Lord of the Rings Trilogy Set

5b J. R. R. Tolkien. London: George Allen and Unwin, 1961-62. First Editions 12th, 9th, and 8th Impressions.

Notes

The Lord of the Rings is J. R. R. Tolkien’s epic fantasy trilogy—The Fellowship of the Ring, The Two Towers, and The Return of the King—set in the richly imagined world of Middle-earth. The story follows the perilous quest to destroy the One Ring, an object of immense evil forged by the Dark Lord Sauron, whose power threatens to dominate all free peoples. Through the journey of Frodo Baggins and the Fellowship, Tolkien weaves themes of friendship, sacrifice, corruption, and hope, balancing intimate character moments with sweeping battles and ancient histories. Though published as three volumes, the work is a single, continuous narrative with a mythic scope that helped define modern epic fantasy.

Tolkien’s writing is marked by extraordinary depth and care: invented languages with real grammar and history, detailed geographies, and layered mythologies that feel older than the story itself. His prose blends the cadence of ancient legend with moments of warmth and humor, especially in the Shire chapters, while his moral vision emphasizes resilience, humility, and mercy over brute strength. The trilogy’s influence is enormous—shaping fantasy literature, games, films, and worldbuilding practices for generations—and it set a benchmark for secondary worlds that feel coherent, lived-in, and meaningful.

An early impression refers to one of the first printings made from the original typesetting of a book, produced soon after the first edition was issued. In traditional publishing, an impression (also called a printing) means a batch of copies printed at one time using the same plates or type, without substantive changes to the text. Early impressions are valued because they are physically and historically close to the book’s initial release, even if they are not the very first batch. A first edition, by contrast, describes the edition itself—the version of the text as it was first set, edited, and published. As long as the text is not reset or significantly revised, later print runs can still belong to the first edition. The edition remains the same, but the impression number increases as demand requires more printings.

Description 

Original red cloth bindings with gold details on spine of each volume with original dust wrappers in very fine condition. Foxing to the edges. Damp stain to edge of preliminary flyleaf in The Return of the King. Some slight sunfading to spines of dust wrappers. Fold out maps intact at end of text. Fine condition overall.