THE HOBBIT, or There and Back Again. by TOLKIEN, J. R. R.:

London: George Allen and Unwin. 1937. First edition, first printing. First edition, first printing. Publisher's original green cloth with dark blue titles and wraparound illustration to the boards and spine, in the author illustrated dustwrapper. Top edge reen. Endpaper maps, frontispiece and 9 other black and white illustrations by the author. An excellent near fine copy, the binding firm and the cloth bright and fresh. The spine is just a touch rolled and the green top-stain has faded. The contents, with a small ink name to the blank front endpaper are otherwise clean and bright throughout. Complete with the wonderful author illustrated, price-clipped dustwrapper that is toned to the spine and flap edges, with a touch of spotting to the white of the panels and some expert restoration to a few small chips at the spine tips and fold corners. The rear flap with the hand correction to "Dodgeson", as called for and present only on the first printing. An attractive example. A major high spot of fantasy fiction, the first printing was published on 21st September 1937 in an edition of only 1500 copies. Tolkien's first novel was an immediate success, selling out within months and a second printing hurriedly issued in December of the same year. The Hobbit has never been out of print, selling over a hundred million copies worldwide with translations in fifty languages. (Bleiler; Hammond and Anderson A3a). Further details and images for any of the items listed are available on request. Lucius Books welcomes direct contact with our customers.