The Lord of the Rings
(English)
The Lord of the Rings (English B), purchased on-line from Golden Treasures on ebay in 2023 (paperback in box [pictured below])
The Lord of the Rings (English B), purchased on-line from Golden Treasures on ebay in 2023 (paperback in box [pictured below])
Tolkien, J.R.R. The Lord of the Rings. Vol. 1, The Fellowship of the Ring. Ballantine Books, 1965.
Tolkien, J.R.R. The Lord of the Rings. Vol. 1, The Fellowship of the Ring. Ballantine Books, 1965.
———. The Lord of the Rings. Vol. 2, The Two Towers. Ballantine Books, 1965.
———. The Lord of the Rings. Vol. 2, The Two Towers. Ballantine Books, 1965.
———. The Lord of the Rings. Vol. 3, The Return of the King. Ballantine Books, 1965.
———. The Lord of the Rings. Vol. 3, The Return of the King. Ballantine Books, 1965.
This set predates ISBN
This set predates ISBN
This set replicates my first LOTR set from the late 1960s that died a natural death in the early 1990s when I lived in Los Angeles. I replaced it with English A (above). I purchased this good set in 2023 off ebay that included a box (which my original set in the '60s did not have). My original set was purchased before 1970, probably in 1967 or 1968, but this particular set has printing dates from the early 1970s. They are close to being the same age as my late first set, but not quite.
This set replicates my first LOTR set from the late 1960s that died a natural death in the early 1990s when I lived in Los Angeles. I replaced it with English A (above). I purchased this good set in 2023 off ebay that included a box (which my original set in the '60s did not have). My original set was purchased before 1970, probably in 1967 or 1968, but this particular set has printing dates from the early 1970s. They are close to being the same age as my late first set, but not quite.
The painting on the box and covers is by Barbara Remington, who had not read the books when she painted it.
The painting on the box and covers is by Barbara Remington, who had not read the books when she painted it.
The Lord of the Rings (English A), purchased in Los Angeles, California in 1992 (hardback)
The Lord of the Rings (English A), purchased in Los Angeles, California in 1992 (hardback)
Tolkien, J.R.R. The Lord of the Rings. Houghton Mifflin Company, 1991. ISBN: 0-395-59511-8
Tolkien, J.R.R. The Lord of the Rings. Houghton Mifflin Company, 1991. ISBN: 0-395-59511-8
This edition is the anniversary edition of the centenary of Tolkien's birth. I bought it to replace my Ballantine set of paperbacks from the early 1970s that had literally fallen apart after several readings over two decades. I remember that I bought it on a book table at a Sears or Montgomery Ward in a Canoga Valley mall. Those are odd places to find books, but it might have been around Christmas when department stores stock all kinds of things that they don't normally sell.
This edition is the anniversary edition of the centenary of Tolkien's birth. I bought it to replace my Ballantine set of paperbacks from the early 1970s that had literally fallen apart after several readings over two decades. I remember that I bought it on a book table at a Sears or Montgomery Ward in a Canoga Valley mall. Those are odd places to find books, but it might have been around Christmas when department stores stock all kinds of things that they don't normally sell.
The Hobbit (English [H]), purchased in a bookstore at some unknown time in the past (hardback in box)
The Hobbit (English [H]), purchased in a bookstore at some unknown time in the past (hardback in box)
Tolkien, J.R.R. The Hobbit, or There and Back Again. Houghton Mifflin Company, 1966. ISBN: 0-395-17711-1
Tolkien, J.R.R. The Hobbit, or There and Back Again. Houghton Mifflin Company, 1966. ISBN: 0-395-17711-1
This is the 50th anniversary edition, so was actually published in 1987 and sold to me sometime after.
This is the 50th anniversary edition, so was actually published in 1987 and sold to me sometime after.
The Silmarillion (English [S]), purchased in a bookstore in Salt Lake City in 1977 (hardback)
The Silmarillion (English [S]), purchased in a bookstore in Salt Lake City in 1977 (hardback)
Tolkien, J.R.R. The Silmarillion. Edited by Christopher Tolkien. Houghton Mifflin Company, 1977. ISBN: 0-395-25730-1
Tolkien, J.R.R. The Silmarillion. Edited by Christopher Tolkien. Houghton Mifflin Company, 1977. ISBN: 0-395-25730-1
I bought this when it first came out back in 1977 and it happens to be a first printing of the first American edition.
I bought this when it first came out back in 1977 and it happens to be a first printing of the first American edition.
Unfinished Tales (English [UT]), purchased in a bookstore in Lawrence, Kansas, in 1980 (hardback)
Unfinished Tales (English [UT]), purchased in a bookstore in Lawrence, Kansas, in 1980 (hardback)
Tolkien, J.R.R. Unfinished Tales. Edited by Christopher Tolkien. Houghton Mifflin Company, 1980. ISBN: 0-395-29917-9
Tolkien, J.R.R. Unfinished Tales. Edited by Christopher Tolkien. Houghton Mifflin Company, 1980. ISBN: 0-395-29917-9