Tolkien, J.R.R. THE SILMARILLION. London: George Allen & Unwin, 1977. 1st edition. With “First published in 1977” printed at the top of the copyright page, which indicates that this is the correct 1st edition, 1st printing. With all of the correct 1st issue points: (1) printed . . . by “William Clowes & Sons, Limited” at the bottom of the copyright page; (2) map with red ink titles facing page 121; (3) without a period (full stop) after “Feanor” on page 330, line 4; (4) with “Lord of the Waters and King of the Sea” in italics on page 352, line 39; (5) with tipped in fold-out map at rear with red ink titles. Also, in the export dust jacket without a price on the flap of the dust jacket, which preceded the British edition, which did have a price on the flap. This is NOT a book-club book. This is NOT an ex-library book. Buyer beware: There were several later printings of THE SILMARILLION that were published in this exact hardcover format and also in similar, but slightly different, formats. This is the real deal: the true 1st edition, 1st printing, the export issue. SCROLL DOWN THIS PAGE IMMEDIATELY TO SEE THE CONDITION OF THIS BOOK AND THIS DUST JACKET. J.R.R. Tolkien was born in 1892 in Bloemfontein in the Orange Free State (now Free State Province in South Africa). He died at age 81 in 1973 and was buried with his wife, who had died 21 months earlier. He was an English writer, poet, philologist, and university professor, who is best known for authoring THE HOBBIT and THE LORD OF THE RINGS. At one time Tolkien was good friends with the famous C.S. Lewis. While others had published fantasy fiction before Tolkien, his great success with THE HOBBIT and with THE LORD OF THE RINGS led to a popular resurgence of the fantasy genre. He has been called the father of modern high fantasy literature. J.R.R. Tolkien was a keen student, a fast reader, and a fluent writer at a young age. He was taught (and stayed interested) in botany, adventure fiction, and languages (and the structures of languages). When England became directly involved in World War I, Tolkien entered a program wherein he could delay enlisting until he finished his degree in July of 1915. He was commissioned at a Second Lieutenant in the Lancashire Fusiliers. In letters to his wife Edith, he wrote of “junior officers being killed off, a dozen a minute. Parting from my wife then . . . it was like a death.” Because of the enormous amounts of lice that lived in the trenches, Tolkien came down with trench fever and was invalided to England. Many of his dearest school friend were killed in World War I. According to John Garth: “Although Kitchener’s army enshrined old social boundaries, it also chipped away at the class divide by throwing men from all walks of life into a desperate situation together. Tolkien write that the experience taught him ‘a deep sympathy and feeling for the Tommy; especially the plain soldier from the agricultural counties.’ He remained profoundly grateful for the lesson. For a long time, he had been imprisoned in a tower, not of pearl, but of ivory.” When Tolkien recovered (to a degree), he was stationed as various camps to do home service. While he was stationed at Kingston upon Hull, he and Edith went walking in the woods in Roos, and Tolkien remembered, after Edith’s death: “ . . . I never called Edith Luthien -- but she was the source of the story that in time became the chief part of the Silmarillion . . . In those days her hair was raven, her skin clear, her eyes brighter than you have seen the, and she could sing -- and dance . . . . “ In 1920 Tolkien took up a post as Reader in English Language at the University of Leeds, and became the youngest professor there. While at Leeds, he produced A MIDDLE ENGLISH VOCABULARY and a definitive edition of SIR GAWAIN AND THE GREEN KNIGHT with E.V. Gordon, both becoming academic standard works for several decades. In 1925 he returned to Oxford as Rawlinson and Bosworth Professor of Anglo-Saxon with a fellowship at Pembroke College. During his time at Pembroke he wrote THE HOBBIT and the first two volumes of THE LORD OF THE RINGS. Tolkien’s 1936 lecture “Beowulf: The Monsters and the Critics” had a lasting influence on Beowulf research. The article Tolkien wrote about Beowulf is “widely regarded as a turning point in Beowulfian criticism.” In class, Tolkien would come silently into the room, fix the audience with his gaze, and suddenly begin to speak in a resounding voice the opening lines of the the poem in the original Anglo-Saxon. It was a dramatic performance and it impressed generations of students because it brought home to them that Beowulf was not just a set text to be read for the purposes of examination, but a powerful piece of dramatic poetry. Decades later, W.H. Auden wrote to his former professor: “I don’t think that I have ever told you what an unforgettable experience it was for me as an undergraduate, hearing you recite Beowulf. The voice was the voice of Gandalf [!!!!!!!].” Later, in 1945, Tolkien moved to Merton College, Oxford, becoming the Merton Professor of English Language and Literature where he remained until his retirement in 1959. Tolkien had finished THE LORD OF THE RINGS in 1948. From Tolkien’s retirement in 1959 through his death in 1973 he received steadily increasing public attention and literary fame. J.R.R. Tolkien never expected his stories to become popular, but by sheer accident a book called THE HOBBIT, which he had written some years before for his own children, came