Lord of the Rings ACE Paperback Set

$795.00
By Moons Rare Books

6b J. R. R. Tolkien. New York: Ace Books, Inc. 1965.

Notes

In 1965, Ace Books exploited a loophole in U.S. copyright law to publish the first-ever paperback edition of the Lord of the Rings trilogy without the J. R. R. Tolkiens permission. At the time, American law required foreign-printed books to be manufactured domestically to maintain full copyright protection; because the original U.S. hardcovers used pages printed in the UK, Ace's editor argued the work had fallen into the public domain. Despite Tolkien's initial distaste for the "degenerate" paperback format, this unauthorized release sparked a fierce "War over Middle-earth." Tolkien personally mobilized his growing American fanbase to boycott the "pirated" editions, famously informing readers that Ace was "not so much a publisher as a pirate."

To get the historic, unauthorized Ace Books editions onto shelves ahead of the competition, legendary science fiction illustrator Jack Gaughan famously painted all three covers in a single, frantic weekend. Because he did not have time to read the books, Gaughan sat with renowned fantasy author and critic Lin Carter, who literally talked him through the plot, imagery, and atmosphere while Gaughan painted furiously. The resulting covers were not a single connected mural, but rather three distinct, striking compositions utilizing a bold, ominous, mid-century sci-fi/medieval aesthetic. Marked by flat colors, stylized hand-lettering, and a vivid, pulpy palette, the art brought an aggressive, retro energy to Middle-earth. While containing infamous textual inaccuracies—such as depicting the Ringwraiths' steeds as stylized, bat-winged Pegasus creatures—Gaughan's raw, iconic imagery captured the imagination of the 1960s counterculture and remains fiercely prized by Tolkien collectors today for its historic role in launching the American paperback fantasy boom.
To directly combat the unauthorized Ace printing, Tolkien collaborated with Ballantine Books to rush out the first authorized American paperbacks, featuring a prominent, boxed statement from the author on the back covers that read: "This paperback edition, and no other, has my complete co-operation and is further amended by me. Non-authorized reprints have been published by a firm which has no right to these books. Please buy no other." While the front covers featured Barbara Remington’s famous, surrealist "triptych" mural—which a rushed Remington painted also without reading the books, leading to an annoyed Tolkien complaining about its inclusion of a lion and bizarre emu-like birds—it was this back-cover call to arms that truly defined the release. Tolkien’s explicit plea ignited a massive grassroots campaign among his fiercely loyal American fans, who successfully picketed bookstores, organized boycotts, and wrote protest letters that ultimately forced Ace Books to cease publication, cementing the Ballantine paperbacks as a monumental triumph for authorial rights in publishing history.
Description

Three volume paperbacks in red, yellow, and blue. Minimal wear. Some slight creasing to the spine of The Two Towers. Ink stamped numbers on the lower edge of The Return of the King and corner of preliminary page torn- no obstruction to text. Sharp points and very clean set overall. Very good condition.
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