Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien - First Edition

The Lord of the Rings series hardly needs an introduction: it is the cornerstone of the fantasy genre and one of the most well-known epic, adventure trilogies which is still enjoyed around the world decades after its original publication.

The original books were released between 1954 and 1955 and published by George Allen and Unwin. Our set of The Lord of the Rings are all first editions – but varying impressions – from 1959 and 1960 (also published by George Allen and Unwin).

The first book, ‘The Fellowship of the Ring’ is a first edition, 8^th impression from 1959.

The second book, ‘The Two Towers’ is also a first edition, but a 7^th impression from 1960.

The final book, ‘The Return of the King’ is a first edition 6^th impression from 1960 as well.

The three books do have signs of wear and might have come in contact with water at some point – the damage is minor, however, with some running of the red dye from the cover that is only visible at the back corners (see the photos below for closeups of this).

A fold out map is included in each book at the back which readers can follow as they progress through the story and the journey that the characters take. All three books have embossed lettering on the side, with the first book being silver, and the other two being gold.

This is an excellent first edition set for Lord of the Rings and Tolkien fans who don’t want to spend thousands of pounds in order to own a collectable item. It is being sold for £500.

If you are interested in purchasing these books, or would like more information of other items we sell, then please get in contact by emailing us at sales@mainlybooks.co.uk, or come visit us in store in Eton! Please refer to our Contact Us page for more information on how to reach us.