in 1936 to the attention of Susan Dagnall, an employee of the London publishing firm George Allen & Unwin, who persuaded Tolkien to submit it for publication. However, the book attracted adult readers as well as children, and became popular enough for the publishers to ask Tolkien to produce a sequel. The request for a sequel prompted to continue his work on THE LORD OF THE RINGS and for the three volumes to be published in 1954-1955. Tolkien first intended THE LORD OF THE RINGS to be a children’s tale in the style of THE HOBBIT, but it quickly became darker and more serious in the writing. THE LORD OF THE RINGS became immensely popular in the 1960’s and has remained so ever since. From the dust jacket flap: “ . . . THE SILMARILLION is the central stock of J.R.R. Tolkien’s imaginative writing, a work that he could not publish in his lifetime because it grew with him. Its origins stretch back sixty years, long before THE HOBBIT, which was independently conceived but was caught up into what he called the ‘branching acquisitive theme’ from which finally emerged ‘The Lord of the Rings’ . . . THE SILMARILLION, though published last and posthumously, has the primacy, both in terms of the author’s life and in terms of its content. It is the story of the First Age in Tolkien’s world, the ancient drama to which characters in ‘The Lord of the Rings’ look back, and in whose events some of them, such as Elrond and Galadriel, took part . . . The three Silmarils were jewels created by Feanor, most gifted of the Elves. Within them was imprisoned the Light of the Two Trees of Valinor before the Trees themselves were destroyed by Morgoth, the first Dark Lord. Thereafter the unsullied Light of Valinor lived by Morgoth and set in his crown, guarded in the impenetrable fortress of Angband in the north of Middle-earth. THE SILMARILLION is the history of the rebellion of Feanor and his kindred against the gods, their exile from Valinor and return to Middle-earth, and their war, hopeless despite all their heroism, against the great Enemy . . . The book includes several other shorter works besides THE SILMARILLION proper. Preceding it are the ‘Ainulindale’ or Music of the Ainur a myth of the Creation, and the ‘Valaquenta,’ in which the nature and powers of each of the gods are set forth. After THE SILMARILLION is the Akallabeth, in which is recounted the downfall of the great island kingdom of Numenor at the end of the Second Age; and at the end is the tale of ‘Of the Rings of Power,’ in which the matter of the ‘Lord of the Rings’ is treated in the manner of THE SILMARILLION . . . THE SILMARILLION is not a romance, not a fairy story, not a fictitious history contrived for its own sake. It is a work of unparalleled and sustained imagination, a sombre vision in the mode of myth and legend of the conflict between the desire to dominate the world and other wills and the creative power that proceeds fro the development of inherent inner talents. The corruption of Feanor, the creator of supreme beauty, by the deceits of Morgoth and by his own possessive passion for the things of his making, and the fruits of that corruption, is one of its central themes . . . THE SILMARILLION has been edited and prepared for publication from many manuscripts by the author’s son, Christopher Tolkien . . . “ Some of the awards and award nominations that J.R.R. Tolkien has been honored with: 1957: THE LORD OF THE RINGS. International Fantasy Award winner for Best Fantasy Fiction. 1966: THE LORD OF THE RINGS. Hugo Award winner for Best All-Time Series. 1973: J.R.R. Tolkien is honored by being named a Gandalf Award Grand Master of Fantasy Fiction. 1977: THE SILMARILLION. Locus Award winner for Best Fantasy Novel. 1977: THE SILMARILLION. Ditmar Award winner for Best International Fiction. 1977: THE SILMARILLION. Gandalf Award winner for Best Book-Length Fantasy. 1978: J.R.R. Tolkien is honored by being named a Balrog Award co-winner Professional Achievement. 1980: UNFINISHED TALES. (by J.R.R. Tolkien; edited by Christopher Tolkien). Locus Award nominee for Best Single Author Collection. 1980: UNFINISHED TALES. (by J.R.R. Tolkien; edited by Christopher Tolkien). Mythopoeic Award winner for Best Fantasy. 1980: UNFINISHED TALES. (by J.R.R. Tolkien; edited by Christopher Tolkien). Balrog Award winner for Best Collection/Anthology. 1984: THE BOOK OF LOST TALES. Mythopoeic Award nominee for Best Fantasy. 1988: J.R.R. Tolkien is honored by being named 36th Best in the Interzone Poll All-Time Best Science Fiction [and Fantasy] Author Poll. 1988: THE RETURN OF THE SHADOW. (by J.R.R. Tolkien; edited by Chrisopher Tolkien). Mythopoeic Award winner for Scholarship/ Inkling. 1991: THE LORD OF THE RINGS. (by J.R.R. Tolkien; illustrated by Alan Lee). Locus Award nominee for Best Nonfiction. 1998: ROVERANDOM. (by J.R.R. Tolkien; edited by Wayne G. Hammond and Christina Scull). Mythopoeic Award nominee for Inkling Studies. 2002: J.R.R. Tolkien is honored by being named a Phantastik Award winner for International Writing. 2002: BEWULF AND THE CRITICS. (by J.R.R. Tolkien; edited by Michael D.C. Drout). Mythopoeic Award winner for Best Inklings Studies. 2007: THE CHILDREN OF HERIN. Phantastik Award nominee for Best Foreign Novel. 2008: J.R.R. Tolkien is honored by being ranked sixth on a list of “The Greatest British Writers Since 1945.” 