The Hobbit by Tolkien, First Edition (285 results)

Hardcover. Condition: Near Fine. Dust Jacket Condition: Near Fine. 1st Edition. We are thrilled to offer the most unique set of books in our 21 years as a specialist Tolkien dealer, the first four editions of the Hobbit in the original near fine, unrestored condition. Only once before have all four been available. See our website for the links. Allen & Unwin 1st/1st 1937, 1st/2nd 1937, 1st/3rd 1942 and 1st/4th 1946 printings. If you are seriously interested in such a purchase, you already know their importance and publishing history. 1st/1st Hobbits, if they appear, now exceed £230,000, but most of these have restoration seriously reducing their value. The 2nd,3rd and 4th with unrestored dustjackets once appeared fairly regularly, but we have not seen them for many years, except with restored jackets. These go into collections, including legacy libraries and never come out! Regular Tolkien follows and experienced collectors know how rare these now are and will remain so, forever. One of the significant features of the first ten or so printed Hobbits was the text was changed to align it as the prequel to The Lord of the Rings. The first four Hobbits were the original text with gradual modifications until the first printing 1951 2nd edition Hobbit with major changes to chapter five among others. Goblins became Orcs for example. So few of the 1942 dust jackets exist, it was thought for a time they were produced without them due to paper shortages during the war. The 1st/1st Hobbit used no colour illustrations, the 1st/2nd and later used colour. The 3rd and 4th were printed on war-time paper making the books half the thickness, with full sized dustjackets, but the cheap paper made the jackets subject rapid wear and damage especially the 3rd printing. These are just some of the features of the first four. The Hobbit as the authors first book enjoys a much wider collector/investor audience than The Lord of the Rings or his other classic titles making them even more scarce. General first edition collectors add them to modern libraries. J.R.R. Tolkien books are now solidly in the investor asset class of rare literature, not simply passing pop culture. With new films coming and talks of theme parks Tolkien books are poised for new price highs, potentially limitless with unprecedented demand. We can see rare condition sets like these eventually exceeding a million dollars. This is similar to other classic children's books like the first printings of Alice and Wonderland. We must stress the rarity is the unrestored jacket aspect of these books, not simply that they are the first edition printings. Authentic collectors value original state and the few examples do come on the market have more and more restoration. This only makes these unrestored originals exponentially more valuable. Please note, these may be withdrawn or postpone from sale due to new media interest. We will deliver these to the buyer anywhere in the world, for an added travel fee. Please inquire into additional condition details and more photos. Please, serious inquiries only. We are one the leading and largest specialty Tolkien dealers with over 21 years. We ONLY deal in Tolkien so have to get it right every time, unlike general book dealers. Take some time to research our company Festival Art and Books, our events, Festival in the Shire and our founder and Tolkien expert. Mark D. Faith. Please ask about our free The Tolkien Collectors Guide a monthly newsletter on Tolkien book collecting. We were recently asked whether investors have taken over the Tolkien books market? While prices are rising at every level due to high demand and scarce supply, nearly all our high end customers are equally keen Tolkien fans. They collect what they can afford just like the rest of us! The more famous insist we keep their Tolkien fandom confidential! When we started our business 20 years client discretion was paramount! Nobody then wished to come out of the Tolkien fan closet.

First edition, first issue of Tolkien's classic tale, "among the very highest achievements of childrenâs authors during the 20th centuryâ (Carpenter & Pritchard, 530), one of only a handful of presentation copies reserved for Tolkien to give to family members, colleagues and close friends. Octavo, original cloth, cartographic endpapers, frontispiece and 9 full-page uncolored illustrations after drawings by Tolkien. Presentation copy, inscribed by Tolkien on the flyleaf, "Mr. & Mrs. Livesley & Edgar with best wishes from J.R.R. Tolkien." The recipients, the Livesleys and their son Edgar, ran the Kennaway House, a Regency town house in the village of Sidmouth, East Devon which Tolkien used as a summer holiday home and the surrounds of which inspired the landscapes, flora, and fauna of The Shire", the region of Middle-earth inhabited hobbits first introduced in The Hobbit. Situated on the rocky coast of the rustic Devon countryside, the village of Sidmouth has featured in a number of famed literary works, as "Stymouth" in Beatrix Potter's children's story The Tale of Little Pig Robinson (1930), "Idmouth" in Thomas Hardy's Wessex, "Baymouth" in William Makepeace Thackeray's Pendennis, and "Spudmouth" in The Merry Adventures of Robin Hood by Howard Pyle. English poet Elizabeth Barrett lived in the town from 1832 until 1835. In the final stages of The Hobbit's revisions, Tolkien notably penned a list of special recipients he wished to present copies of the first printing of the book to upon publication, including C.S. Lewis, R.W. Chambers, R.W. Chambers, Simone dâArdenne, George S. Gordon, Elaine Griffiths, his aunts Mabel Mitton and Florence Hadley, and the Livesleys who hosted him at the Kennaway House. Published on September 21, 1937, the first printing of the Hobbit constituted only 1500 copies and completely sold out by December 15th. In near fine condition. Housed in a custom full morocco clamshell box. An exceptional association of the most highly coveted work in fantasy literature. "In enchanted Middle-earth, a small, comfort-loving Hobbit is awakened from his slumbers by a visitor who tells of lost treasure. Before Bilbo Baggins returns home again, he journeys past wizards and elves, talkative trees and treasure-guarding dragons, all swirling in cosmic battle between good and evil. J.R.R. Tolkien's fully realized fantasy world won over generations of children, and dazzled adults with its deft interweaving of medieval legend and made-up languages, maps, and creatures. Tolkien legitimized the modern fantasy genre, and provided the 1960's counterculture with antiwar, back-to-Eden icons" (NYPL Books of the Century 199). âProfessor Tolkienâs epic of Middle Earth⦠[is] one of [the twentieth] centuryâs lasting contributions to that borderland of literature between youth and age. There are few such booksâ"Gulliverâs Travels, The Pilgrimâs Progress, Robinson Crusoe, Don Quixote, Alice in Wonderland, The Wind in the Willowsâ"what else?⦠[They are] destined to become this centuryâs contribution to that select list of books which continue through the ages to be read by children and adults with almost equal pleasureâ (Eyre, 67, 134-5). "All historians of childrenâs literature⦠agree in placing [The Hobbit] among the very highest achievements of childrenâs authors during the 20th centuryâ (Carpenter & Prichard, 254, 530). Published on September 21, 1937 in a first printing of only 1500 copies, The Hobbit had completely sold out by December 15. âIt may have been a surprise to its publishers that a work as sui generis as The Hobbit should have been a popular success, but once it was a success there can have been no surprise in the clamor for a sequel. Tolkien had opened up a new imaginative continent, and the cry now was to see more of itâ (Shippey, 49).

