Thank you for your reply Khamûl ! :)
Yes absolutely, ffep on a Billing and sons.

Unless there's other provenance (e.g. Marquette or Centenary) then probably (possibly) a 1977 "employee" copy.

Thanks again for your insight Khamûl; I have asked to the seller, he told me that the copy was belonging to his father. He believed the copy was signed in the Hertfordshire. He doesn't have any more info (I asked him if his father was working for GA&U or someone he knew, waiting for the reply).
As of now, there is no mention of Marquette. I'm not aware of Centenary, what is it?

Sorry just understood, CT at Centenary conference....

Just to my personal knowledge, does anyone know where was located Georges Allen & Unwin office in the late 70's?

Museum Street, 40 I think off the top of my head.

that's right - Ruskin House, no. 40, Museum St. I used to pop in there during the early-mid 80s, whenever my job tookme to that part of London.

garm wrote:

that's right - Ruskin House, no. 40, Museum St. I used to pop in there during the early-mid 80s, whenever my job tookme to that part of London.

Thank you for the info. :)

For some of you who own copies of a 1st Silm (employee's copy) with a flat signature of CT, I would be curious to see the signed f.f.e.p., just to have a look, if you don't mind
Many thanks

Emilien wrote:

garm wrote:

that's right - Ruskin House, no. 40, Museum St. I used to pop in there during the early-mid 80s, whenever my job tookme to that part of London.

Thank you for the info. :)

For some of you who own copies of a 1st Silm (employee's copy) with a flat signature of CT, I would be curious to see the signed f.f.e.p., just to have a look, if you don't mind
Many thanks

See pg. 1 of this thread for one of mine. The other copy is the same. TolkienLibrary has images of about three currently (not sure if these are for sale or just achive) online. They all look very much alike. These "employee" (1977) copies that is. Speculation is my own.