The Return of the King, Being the Third Part of The Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien. London: George Allen & Unwin, 1955.
AN INCREDIBLE EXAMPLE OF THE FIRST EDITION FIRST IMPRESSION IN ITS ORIGINAL FIRST IMPRESSION FIRST STATE DUST JACKET
-------------------
A remarkable copy of the true first edition of J.R.R. Tolkien's Return of the King, the third and final part of The Lord of the Rings book series. This copy is particularly remarkable for being in such excellent condition - the book itself is in near fine condition and the original first state dust jacket is a lovely example without the usual splits and significant loss.
A beautiful first state copy, the dust jacket is a true example of the first impression without reviews to the rear flap. This example has the signature '4' on pp.49 with the closed gap and "Men" on pp.281. First state dust jacket with the three titles for the The Lord of the Rings without the reviews printed below. The first state dust jacket is notably scarce.
-------------------
Size: 150 x 229 mm (approx.)
Condition:
[(3), 2pp, t.p., 1ff, 2ff, contents leaf, 1ff, 19-416, foldout map, (1)]
Binding in excellent condition, cloth bright and without stains. Fresh without rubbing, minor bumps to extremities of the spine as typical. Boards securely attached without wear to joints. Hinges uncracked, secure. Gilt on spine without fault. Top page edge coloured red contemporaneously as with all copies, minor loss to the red colour. Binding straight and not cocked and stands straight without shelf lean. Collated as complete including the foldout map and original blanks. Minor toning to endpapers commensurate with the dust jacket as typical. Ownership inscription of Sheila M. Leech to head of front free endpaper recto in neat small blue ink, probably contemporary. Exceptionally clean throughout the text, no foxing, etc. A near fine to fine example as it pertains to the book itself.
Dust jacket structurally secure without splits to the joints as with most extant copies. Verso near fine. Small chips to the extremities of the spine panel, but significantly better than typically encountered. Spine panel toned as often but with the full text easily legible. Generally brighter than the typical copy. Mild toning to extremities as typical. Minor staining to foot of rear panel not obscuring any text. Flaps in excellent condition, near fine, with some mild creasing and toning to the top 3-4mm as typical. Some scuffs to right hand side of front panel, non-intrusive, see photos. A very good example of the scarce first state dust jacket.
