revise the text into the summer of 1966, after 
the first impressions of the new Allen & Unwin 
edition had been completed, and his later 
revisions were incorporated into the second 
impression. For a detailed analysis of this and 
'The War over Middle Earth', see Hammond & 
Anderson, 'J.R.R. Tolkien - A Descriptive 
Bibliography', items A5c (Ace Books paperbacks), 
A5d (Ballantine Books paperbacks), & A5e (Allen & Unwin Hardcovers).

$1,250.00 Cdn, Post Extra.

Images, Ordering information, etc, is here:

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Thanks for looking!


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Michael John Thompson, Antiquarian Bookseller
Imladris
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Hornby Island, BC
Canada V0R 1Z0
Ph:  250-335-1182
Fax: 250-335-2241

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