By Trotter
Shirrif (Moderator)

10 signed items for sale at Bloomsbury Auctions

8 Nov, 2014 (edited)
2014-11-8 9:47:34 AM UTC

London Auction on the 13th November

The item below appears to have some issues.

Autograph Poem, 2pp. on both sides of personalised postcard, numerous notes on verso, 140 x 88mm., n.d. [c.1925-1960], by the dates and events reference on the verso, the notes were written over a period of time, Tolkien's hand and the ink used noticeably change during this time, the poem begins " Aredhel went forth in blossom white" and appears to be unpublished, the notes on the verso are largely in connection with Tolkien's day-to-day life, some browning .

http://www.bloomsburyauctions.com/cms/pages/lot/36158/445

The Hobbit, tenth impression, signed presentation inscription from the author to front endpaper, colour frontispiece, illustrations, map endpapers, original pictorial boards, dust-jacket, spine browned, spine ends and corners a little chipped, a little creased at head and foot, scuffing to upper panel, 8vo, 1958.

http://www.bloomsburyauctions.com/cms/pages/lot/36158/447

The Lord of the Rings, 3 vol., vol.1 twelfth impression, vol.2 eighth impression, vol.3 ninth impression, signed presentation inscription from the author to front endpaper, folding maps, tape-marks to endpapers, original cloth, dust-jackets laminated, spines slightly browned, 1961-62; and a copy of the Silmarilion, 8vo (4)

http://www.bloomsburyauctions.com/cms/pages/lot/36158/448

The Adventures of Tom Bombadil, second impression, signed by the author on half-title, original pictorial boards, dust-jacket, some light rubbing to head and foot, otherwise excellent, 8vo, 1962.

http://www.bloomsburyauctions.com/cms/pages/lot/36158/449

Smith of Wootton Major, first edition, signed by the author on front free endpaper, illustrations by Pauline Baynes, original pictorial boards, spine slightly faded, extremities a little rubbed, 12mo, 1967.

http://www.bloomsburyauctions.com/cms/pages/lot/36158/450

The Road Goes Ever On, a Song Cycle, music by Donald Swann, first edition, signed by the author on front endpaper, spotting to endpapers, original boards, some light spotting, dust-jacket, light tape-marks to verso, some light creasing to head and foot, but a near-fine example overall, 1968; and an L.P. of Songs and Poems of Middle Earth, 4to (2)

http://www.bloomsburyauctions.com/cms/pages/lot/36158/451

Tree and Leaf, paperback edition, fourth impression, signed presentation inscription from the author with additional signature to title, original pictorial wrappers, a little rubbed, 1970; and 2 others by the same, 8vo (3)

http://www.bloomsburyauctions.com/cms/pages/lot/36158/452

Autograph Note signed to Fay Darrington, 1p., 8vo, n.p, 16th November, 1971, thanking her for her letter, returning two books signed and sending her a copy of the new Hobbit map poster.

http://www.bloomsburyauctions.com/cms/pages/lot/36158/453

Autograph Letter signed to Fay Darrington, 1p. & envelope, 8vo, Hotel Miramar, Bournemouth, 16th February, 1972, thanking her for her letter "the warmth of your gratitude and your delight in my books" and discussing "the sad business of breaking up my library and house & selling my house", folds, a few small spots.

http://www.bloomsburyauctions.com/cms/pages/lot/36158/454

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Trotter

8 Nov, 2014 (edited)
2014-11-8 1:48:59 PM UTC

Love the fact that Tolkien still did the Football (don't like using this word, but "soccer" for US members) Pools

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Football_pool

and he was very keen on getting "more paper!!", mentions it twice.

I am very pleased to see that he is reminding himself to remember his daughter's birthday (18th June), and it also allows for a year for the card, Monday the 18th June happened in 1956, 1962 and 1973.

Most of the other items are from the 1970's in the auction, so I am guessing 1973 as the date, but that is incorrect as he states to ask Edith about items, sadly Edith died in 1971.

Please note that I have been advised that this card may have issues, and could be fraudulent on another forum

http://www.lotrplaza.com/showthread.p ... -Tolkien-Poem-please-help

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Jlong

8 Nov, 2014
2014-11-8 8:18:04 PM UTC

I think that postcard needs to be pulled.

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Stu

8 Nov, 2014
2014-11-8 8:21:15 PM UTC

It is as well that Findegil (and others) have done such an extensive job of documenting Tolkien, or I fear this kind of "previously undiscovered" material would be popping up far more often. Hopefully there aren't too many slipping through the net (although there must be some).

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Trotter

10 Nov, 2014
2014-11-10 10:35:24 PM UTC

The Postcard has been removed from the auction.