Hardcover. Condition: Near Fine. Dust Jacket Condition: Near Fine. 1st Edition. Allen and Unwin 1946, 4th printing of the 1st Edition. War time paper book and jacket. Unrestored book and jacket, as good as they come for this now super rare book. Book read once condition, a few light foxing spots in places. Jacket has a small paper loss to top right spine corner and several closed tears. Bright with no foxing. Outstanding condition. Invest today! About restoration. When no more first edition Hobbits with original dust jackets exist, ever, the restored jacket with the minimal restoration might become an option. However, it will only be worth what the original damaged jacket was worth. Restoration adds no value and trying to boost its value falsely with restoration to the same as an original is a complete deception. We think restored copies says more about the buyer, not the seller, caring more about how they look not the item they are buying. Be authentic, buy authentic! Please note, this is a separate copy from my set of the first four printings.

Hardcover. Condition: Very Good. Dust Jacket Condition: Very Good. 1st Edition. HARDBACK - A very good book bound in the publisher's green cloth boards with black lettering to the spine. The boards are very clean indeed with no fading or colour loss to the spine. There is mild pushing to the spine tips with light bumping to the top corner of the front board. Internally, the pages are clean with light foxing to the page blocks, but with no signs of foxing to the inner text. There is a small owner name in blue ink to the top corner of the front end-paper with a small christmas 1939 present to the bottom corner of the front paste down. The green top-stain is still present but has faded somewhat. There are a couple of faint stains to the base of the page block that do not encroach into the inner text. The dust wrapper is the correct second impression, and is also in very good condition with mild toning to the spine. There are small chips to the tip and tail of the spine, also with small chips to the corners of the front and rear flap folds. The dust wrapper's has some foxing with light soiling to the verso of the wrapper that do not show through to most of the wrapper, but foxing can be seen to the white portion of the upper front panel. Overall, a clean dust wrapper considering its age, with the publisher's printed price of 7s.6d.net. present to the front flap. The second impression is dated 1937, but was actually published in January 1938, saw the first appearance of four additional colour illustrations by Tolkien. Some 2300 copies were originally printed, although 423 copies were destroyed at the binders during the London Blitz in 1940. Scarce thus.

Hardcover. Condition: Near Fine. Dust Jacket Condition: Very Good. 1st Edition. An exceptionally clean, near fine, copy of the fourth (and last) printing of the first edition Hobbit, 1946. Unrestored book and dust jacket of the fourth impression, which has become increasingly rare in this condition. Printed by George Allen and Unwin to war time economy standards. No signatures, inscriptions or book plates. The is some foxing to the text block edges, but no stains and no handling marks, the boards and spine are also exceptionally clean and bright. The original unrestored 4th impression dust jacket has closed tears, some small losses, and is price clipped. Most books that appear on the market have had 'small restorations' to the dust jacket, which leaves the potential buyer blind as to its original condition. Whenever possible, always buy one that has not been tampered with, they are far more desirable to collectors, a much better investment and genuinely more valuable. The importance of originality cannot be overstated.

Hardcover. Condition: Near Fine. Dust Jacket Condition: Fine. 1st Edition. Condition: Near-Fine. 1st edition: 4th impression, so stated on the limitation page. The only real defect on the book is a small stain on the text block fore edge. The book is very clean inside and out, and the covers and spine are clean and bright. The text is also clean and bright. The maps of Lonely Mountain in the front and Wilderland in the back are also clean and bright, with just a tiny hint of age browning on the edge of the Wilderland free end paper. A 1-inch tear has been closed and repaired at the bottom of pps. 127-128, and the front free endpaper map page has 2 very slight creases, one on the upper right corner, and another on the following blank page. The book has been conserved, and Tolkien's famous original jacket has in addition been expertly restored to near-pristine condition--Please contact us if you are interested in the details of this item's conservation and restoration. The 4th impression was the last printing of Tolkien's original story, before his revisions to the book in the early 1950s to more closely comport with the story of The Lord of the Rings, then in progress.

Condition: Good. First Edition. First edition, first printing. Bound in publisher's green cloth with dark green pictorial stamping, top edge stained green. Good, with soling and wear to cloth, cloth thinned at foot of spine and front joint, with a moderate partial split to the rear joint though binding intact. Light foxing to textblock edge. Owner initials to front free endpaper, owner bookplates to front free endpaper and the following blank sheet with light wrinkling to those pages; bookplate to blank is covering evidence of a previous bookplate removal. Pages tanned, lightly thumbed. One of a mere 1,500 copies of the first printing of Tolkien's fantasy classic.

Hardcover. Condition: Fine. Dust Jacket Condition: Fine. 1st Edition. First Edition, First Printing with the bowing hobbit image printed on the title page, A magnificent copy. This ORIGINAL dustjacket is rich in color with NO chips or tears with minor repair. This First Issue dustjacket has the publisher's $2.50 printed price present on the front flap. The book is bound in the publisher's tan cloth and is excellent condition and appears UNREAD. The binding is tight with NO cocking or leaning and the boards are crisp. The pages are clean with NO writing, marks or bookplates in the book. A superb copy in collector's condition. We buy Tolkien First Editions.

