JRR Tolkien / Lord of the Rings / Mixed Early Printings / Allen & Unwin 1954-6

The Lord of the Rings Trilogy: The Fellowship of the Rings; The Two Towers; and The Return of the King. Tolkien Title: The Lord of the Rings Trilogy: The Fellowship of the Rings; The Two Towers; and The Return of the King Publication: London: George Allen & Unwin Ltd, 1954.

Description: Very Good / Very Good. London: George Allen & Unwin Ltd, 1954 - 1956. States 2nd, 4th, and 2nd printings, though Fellowship and Two Towers jackets are stated third impressions; possibly a married set.

Three octavo volumes; red cloth boards with spines stamped in gilt; red and maroon topstains. Fold-out maps to rear of each volume. Unclipped dust jackets edgeworn with chipping and toning to edges; tape mending to versos; general rubbing. Boards worn along edges; corners bumped; general scuffing and occasional spotting; notably bowed throughout center.

Spines cocked but bindings sound; endpapers foxed. Still a Good to Very Good set of early printings of one of the most popular and beloved works of the twentieth century. Scholar Tom Shippey believes Tolkien's work more than mere escapism, observing, ...

His continuing appeal rests not on mere charm or strangeness... But on a deeply serious response to what will be seen in the end as the major issues of his century: the origin and nature of evil... Human existence in Middle-Earth, without the support of divine revelation; cultural relativity; and the corruptions and continuities of language. Early printings in dust jackets hard to find. References: Hammond A5 Tom Shippey, J.

Tolkien: Author of the Century. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Company, 2001. Subject: England / English Writers, Fiction, Science Fiction / Fantasy. Capitol Hill Books is a used bookstore located on historic Capitol Hill in Washington DC, with three floors of quality used books, first editions, and rare books.

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