First edition, thus: octavo; hardcover, full buckram cloth with gilt spine rules and titles and upper board decoration, and marbled endpapers; 1,195pp., all edges marbled, with red titles to the title page, another instance of red Elvish text, and two red-embellished maps, one of “A Part of the Shire” and a folding chart of Middle Earth, along with some alphabetical tables and genealogical charts. Minor wear; some buckling to the early pages, as per usual with this stock; some dog-eared pages. No dust wrapper as issued. Near fine in a slightly rubbed slipcase.

First edition: octavo; hardcover, full cloth with gilt spine titles; 253pp. Author’s signature in ink to the title page. Mild wear; spine extremities lightly softened; some light corner-bumping; text block edges toned and top edge mildly dusted; light offset and old tape stains to the endpapers; retailer’s bookplate to the front pastedown; very light spotting to the preliminaries. Price-clipped dustwrapper is a bit rubbed and edgeworn with some minor marks; spine lightly sunned; some light offset and creasing to the flaps. Very good.

Quarto; hardcover, full cloth with gilt spine and upper board titles and decorations, and decorative endpapers; unpaginated, on thick laid paper, with a tipped-in colour frontispiece (with tissue guard), 27 plates likewise, a decorated title page and many other monochrome decorations and illustrations. Moderate wear; a bit shaken; spine cracked; spine a little sunned; text block edges toned and top edge a bit dusted; mild offset to the endpapers; previous owner’s bookplate to the front pastedown; light scattered foxing throughout, mainly to the preliminaries. No dustwrapper. Very good.

Gift Book edition: quarto; hardcover, full red cloth with gilt spine and upper board titles and decorations and decorative endpapers; 326pp., top edges dyed red, with a tipped-in colour frontispiece (with tissue guard), 39 plates likewise and many other monochrome illustrations. Moderate wear; somewhat cocked and a little rolled; lower hinge cracked (but strong); boards somewhat bowed with some mild rubbing and minor insect damage; text block edges toned; mild offset to the endpapers; very light scattered foxing to the preliminaries. No dustwrapper. Very good.