Hardcover. Condition: Very Good. No Jacket. 1st Edition. FIRST PRINTING. ONE OF ONLY 1500 COPIES PRINTED. HARDBACK BOUND IN THE ORIGINAL PUBLISHERS DECORATED CLOTH BINDING WITH THE ORIGINAL MAP DECORATED ENDPAPERS TO FRONT & REAR, FRONTIS PLATE PRESENT BUT LACKING THE MIRKWOOD PLATE AT PAGE 146, ALL OTHER ILLUSTRATIONS ARE PRESENT & CORRECT. INCLUDED WITH THE ORIGINAL FIRST EDITION IS A NEW FACSIMILE EDITION OF IDENTICAL SIZE WITH A NEW DUST JACKET & DECORATED SLIPCASE THAT FITS BOTH COPIES, THE SLIPCASE COULD BE USED TO HOUSE THE ORIGINAL FIRST EDITION, THE NEW BOOK COMES WITH THE MIRKWOOD PLATE. BOOK MEASURES APPROX 8 x 5 INCHES WITH 310 PAGES + THE ORIGINAL TWO SIDED PUBLISHERS CATALOGUE TO REAR. FEW MINOR MARKS TO CLOTH COVER, WITH MINOR WEAR AT TOP & BOTTOM OF SPINE, FAINT VERTICAL CREASE TO MIDDLE OF CLOTH SPINE, SLIGHT PLAY TO HINGES, NAME OF SEYMOUR MEAD TO FRONT MAP ENDPAPER & FRONT BLANK ENDPAPER + A CHRISTMAS INSCRIPTION FROM THE YEAR OF PUBLICATION DATED 1937 TO FRONT BLANK ENDPAPER, MAJORITY OF PAGES HAVE SOME MINOR WRINKLES TO BOTTOM PAGE MARGINS [SEE IMAGES] OCCASIONAL MINOR CREASE, BLEMISH OR FINGER MARK TO PAGES, VERY OCCASIONAL MINOR SEPARATION AT INNER PAGE MARGINS BUT WITH ALL PAGES WELL ATTACHED. OVERALL THE FIRST EDITION IS IN VERY GOOD CONDITION & HAS HAD NO RESTORATION TO ANY PART OF THE BOOK, THE FACSIMILE EDITION WITH THE SLIPCASE IS IN AS NEW CONDITION. A GENUINE FIRST EDITION & FIRST PRINTING OF THE HOBBIT IN THE ORIGINAL PUBLISHERS CLOTH BINDING. A RARE TITLE WITH THE FIRST PRINTING HAVING ONLY 1500 COPIES PUBLISHED & SOLD OUT BEFORE CHRISTMAS OF 1937 WITH VERY FEW SURVIVING IN ORIGINAL CLOTH. EXTRA IMAGES AVAILABLE UPON REQUEST.

Hardcover. Condition: Fair. 1st Edition, Illustrated Edition. This is the rare, true first printing of "THE HOBBIT - or, There and Back Again" by J.R.R. Tolkien. 1937 1st edition, 1st printing (with "First Published in 1937" stated on the copyright page and no subsequent printings listed); George Allen & Unwin Ltd.; London. All illustrations are present as called for, and are firmly attached. The frontispiece and all illustrations are in black & white. "Thror's Map" and "Map of Winderland" are in color on the end papers. Exceedingly rare with only 1,500 copies printed. Additional photos can be provided upon request. Condition: Light soiling to covers and spine. Strip of cloth missing at center-left edge of spine. The center-right strip and the remainder of the spine below it are loose and attached at the right edge only. Small cloth tears at outer front cover corners; tiny cloth tear at bottom-left corner of back cover. Small cloth tear/piece missing at the top-left corner of the spine. No cracks and no loose pages. The front cover is a bit shaky. Pages 269/270 and 271/272 have been removed. A name "Jilland Jeremy" written in pencil at the bottom of page 207. Pages 207-210 and the illustration after page 146 have light staining along the top and outer edges. Page 47 has a small stain and 1/2" tear at the outer edge. The pages are generally clean with an occasional smudge, stain and foxing spot here and there (most notably to some random pages between 1 and 20). There is a very light "waviness" to the pages. Bookplate affixed to half title page. Light tanning to the end paper maps. Overall in Fair condition.

Hardcover. Condition: Near Fine. 1st Edition. First Edition, Second Impression, 1937 A near fine very clean unrestored copy. The first printing of The Hobbit was issued on 21st September 1937 with a print run of only 1500 copies. The book was an immediate success and sold out within months. The second impression (of which this copy is one), was printed in December the same year in an edition of 2300 copies (423 of which were destroyed at the warehouse of the binder, Key and Whiting, in the bombing of London on November 7th 1940) and was the first printing to convert four of the author's black and white illustration plates to color. These were initially commissioned for and later published in the American edition. [Hammond A3a.] We have only spotted one other second printings, one with a complete original jacket, listed for $56,000.00 (since sold); and then an inferior third printing withOUT a dust jacket listed for $12,500. Today first/firsts are selling for $140,000 and up in an original jacket. This unrestored book is in near fine/very good plus condition for the Second Impression. The boards have but a touch of fraying to the very lower spine edge and a few corner tips, otherwise the boards are remarkable condition and without any brittleness. The cloth is in supple condition, overall clean with spots of toning/aging. The book has sharp corners, one very lightly pushed. The binding is tight and square. The original end papers are present and clean and bright with no owner names, no inscriptions, no bookplates and no bookstore stamps, but with a few tiny illegible letters along the top edge of the front fly leaf. The internal pages are all clean, bright and flat with no handling marks, no bent pages and no stains. Very slight pale and occasional intermittent foxing. An overall very clean fresh unrestored book. Lacking the dust jacket. Please see all the images. A superb very early printing in very clean condition. ADDITIONAL IMAGES AVAILABLE UPON REQUEST. Please see our ABE store for other landmark Fantasy and SciFi titles.

