FELLOWSHIP OF THE RING: BEING THE FIRST PART OF THE LORD OF THE RINGS by TOLKIEN, J. R. R - 1954

1954. TOLKIEN, J. R. R. THE FELLOWSHIP OF THE RING: BEING THE FIRST PART OF THE LORD OF THE RINGS. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Company, [and] The Riverside Press, Cambridge, 1954. First American edition, Hammond & Anderson A5b.i, one of 1,500 copies bound in the United States with first edition sheets imported from Allen & Unwin. Typeset as the British first edition (Hammond & Anderson A5a.i) except for pages [3] & [4], the title leaf, now with the Houghton Mifflin imprint on recto and `Printed in Great Britain' on verso, and [424], where the Allen & Unwin publisher's device has been removed and is now blank. 423 pp., + [1] blank page. Tipped-in folding map of Middle Earth at rear. 8vo., blue cloth stamped in gilt to spine and upper board, top edge stained yellow. The gilt has dulled; the upper board has some damp spotting; both hinges are cracked. A good copy overall but fine internally. In a dust-soiled, illustrated dust jacket with detached front panel and a couple of holes/tears to rear panel, and some edge-chipping and nicks, particularly at spine. .