2009: THE LORD OF THE RINGS. Prometheus Award winner for being inducted into the Prometheus Award Hall of Fame. J.R.R. Tolkien is widely regarded as the greatest fantasy fiction writer of all time and THE SILMARILLION is the basis for much of his fantasy fiction (including THE HOBBIT and THE LORD OF THE RINGS). ___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ I grade books and dust jackets: fine, near fine, very good, good, fair, and poor. I describe all faults. If you sell books on EBAY (or anywhere else), it is de rigueur not to list 1st printings of book club books as 1st editions (unless they ARE the 1st edition, which occurs only occasionally); also, a 1st edition, 7th printing, is not a 1st edition. Ex-library books must be noted as such since generally they are of little value to the collector of 1st editions. Condition is also very important to those collectors. Books and dust jackets must be described in detail. In other words, it is incumbent upon the SELLER to know what is and is not a 1st edition. Mistakes can be made (and corrected), of course, but if you DON'T KNOW, don't try to sell a book as a 1st edition. ___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ CONDITION: A FINE book in a FINE dust jacket. The book is tight and square in its dark blue full-cloth binding with bright gilt lettering on the spine of the book. The dark blue publisher’s topstain is virtually unmarred. The correct black-and-red ink map is firmly attached to page [367]. This is the 1st state of the book with no period after “Feanor” on page 330, line 4 and with “and” in italics on page 352, line 39. There is no writing in the book; no bookplates; no remainder marks. The dust jacket is not clipped and is the correct 1st issue export dust jacket with no price printed on the flap. There are no chips, no tears, and no wrinkles to the dust jacket. One of the best attributes that this copy of THE SILMARILLION has is that the dust jacket lettering on the spine is not faded, which is very unusual. The emblems on the front and rear panels of the dust jacket are the artwork of J.R.R. Tolkien himself. This is a very, very nice and collectible copy of THE SILMARILLION; it would be difficult to find a nicer copy. A must for the collector of modern fantasy fiction 1st editions and/or the collector of J.R.R. Tolkien 1st editions. ___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Additional photos are available upon request. I am continuing to list some of my best books (especially science fiction, fantasy, and horror 1st editions) on EBAY not so much as auctions (due to the fact that EBAY charges quite a bit to list items for reserve auctions), but more along the lines of listing my "catalogue" of books that I have for sale. I'm not going to "give" these books away, but my opening bids and Buy-It-Now prices are usually a fair amount below market value. Furthermore, however, for certain scarce books in great condition, I do expect to get close to what they're worth. Stay with me; I always have a number of important, collectible, cornerstone science fiction, fantasy, and horror 1st editions listed. Many thanks! All items are listed for sale elsewhere; I reserve the right to end a listing early. ___________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Note: I own the following two books: Leckie, Anne. ANCILLARY JUSTICE. Subterranean Press, 2014. 1st limited edition. (#2/500). Leckie, Anne. ANCILLARY MERCY. Subterranean Press, 2016. 1st limited edition. (#2/500). I am looking for: Leckie, Anne. ANCILLARY SWORD. Subterranean Press, 2015. 1st limited edition. (#2/500). I would like to round out this set by acquiring the #2/500 copy of ANCILLARY SWORD. If anyone has this copy and is willing to sell it on EBAY, I would be highly interested in obtaining it so that all my copies would have matching numbers. Many thanks. __________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Contact me if you're looking for a particular title or titles. I have thousands of books for sale that may or may not show up in my EBAY listings. I am happy to set up flexible PAYMENT and/or HOLD PLANS for any book(s) that you bid on and win.
 
Shipping: $4.00 for USPS Media Mail shipping. $10.00 for USPS Priority Mail shipping. Buyers who wish to have packages sent to addresses outside of the U.S. are required to pay for the postage necessary to send such packages. Please note: if you want something other than USPS Media Mail shipping, you must wait for me to send you an EBAY invoice or if you are a buyer outside of the United States, you must wait for me to send you an EBAY invoice. You must be willing to pay for non-USPS Media Mail shipping charges or for international shipping charges. I reserve the right to negate a purchase if you are unwilling to pay for the correct shipping charges either to an address in the U.S. or if international shipping is required. I am happy to set up flexible payment and layaway plans if these options make it easier for you to participate in bidding and winning. Please e-mail me if you have any questions. See my other auctions on EBAY for excellent science fiction, fantasy, and horror 1st editions (and a few other items). I specialize in science fiction, fantasy, and horror 1st editions: award winners, cornerstone books, and generally recognized important books in the genre(s). I GUARANTEE THE CONDITION OF THIS BOOK; IF YOU DON'T LIKE IT, SEND IT BACK! If you prefer payment methods other than PayPal (as I do), I am happy to arrange for a different payment method for you.

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OTIUM SINE LITTERIS MORS EST ET HOMINIS VIVI SEPULTURA.