Hardcover. Condition: Near Fine. Dust Jacket Condition: Good. 1st Edition. THE HOBBIT, 1st American edition, 1st state with bowing Hobbit on the title page, J R R Tolkien, Houghton & Mifflin, Boston & New York, 1938. All points correct for 1st edition, 1st state. No signatures, inscriptions, book plates. No foxing, stains or handling marks. A very clean copy with excellent boards, spine and maps. The original dust jacket has tears and losses, missing the front flap, colours very good, now in archival protective cover.

Full-Leather. Condition: Very Good. J. R. R. Tolkien (illustrator). 1st Edition. 310, [2] pages; with frontispiece and three plates in colour as called for. Second impression: [December] 1937, the first to include Tolkien's illustrations in colour. Rebound in gold calf with raised bands; upper board decorated with a Smaug done in fish leather and kid on a black lambskin field. All original elements retained: map end-papers, half title, advert leaf at rear; with the original spine and cloth from both boards bound in at rear. A tidy interior, with no inscriptions. 7.9 x 6 inches.

Hardcover. Condition: Very Good. 1st Edition. The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien First Edition Second Impression George Allen & Unwin Ltd 1937. No previous owner's name inscriptions or signs of ownership. Contents clean and unblemished throughout, free of any foxing. Binding remains tight. Top edge tint still present. Covers are VG and have no wear or fraying to head or tail of spine.

Hardcover. Condition: Near Fine. 1st Edition. John Ronald Reuel Tolkien (1937) 'The Hobbit or There and Back Again', UK first edition, second impression, published by George Allen & Unwin. Housed in a luxurious full leather solander box with the dragon design stamped in gold to front and back, as well as title, author and the rune symbol to the spine. Condition: a very good to near fine book lacking the original dust jacket. Internally absolutely clean without any previous owners' names, bookplates nor stamps. The boards' green colour of the cloth remains fresh and clean. the spine a little toned. Minor shelf wear to spine tips as shown. A beautiful copy and rare in this clean state. The second impression was published in the same year as the first impression, and was the first impression featuring colour illustrations. The print run of the sheets was 2,300 copies and they were bound in different months starting in December 1937 until June 1940. 423 sheets burned during the Blitz. Of the surviving copies many have been altered by children's hands (we have seen many copies with the black and white illustrations coloured in), or people penned their name in ink. This copy remains absolutely clean and in its original state. A landmark children's and fantasy book, enjoyed by generations.

Hardcover. Condition: Good. 1st Edition. Has had some regluing on spine and strenghtening in places there since binding was shaky. Has a page with a stain and some with small dog-ears. Name from child on front-free endpage. Has a few pencil-markings that can be erased if wished but i dont dare to do that in case it might be from Ian (It is probably from someone else though). Bought from Peter Harrington who takes the authenticity of their autographs very seriously. The following is taken from description from Harrington. Inscribed by Sir Ian McKellen with an original drawing of Gandalf First edition, fourth impression, inscribed by Sir Ian McKellen on the half-title, "Charlotte, Ian McKellen, 2007", together with an original drawing of Gandalf by McKellen. This copy was inscribed for the granddaughter of McKellen's understudy, David Weston, during the 2007 tour of King Lear with the Royal Shakespeare Company. Weston later published a memoir of the tour titled Covering McKellen: An Understudy's Tale (2007). Although the fourth impression is dated 1946 (since its run of 4,000 copies was printed this year), it was not officially published until 18 November 1947, over a decade after the first impression. The book remained popular over this time but severe wartime paper shortages prevented Allen & Unwin from reissuing the title as soon as they would have liked. This fourth impression was produced in conformity with the authorized economy standards enforced during the war. Octavo. Original green cloth, spine and front cover lettered in dark blue, binding with design in dark blue, map endpapers printed in black and red, top edge green. Colour frontispiece, illustrations to text. Child's ownership inscription to second blank, occasional pencil annotations to text.

Hardcover. Condition: Near Fine. Dust Jacket Condition: Near Fine. 1st Edition. George Allen & Unwin Ltd. Publishers. 1937, 1954. London, U.K. First edition and thirteenth printing. Signed by author on half title page. Book in FINE condition, tight and square, sharp corners. Dustwrapper in NEAR FINE condition, original 12s. 6d. net price present on front flap, no chips or damage, unfaded spine, foxing on both flaps. Overall a FINE copy in great collectible condition. Very rare signed. Photos available. $13500. Signed by Author(s).

Condition: Very Good. First Edition. First American edition, first state with a bowing hobbit on the title page, and Chapter VII mistakenly titles Chapter VI. Bound in publisher's original buff cloth stamped in blue and red; lacking the dust jacket. Very Good with light marking to bottom of spine, spine ends and corners worn, spine toned. Pages toned, bookplate removal to first blank sheet, several hinges slightly exposed and some sporadic soiling. Tolkien's fantasy masterpiece, with illustrations by the author.

Hardcover. Condition: Very Good. 1st Edition. First Edition, Third Impression, 1942 A very clean copy with unrestored bright clean boards. The first printing of The Hobbit was issued on 21st September 1937 with a print run of only 1500 copies. The book was an immediate success and sold out within months. The second impression was printed in December the same year in an edition of 2300 copies (423 of which were destroyed at the warehouse of the binder Key and Whiting in the bombing of London on November 7th 1940) and was the first printing to include the author's one color plate, initially commissioned for and later published in the American edition. [Hammond A3a. ] In late 1942, Allen & Unwin printed 1,500 copies of a third impression. Arguably more scarce than a 1st/1st, with few having survived due to a warehouse fire during the war, and the fact that they were printed on the standard cheap wartime paper. To this end we have only spotted two other third printings, one with an original jacket, listed for $56,000.00; and one other inferior 3rd printing copy without the jacket listed for $12,500. Today first/firsts are selling for $140,000 and up in an original jacket. This unrestored book is in near fine/very good plus condition for the Third Impression. The boards are clean and bright with strong vibrant unfaded deep blue details. Slight toning and rubbing to the cloth with a few area with very small discolorations. Square, but slightly rounded corners. The original end papers are present and clean and bright with no owner names, no bookplates and no bookstore stamps. The internal pages are remarkably clean and bright, with no handling marks, no stains, no foxing, and no bent pages. Lacking the dust jacket. Please see all the images. A superb very early printing in very clean condition.ADDITIONAL IMAGES AVAILABLE UPON REQUEST. Please see our ABE store for landmark SciFi and Fantasy first printings.

hardcover. Condition: very good. first. First US edition, first issue. Book very good, spine ends slightly worn, corners slightly rubbed, between 2nd free end paper and next paper some cracking along gutter as well as in rear, rear paste-down has a small bookstore sticker at bottom and a number stamp at top.

