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This is First Edition (UK, Allen and Unwin) in three volumes of J.R.R. Tolkien's masterpiece, The Lord of the Rings. Excellent condition, in the original publisher's slipcase. The Fellowship of the Ring is First Edition, 12th Impression; The Two Towers and The Return of the King are both First Edition, 9th Impression. It was common for the three volumes, when sold within the same slipcase at the same time, to have different Impression numbers. I believe this was simply because The Fellowship of the Ring initially outsold the other two volumes. (If you browse through the offerings at The Tolkien Library Store, you will see that this combination of different Impression numbers is quite usual and doesn't detract from a set's collectibility.)
The red cloth boards are near perfect with no bruising of the corners and hardly any wear to the tops and bottoms of the spine. The red cloth has a like-new brightness. All bindings are tight and uniform. The fronts and backs and flyleaves of the dustjackets are crisp and near perfect. The front of the dustjacket of The Fellowship of the Ring has a small wrinkle and tear on the lower right edge (see photo). The top of the spine of the dustjacket of The Two Towers has a minor bruise (see photo). On the pages there is no foxing and no discolouration from finger-marks, etc. The books have obviously been carefully and infrequently handled and, as I have known personally the original owner since 1963, I can affirm that for about 45 years the volumes have sat within their original slipcase in a cosy home on the upper shelf of a Tasmanian Blackwood bookcase tucked away between other books of high scholastic merit.
The pages are crisp and perfectly white. Perhaps half a dozen pages, no more than that, have minor creases (see photo for the worst of these - the last page of The Two Towers). The spines of the dustjackets have some age discolouration, patches of light wear wear, and a couple of stains.
The front edges of the sides of the slipcase have some wear and the top front left corner of the slipcase has a bruise. The maps are attached and in perfect condition. The sides and back of the slipcase are in fairly good condition with no discolouration. On the inside of the cover of each book is the inscription: 'To Elizabeth, a happy birthday, July, 1963'.
Some polls have placed J.R.R. Tolkien at the top of the list of the most influential writers of the century; and First Editions of The Lord of the Rings are certainly among the most collectible books of the last fifty years. Fine copies of LOTR have appreciated rapidly in recent years, especially since the success of the recent trilogy of talking pictures.
The most I have ever paid for a collectible item in an Ebay auction was US$1,175. This was a few months ago when I bought an extremely rare and highly sought-after pair of 47-year-old hi-fi loudspeakers. If I had seen the items for sale in a shop with a US$1,175 price tag I would probably have have hummed and hawed and been too scared to hand over the money in case the asking price was far above the 'real' value. This is why Ebay auctions are a perfect and brilliantly successful way of buying collectibles: the buyer knows with perfect confidence the the price he pays is the market value because at lease one other person, and perhaps several other bidders, have offered just a few dollars less. Moreover, when you buy a collectible at an Ebay auction, you have a proven means of on-selling your item and you even inherit the wordings and pictures that can be used again, if you choose. I know practically for certain that one day I will be able to sell my collectible loudspeakers on Ebay for more than I paid for them, and I know exactly how I will sell them. Its the same with The Lord of the Rings: if you win the bidding, whatever you pay for them, you will have paid what is by definition the perfect market price and one day you'll almost certainly be able to sell them for more - and in the meantime you'll have the pride and thrill of owning a superb example of one of the greatest books of the century.
I suggest you do some searching around the internet for Tolkien First Edition prices - have look at the store at tolkienlibrary.com.
Postage (7 - 10 day delivery) including insurance to anywhere in the world will be free. The only proviso is that Australia Post must offer insurance to your country: if in doubt, please ask me about this point.
Please have a look at my store and my other other auction items. I have some more interesting collectible Tolkieniana including a rare vinyl LP record of Tolkiens's own voice reading from The Lord of the Rings and a beautiful boxed limited edition presentation of the BBCs masterful radio dramatisation of The Lord of the Rings.
Please write to me with any questions or if you wish to see any more pictures.
Please read my excellent feedback and bid confidently.
Thanks for your interest, and good luck if you decide to bid !
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