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Trotter

13 Nov, 2014
2014-11-13 5:00:17 PM UTC

The Hobbit, tenth impression, signed presentation inscription from the author to front endpaper, colour frontispiece, illustrations, map endpapers, original pictorial boards, dust-jacket, spine browned, spine ends and corners a little chipped, a little creased at head and foot, scuffing to upper panel, 8vo, 1958.

http://www.bloomsburyauctions.com/cms/pages/lot/36158/447

Sold for £3500

The Lord of the Rings, 3 vol., vol.1 twelfth impression, vol.2 eighth impression, vol.3 ninth impression, signed presentation inscription from the author to front endpaper, folding maps, tape-marks to endpapers, original cloth, dust-jackets laminated, spines slightly browned, 1961-62; and a copy of the Silmarilion, 8vo (4)

http://www.bloomsburyauctions.com/cms/pages/lot/36158/448

Sold for £2800

The Adventures of Tom Bombadil, second impression, signed by the author on half-title, original pictorial boards, dust-jacket, some light rubbing to head and foot, otherwise excellent, 8vo, 1962.

http://www.bloomsburyauctions.com/cms/pages/lot/36158/449

Sold for £1400

Smith of Wootton Major, first edition, signed by the author on front free endpaper, illustrations by Pauline Baynes, original pictorial boards, spine slightly faded, extremities a little rubbed, 12mo, 1967.

http://www.bloomsburyauctions.com/cms/pages/lot/36158/450

Sold for £1900

The Road Goes Ever On, a Song Cycle, music by Donald Swann, first edition, signed by the author on front endpaper, spotting to endpapers, original boards, some light spotting, dust-jacket, light tape-marks to verso, some light creasing to head and foot, but a near-fine example overall, 1968; and an L.P. of Songs and Poems of Middle Earth, 4to (2)

http://www.bloomsburyauctions.com/cms/pages/lot/36158/451

Sold for £1700

Tree and Leaf, paperback edition, fourth impression, signed presentation inscription from the author with additional signature to title, original pictorial wrappers, a little rubbed, 1970; and 2 others by the same, 8vo (3)

http://www.bloomsburyauctions.com/cms/pages/lot/36158/452

Sold for £1400

Autograph Note signed to Fay Darrington, 1p., 8vo, n.p, 16th November, 1971, thanking her for her letter, returning two books signed and sending her a copy of the new Hobbit map poster.

http://www.bloomsburyauctions.com/cms/pages/lot/36158/453

Sold for £1800

Autograph Letter signed to Fay Darrington, 1p. & envelope, 8vo, Hotel Miramar, Bournemouth, 16th February, 1972, thanking her for her letter "the warmth of your gratitude and your delight in my books" and discussing "the sad business of breaking up my library and house & selling my house", folds, a few small spots.

http://www.bloomsburyauctions.com/cms/pages/lot/36158/454

Sold for £2400

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DMRoberts

20 June
2024-6-20 7:00:41 AM UTC

Letter link: Letter from J.R.R. Tolkien (forgery) to J.R.R. Tolkien (forgery) • ?1959 (#2257)

(coming from the other thread where this was raised)

I agree that the handwriting looks a bit off, but I'm not an expert!

What I was curious about was the mention of 'Monday 18th June', which would allow us to place what year it was supposed to have been written. In the period that Tolkien was officially a professor at Merton and where the 18th June was a Monday were 1951 and 1956 (it was so in 1945, but Tolkien only started at Merton later in that June). The next one is 1962, and then 1973, too late to "ask Edith". In principle Tolkien might have kept such pieces of paper after he retired, so 1962 isn't wholly unreasonable, even if a stretch.

That the poem refers to Aredhel would put this extremely late, certainly not 1951, when she was definitely called Isfin in texts from that time. And if I'm not reading HoMe wrong, 'Aredhel' as a name dates from the 1970s (post the late re-typing out of 'Of Maeglin'). Anairë as the wife of Fingolfin seemingly dates from 1959, but in the 1970s the name was given to Turgon's wife, Aredhel's sister-in-law. (Christopher Tolkien went back to the 1959 name for the published Silmarillion).

Also claiming that Aredhel was born "in Fingolfin's rule" is hard to make sense of. Is it while he was High King? Much too late! Otherwise it's during the time when Fëanor and Finwë were exiled to Formenos, which is a stretch to call it his 'rule'.

So ignoring all other evidence, like the handwriting, other archives and indexes of letters, the letterhead font on the postcard etc, the content of the text itself seems inconsistent with evidence from Tolkien's writings dated by Christopher and the date written on there. I would guess that whoever forged this was going on the published Silmarillion for information, and not HoMe, either because it wasn't available at the time, or just didn't realise that one would have to actually do proper textual research to make a convincing forgery.

Aside from all that, the poem has very uneven metre, if I trust the partial transcription here), not really up to Tolkien's standards.

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10 signed items for sale at Bloomsbury Auctions

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