Hardcover. Condition: Near Fine. No Jacket. 1st Edition. John Ronald Reuel Tolkien (1942) The Hobbit or There and Back Again , UK first book club edition using the first edition, third impression sheets, published by The Children s Book Club by arrangement with George Allen & Unwin. Condition: a near fine copy. There are no previous owners inscriptions, names, no bookplates, no stamps. The original chrome yellow boards are in nice shape with a little shelf wear and light tonong to the spine. The lettering on the spine is nicely visible with just a touch of rubbing as shown. Internally clean with no illustrations coloured in as often found. The page block with a whiff of faint foxing spots as shown, otherwise unmarked. The war economy standard paper used for this edition is preserved remarkably well. The original dust jacket is not present. Publication history: In late 1942 George Allen & Unwin printed 1,500 copies of a third impression and 3,000 copies for the children s book club to be sold by Foyles. The sheets were supplied to Foyles unbound and they were bound in cheaper boards without the dragon design familar with the regular trade edition. Also, no maps as endpapers were used. As opposed to Tolkien s own beautiful dust jacket, an orange-red wrapper showing a fat, dandified Bilbo. Tolkien loathed the design so much that it was not repeated again and this book club edition has remained an anomaly in the early publication history of the much loved childrens book. Since the boards used are much thinner and the paper the economy standard it is difficult to find copies that have survived the passage of time in decent condition if at all since book club editions tend to be unloved or discarded. First and Fine.

Half title, col. front., plates, final ad. leaf; small tear to corner of plate facing p.192 Orig. green cloth, lettered & blocked in black; a little cocked, hinges sl. rubbed, sl. wear to head & tail of spine. Bookseller's ticket of Parker & Son on leading pastedown. 12-line autograph from E. R. Dodds loosely inserted. The second printing, which appeared three months after the first, and was the first printing to feature coloured plates. Eric Robertson Dodds, 1893-1979, was an Irish classical scholar and Regius Professor of Greek at Oxford, where (according to his autobiography) he 'collected a small intercollegiate group of like-minded enthusiasts who called themselves the "Psittakoi" or "Parrots" and read papers to each other. Of their meetings I recall only that one of the speakers was an Exeter man called Tolkien. Whether he talked to us about the habits of hobbits I cannot now remember. I believe the addiction to hobbitry goes a long way back in his life, but to us I suppose it is more likely that he discoursed on Norse sagas.' Dodds gave this copy of The Hobbit to Bill Ure, the son of his colleague and close friend Percy Ure, who he described as 'the gentlest and least self-assertive of men. one of the saints of scholarship'. Dodds himself never had children - a fact which greatly saddened him - and he was kind and attentive to Ure's. Dodds's note is brief but thoughtful and charming: 'The usual urgent last-minute enquiry: what would Jean and Bill like for Christmas? I have found a beautiful dragon-and-goblin story by a professor of Anglo-Saxon called The Hobbit, which I am enjoying very much & want to give to somebody - but I'm afraid the young one now too old for dragons and other forms of escapism?' In the event, his anxieties were ill-founded: he gave the book to Bill, who became a lifelong Tolkien obsessive.

Hardcover. Condition: Good. 1st Edition. A rare first Children's Book Club edition of The Hobbit using the first edition, third impression sheets by arrangement with George Allen & Unwin. With war economy standard paper. George Allen & Unwin printed 1,500 copies of a third impression and 3,000 copies to be sold by Foyles. The sheets supplied to Foyles were unbound and so the edition was published with cheap, simple boards with no map end papers. Plus a large Bilbo as the illustration on the dust jacket. Tolkien disliked the publication so much that no further book club editions were published. With thinner boards and economy paper there are few numbers of this publication to be found in a decent condition. Original yellow cloth boards with faded gilt lettering on the spine. Tiny hole on the spine. Some spotting and browning within the text. A scarce find. 8vo 310pp.

Hardcover. Condition: Very Good. No Jacket. 1st Edition. Allen & Unwin printed only 1,509 copies of a third impression in 1942, making it a scarce find. The boards are clean and bright, very slight rubbing. Clean and bright, with no signatures, inscriptions or bookplates. No handling marks, no stains and no foxing. Reasonably good green top colour. Lacking the dust jacket. An excellent early impression.

Condition: Very Good. First Edition. First American edition, first state with a bowing hobbit on the title page, and Chapter VII mistakenly titles Chapter VI. Bound in publisher's original buff cloth stamped in blue and red; lacking the dust jacket. Very Good, light lean to binding, cloth lightly worn at extremities and lightly soiled. Foxing and tanning to pages, former owner gift inscription and partial card-pocket to preliminary pages, several pages tape-reinforced at gutter and a few creases. Tolkien's fantasy masterpiece, with illustrations by the author.

Hardcover. Condition: Near Fine. 1st Edition. First Edition, First printing, Second State A near fine copy of the FIRST printing, in the second state dated 1938 to the title page with the "sitting elf" playing the flute. (First Printings in the first state have a "bowing elf"). The book is in the original slightly toned oatmeal cloth boards with sharp corners, and no edgewear. The book was professionally recased to create a strong and secure binding, allowing the book to be readable, without loose bindings and the common cracked hinges. The front and rear end papers are in clean condition with no owner names, no bookstore stamps and no inscriptions, and depicts the map of the "Wilderland" to the front and rear end papers. The internal pages are very clean with No handling marks, No stains, No creased or bent pages. All pages present, including all the color plates and the black and white illustrations. This copy has the sitting elf playing the flute on the title page which makes this book a True edition, First printing in the second state. A clean example and delightful to read. Please see images. A fantastic clean copy of the first US printing of one of the most important books of the 20th century. ADDITIONAL IMAGES AVAILABLE UPON REQUEST. Please see our ABE store for other Fantasy and SciFi listings.

