5RR; 1957 - 1958; J.R.R. Tolkien; Signed 3 Volume First edition set - RARE
Tolkien, J.R.R. – The Lord of the Rings Trilogy. London: George Allen & Unwin, 1957-1958. First Edition, Mixed Printings; All 3 vols signed. A first edition set of Tolkien's seminal work, comprising The Fellowship of the Ring (7th impression, with a later dust jacket), The Two Towers (5th impression), and The Return of the King (4th impression). Signed by Tolkien in blue ballpoint pen on the first endpaper of each volume. The Fellowship of the Ring features a later state jacket; the other volumes retain their original jackets. An exceptional example of this iconic trilogy, foundational in modern fantasy literature. Highly desirable for collectors of Tolkien and 20th-century literature. An extremely rare copy to own; as 3 volume sets with each book signed by Tolkien is very difficult to find. This particular copy was signed by Tolkien at the request of one of his students.
The Fellowship of The Ring: Original red cloth board binding. One inch blue paint on the right side of spine, which bleeds onto the lower lefthand corner of the front cover. Blue paint stain also on the top of the spine, overlapping with the original gilt title embossing. Slight wear on the bottom and top of spine. Some darkening fading on the spine. Slight foxing throughout. Signed by Tolkien in blue ballpoint pen on the first endpaper
The Two Towers: Original red cloth board binding. Seven blue paint spots on the spine. Some darkening fading on the spine as well. Very slight foxing on the end papers and throughout. Signed by Tolkien in blue ballpoint pen on the first endpaper. Jacket has tan spot on cover, overlapping with the author's printed name and a very small black spot to the bottom right of the printed title. Tan fading to the jacket spine with some wear to the top and bottom edges. Very slight wear along spine lines.
The Return of the King: Original red cloth board binding. Blue paint spot on the lower, middle, and top right corner of the spine. Some darkening fading on the spine. Very slight foxing on the end papers and throughout. Signed by Tolkien in blue ballpoint pen on the first endpaper. Jacket has small quarter inch tear on top left corner of cover. Spine has wear on top and bottom of spine, with a very small section of the bottom spine jacket paper missing. Slight wear on cover corners. Light tan coloring around spine corners.
