The Fellowship of the Ring by J.R.R. Tolkien. Published by George Allen and Unwin Ltd in December 1954.
FIRST EDITION SECOND IMPRESSION of the first book in Tolkien's Lord of the Rings trilogy. A very rare printing for which very few copies in first or second impression form survive in their original condition as with this example. This example is bound in the original publisher's cloth with the original second impression dust jacket.
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There were 3,000 copies printed for the first impression run in July 1954 and 2,500 copies printed for the second impression in December 1954. This is therefore one of the first 5,500 copies of this book printed, a very significant attribute given that modern estimates put total sales figures of this book at around 150 million copies. Roughly 60,650 copies were printed through the various impressions of the first edition between 1954 and 1966, and so the majority of encountered copies of the first edition are from these later printings. This is one of the earliest obtainable copies of The Fellowship of the Ring, the genesis of The Lord of the Rings trilogy.
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Size: 144 x 220 mm (approx.)
Condition:
[423pp, i, foldout map, blank]
Book VG+ to Near Fine with the dust jacket in G+ condition.
Original red publisher's cloth binding, externally near fine. Boards without discolouration or the typical issues such as rubbing, scuffs, loss to the cloth, etc. Joints and hinges similarly fine without fault with both boards securely attached. Very light shelf wear and bumps to bottom corners. Slight discolouration at the head and foot of the spine else the spine is also near fine with the gilt slightly dulled. Binding slightly cocked as typical but without shelf lean. Endpapers foxed else very clean throughout the full text block with all text legible and without writing, stains, etc. Collated as complete including the map of the shire to the verso of pp.24 and the foldout map to the rear. Foldout map in fine condition.
Spine panel of the dust jacket heavily toned as typical with the red text at the head and centre of the spine panel being faded but legible. Wear at hinges of dust jacket as typical with some small losses at the head and foot of each hinge. Similar but slightly more significant loss at the head and foot of the spine panel. Slim area of toning at the head of the inner flaps as typical else inner flaps in remarkably bright condition. The front and rear panels are generally very good and perhaps very good plus with some minor toning and a few marks towards the extremities. Verso side of the dust jacket in remarkably clean condition without stains etc and thus, aside from the aforementioned losses at extremities, near fine.