Hardcover. Condition: Near Fine. 1st Edition. The Children's Book Club edition using first edition, third impression sheets by arrangement with George Allen & Unwin. Allen & Unwin printed 1,509 copies of a third impression and a further 3,000 copies to be sold by Foyles. The sheets supplied to Foyles were unbound. The Children's Book Club edition was published with cheap simple boards, no map end papers and no frontispiece. Tolkien disliked the publication so much that no further Book Club editions were published. With thinner boards and war time economy paper there are few numbers of this publication to be found in a decent condition. Original yellow cloth boards with faded gilt lettering and lightly sunned spine. Single neat owner's signature to front free end paper, no further inscriptions or book plates. No foxing, stains or handling marks, text clean an bright throughout. VG+ to Near Fine. An excellent copy.

Hardcover. Condition: Near Fine. 1st Edition. First Edition, First printing, Second State A near fine copy of the FIRST printing, in the second state dated 1938 to the title page with the "sitting elf" playing the flute. (First Printings in the first state have a "bowing elf"). The unrestored book is in the original slightly toned oatmeal cloth boards. The book has sharp corners, and no edgewear. The binding is tight and square. The front and rear end papers are in clean condition with no owner names, no bookstore stamps and no inscriptions, and depicts the map of the "Wilderland" to the front and rear end papers. The internal pages are very clean with No handling marks, No stains, No creased or bent pages. Barest hint of light faded foxing to the first few pages, otherwise No foxing. All pages present, including all the color plates and the black and white illustrations. This copy has the sitting elf playing the flute on the title page which makes this book a True edition, First printing in the second state. A clean example and delightful to read. Please see images. A fantastic clean copy of the first US printing of one of the most important books of the 20th century. ADDITIONAL IMAGES AVAILABLE UPON REQUEST. Please see our ABE store for other landmark SciFi and Fantasy titles.

Hardcover. Condition: Very Good. No Jacket. 1st Edition. The Hobbit, 1st Edition, 2nd Impression, 1937, no dust jacket. No signatures, inscriptions or bookplates. Signs of wear through normal usage. Green top colour moderately faded. Very light foxing to text block edges. Finger soiling to spine cloth. Short closed tear to front free end paper. More photos can be supplied on request. A very good copy.

Hardcover. Condition: Very Good. No Jacket. 1st Edition. The Hobbit, 1st Edition, 2nd Impression, 1937, no dust jacket. One family ownership from new, spanning two generations. No signatures, inscriptions or bookplates. The upper hinge is partly cracked, which I think is due to the front paste down not being set square during the production process, the paste down will have been done by hand. There is a closed tear at the top of page 13. Signs of wear through normal usage. Top green colour lightly faded. Light foxing to text block edges. More photos can be supplied on request. A very good copy.

Hardcover. Condition: Good. Dust Jacket Condition: Good. 1st Edition. This is the first American edition, one state, SD NAP a scarce edition in any condition. Four color and nine black-and-white illustrations are present. The dust jacket is a NEW FACSIMILE and is in good condition. The title page features the bowing hobbit. Several items make this edition unique. Chapter VII is misidentified, and Chapter VI is on page 118. This book presents typical flaws seen in a well-loved, well-read book. There is wear at the spine extremities and the corner tips, and some wear along the front outer hinge. The spine is sun-darkened but does not appear to affect the spine lettering. There is rubbed surface soil on the boards, with a few minor stains and two thin 3/8-inch pen marks on the rear board. The front hinge is split, and the illustration or plate is inserted immediately in front of the title page, with the illustration facing the title page (aka frontis) becoming quite loose but remaining attached to the binding (aka shaken). The rear hinge is cracked. The page edges and end pages are age-darkened. A bookplate on the first blank page contains the previous owner's name and date inscribed. There is a small, light stain at the fore-edge of the reverse of the front. There is light staining along the fore-edge of the rear flyleaf that is visible only on the black side, not on the map face. (See photos.) Additional photos are available upon request. 310 p. NOT EX-LIBRARY. Shelf: W/AAUW. From WorldCat: "Bilbo Baggins, a respectable, well-to-do hobbit, lives comfortably in his hobbit-hole until the day the wandering wizard Gandalf chooses him to take part in an adventure from which he may never return.".

[Fantasy] DELUXE LIMITED EDITIONS, all later impressions thus. Complete in five volumes. Octavo (24 x 15 x 24cm), pp.[4] 245 [5]; pp.[6] 459 [5]; pp.[4] 372 [4]; pp.[2] 487 [3]; pp.[4] 420 [4]. The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings have a wood engraved frontispiece and chapter head pieces by Fraser and Grathmer to each volume, and The Silmarillion has a frontispiece and head pieces by Mosley. Number 1467 of 1750 sets thus, bound by Smith Settle of Otley, Yorkshire, in quarter Wassa goatskin with hand-woven Indian silk over boards, and gilt titles to spines designed by John Andrew. Top edges gilt, with maps of Middle Earth and the Shire to endpapers, and a large folding map of Beleriand to The Silmarillion. Each presented in the publisher's original brown morocco-covered slipcase, titled and decorated in gilt to one side. Lovely crisp, clean copies showing only the lightest hints of handling. Essentially fine. The Folio Society's illustrated edition by Eric Fraser was the very first illustrated edition of Lord of the Rings when it was originally published in 1977, followed by a matching illustrated edition of The Hobbit in 1979. Mosley's illustrated edition of the Silmarillion did not appear until 1997, and this 2003 deluxe set finally brought them all together in a uniform presentation.

George Allen & Unwin. 1955. Seventh impression of first edition of 1937, (or second impression of second edition. Wrapper flap states eighth impression. Hardback with DW. Maps to endpapers. Coloured frontis., 7 b/w plates plus illustrated half-page tailpiece. Decorated green boards, remarkably clean and fresh, edges very lightly sunned with slight shelfwear. Pages toned with occasional spots of foxing, signs of light creasing/impression to pages 59-67. Wrapper has been stored with flaps to the outside of the boards so pattern from boards has lightly offset onto flaps.Price of 9s 6d net to front flap which has a light vertical crease. Wrapper is slightly sunned and has some surface soiling. There are nicks to corners and head and tail of spine with small close tear to where tail of spine meets front panel. A remarkably clean and sound copy.

Hardcover. Condition: Fine. Dust Jacket Condition: Near Fine. 1st Edition. Allen & Unwin, First Deluxe Collection The Lord of the Rings 1969 Deluxe, The Hobbit 1976 Deluxe, Poems and Stories 1980 Deluxe. LotR and Poems books as-new and cases are near fine. Hobbit book has some fading to book spine gilt, case label is darkened. Now very rare in any condition.

Hardcover. Condition: Fine. 1st Edition. Hompen, eller En resa dit och tillbaksigen ("The Hobbit, or A journey there and back again"), translated to Swedish by Tore Zetterholm,illustrated by Torbjörn Zetterholm (interior illustrations) and Charles Sjöblom (cover and maps). Extremely scarce first translation of The Hobbit, also the only translation of the Hobbit from the first UK edition before the changes Tolkien made to the text after writing the Lord of the Rings, and the first translation of any of the author's books. Tolkien took great umbrage at Förbundets failure to use the book's correct title and their changing of the original text. As a result, this edition was suppressed and replaced by an approved translation entitled 'Bilbo' (Hallqvist, 1962). Publisher's cloth-backed illustrated boards, endpaper maps. Except for a scrape on the back due to a removed price sticker, the book is in an excellent condition. The fragile boards have exceptionally little wear and binding and spine are also in a superb condition. Clean pages without names, inscriptions or dog ears. Very scarce in any condition and extremely scarse in such as this. A great collectors item.--- Please contact us before purchasing to discuss the most suitable shipping method.

Hardcover. Condition: Fine. Dust Jacket Condition: Near Fine. 1st Edition. Second Edition, 6th Impression, 1958: A Fine book in a fine/near fine original dust jacket. The first printing of The Hobbit was issued on 21st September 1937 with a print run of only 1500 copies. The book was an immediate success and sold out within months. Today first/firsts are selling for $140,000 and up in an original jacket, and any early printing in an original dust jacket is highly collectible. This book is in fine condition with crisp boards, sharp corners and no edgewear. The binding is tight and square. The end papers are clean and bright and in perfect condition with a tiny bookseller sticker to lower edge, otherwise no owner names, no inscriptions and no bookplates. The internal pages are clean, bright and flat appearing as unread with no handling marks, no writing, no bent pages and no foxing. Please see all the images. The original dust jacket has benefited from some very slight restoration by an expert paper conservator to the very outer spine tips, and as such and presents as a fine/near fine example. The jacket has strong vibrant colors with no edgewear, no rips, no chips, no tears, no rubbing, no fading and no foxing. The jacket is NOT price clipped and has a stated price of 12s. 6d. net. The jacket is now protected in a new clear removable archival cover. Please see detailed images. A superb very early printing in the original dust jacket. A superb very early printing in the original dust jacket. ADDITIONAL IMAGES AVAILABLE UPON REQUEST. Please see our ABE store for other Fantasy and SciFi listings.

Hardcover. Condition: Good. 1st Edition. In good condition! A small waterstained stain on page 111 which is now dry. The binding is holds well. Slightly forward leaning but not much at all. Has waterstains on back. Two dog-eared pages from previous reader.

Hardcover. Condition: Very Good. 1st Edition. Some small wear to corners as per usual. Has some small whitening on lower part of spine probably from very minor previous moiisture-damsge. This wont worsen though and is now completely dry. Some small scuffs in places. A small white place on back were the red is. Some small stains inside and two dog-eared pages. Very scarce overall and even more so in this superb condition.

Hardcover. Condition: Poor. No Jacket. 1st Edition. A poor condition copy of a very rare 1st edition printing of "The Hobbit - or, There and Back Again" by J.R.R. Tolkien. Published by George Allen and Unwin, 4th impression, 1946. Octavo, pp 317. This was the fourth and final printing of the 1st edition, before significant text revisions - particularly regarding Bilbo's encounter with Gollum that results in his acquiring the Ring - were undertaken by the author for the 2nd edition, published in 1951. The revisions align the "Hobbit" narrative with that in the "Lord of the Rings" trilogy, which itself was shortly to go into print for the first time. Includes a colour frontispiece of Hobbiton. All eight black and white illustrations by the author are present as called for. "Thror's Map" and "Map of Wilderland" in color on the front and rear pastedowns respectively. The copy is complete but has significant faults. The boards are soiled, faded and worn with the spine detached from the webbing along the length of the rear edge and numerous abrasions and bumping along the outer edges. The webbing is exposed along both front and back board pastedown edges. Numerous pages of the text block show paper loss or tears along the edges, although none of the text itself is missing. Some comments have been added - two in light green ink (p. 141 and 297) and in pencil (p 155) as well as tick marks on one page and an underline in pencil on another. Two names are written in ink on one of the blank feps. The pages are dusted but clean with an occasional smudge or soiling, only minor foxing. The text block edges are dust darkened. A complete but flawed example of a 1st edition printing of this culturally significant book, amenable to restoration. Additional pictures available on request.

Complete second edition of each title of Tolkienâs epic, best-selling Lord of the Rings Trilogy with a later edition of The Hobbit. Octavo, 4 volumes, bound in contemporary red morocco with morocco spine labels and motifs onlaid in six compartments within raised bands, matching motifs stamped in blind on the front panel of volume, marbled endpapers to the Lord of the Rings Trilogy, illustrated with drawings and folding maps. Signed by the binder, Jean Gladstone-Goodwin, on the verso of inserted custom-made title pagesÂof typescript, pen and ink. In good condition with rubbing to the spine and extremities of each volume, a few abrasions to the front and rear panels of The Hobbit and The Fellowship of the Ring, sunning to the front panel of The Return of the King, detached title pages to The Fellowship of the Ring and The Two Towers, some rippling to the front free endpaper of The Return of the King, and a few loose endpapers in The Hobbit. "In enchanted Middle-earth, a small, comfort-loving Hobbit is awakened from his slumbers by a visitor who tells of lost treasure. Before Bilbo Baggins returns home again, he journeys past wizards and elves, talkative trees and treasure-guarding dragons, all swirling in cosmic battle between good and evil. J.R.R. Tolkien's fully realized fantasy world won over generations of children, and dazzled adults with its deft interweaving of medieval legend and made-up languages, maps, and creatures. Tolkien legitimized the modern fantasy genre, and provided the 1960's counterculture with antiwar, back-to-Eden icons" (NYPL Books of the Century 199). âProfessor Tolkienâs epic of Middle Earth⦠[is] one of [the twentieth] centuryâs lasting contributions to that borderland of literature between youth and age. There are few such booksâ"Gulliverâs Travels, The Pilgrimâs Progress, Robinson Crusoe, Don Quixote, Alice in Wonderland, The Wind in the Willowsâ"what else?⦠[They are] destined to become this centuryâs contribution to that select list of books which continue through the ages to be read by children and adults with almost equal pleasureâ (Eyre, 67, 134-5).

Hardcover. Condition: Very Good. 1st Edition. Name that has been erased on inner-part of front-board and some small wear on the on the corners. Some tanning mostly on back and small scratch-marks on back-board. Otherwise really good condition. In swedish with Tove Jansson classic illustrations.

Hardcover. Condition: Good. 1st Edition. The book is in good condition. However, half of the front map has been torn away. A little of the title page is a little loose but is completely stuck together to 80-90%. A little wear at the bottom of the binding but the book is firmly held together and it is only a little. A little faded on the back. Pages are fresh. A copy in good condition!.

Hardcover. Condition: Very Good. 1st Edition. Some wear to the corners as per usual. Name and date on front-free endpage. Some stains internally but still good. Binding good and vibrant colours on the back. Boards a bit faded in colours. Very good condition.

Hardcover. Condition: Very Good. 1st Edition. Has some dust-stains on back. Also some dark that appears to be scratch-marks. Has some small stains on outer part of pages and some small internally. I could find one a bit bigger though on page 75. Dome sun-tanning as usual. Has some wear to corners as per usual. Some scuff-damages and scartch-damages. Overall in great condition though.

Hardcover. Condition: Good. 1st Edition. Text in swedish. In good condition. Page 305 has a tear on 1/3 / 1/4 of its page. There are some stains inside but still in good condition overall.

Hardcover. Condition: Good. 1st Edition. In good condition. The spine has been reglued. Has some stains inside. Has name that has been taken off on front-free enpage. The taking off has left the paper thinner and has some faint markings still from the names. the binding is sturdy but has some minor exposed netting from title page.

Condition: Very Good. Orebro, Sweden: Raben & Sjogren, 1962. First Tove Jansson-illustrated Edition, preceded in Sweden by Tore Zetterholm's translation, Hompen, in 1947. Octavo. 308 pages. 12 full page black and white illustrations; smaller vignette pieces by Jansson throughout. Original green cloth with pictorial boards; spine stamped in gilt. Boards worn with brief exposure; corners bumped; spine ends nudged; scuffing and smudging. Boards give but binding holding. Marginal dampstaining and interior otherwise unmarked; slight musty smell. Still a Very Good copy. Jansson, a Swedish-speaking Finnish author and illustrator, was well known for her "Moomin" children's books, but tried a new method of drawing in her illustrations for both the Swedish and Finnish publications of The Hobbit. Her highly regarded illustrations stand out not only for their compelling detail and artistry, but also as a lens to see The Hobbit reflected back to the community that created its Finnish and Norse mythological source material.

No Binding. Condition: Fine. 1st Edition. First trade printing of the famous poster 'There and Back again, a map of Bilbo's journey through Eriador and Rhovanion' by Pauline Baynes and J.R.R. Tolkien, based on The Hobbit. Published by George Allen & Unwin in 1971. Approx. 20 x 27,5 inch (51 cm x 70 cm). Pauline Baynes was the only artist approved by Tolkien to illustrate this works during his lifetime. It reproduces the Map of Wilderland of The Hobbit, but also extends to Eriador. Thus it includes all the regions through which Thorin and Company passed during the quest from Hobbiton to Erebor. The poster is in a fine condition and comes in an acid-free removable archival cover. A scarce and very popular piece of 'The Hobbit' ephemera.

Hardcover. Condition: Very Good. Dust Jacket Condition: Very Good. 1st Edition. Allen & Unwin 1976 first printing of the deluxe version. This book has more wear than my other more expensive copy. Book has been read a couple of times, biding still tight, rubbing to the cover edges, cover gilt is fine, the spine gilt however is worn. Yellowing to page edges, but not on pages. Slipcase has a clean unfaded label with red title evident. A more affordable copy of this now very rare book.

Hardcover. Condition: Fair. 1st Edition. Has small stamp on title page from library. First 3 pages of book page 7-10 has been reglued back to book. The spine has also been reglued. Some more pages inside has been strenghtned with glue:). Rebound with new spine retaining original cover. Has mark from previous stitched note on last page on side of innerboard. Has some tape on front of cover as seen leaving some marks Dome had been pulled of Making jr come off. En has also come off on cover. Wear to corners. Fresh inside with very small stains on certain pages illustrations in really good condition. First edition ever with Tove Janssons illustrations.