Blank / Dummy Silmarillions

Well, Holford ( ) states the following:

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Printed by Clowes & Sons.

Pre-publication dummy copy. According to a letter seen with one copy, these were distributed to booksellers to solicit pre-publication orders.

Dark blue cloth binding, with blue and white striped headband, dyed blue top edge and dark blue coloured dustwrapper.

Three variants have been seen:

1) With the pages printed up to page 32
2) With the pages printed up to page 35
3) With these pages blank

The copy of Variant 3 seen lacked a dustwrapper.

Most copies come in the unpriced export jacket, but one copy of the 32 page variant has been seen in a priced domestic dustwrapper. Whether this was as issued is uncertain.

Courtesy of Tolkienbooks.net
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So I guess this is pretty much all thats been seen. The priced variant sounds unlikely if it was Clowes (as their jackets were unpriced).

Deagol!? Was the priced copy a Billing copy? Or have all dummy copies (seen) been Clowes 1rst impressions?

As an added point. The presence of only Clowes pre-publication copies (assuming this is the case) adds weight to the argument that Clowes was the main printer employed & that these copies were in production (or in this case pre-production) first.

BH

Thanks for the citation!

Alas I didn't follow it up to find out who the printer was. My suspicion is that the jacket had been added, but it is impossible to be sure.

I have a copy of Variant 1 with an associated letter dated 22 August 1977, just over 3 weeks before publication. The Billing copies would have been in production by then, so I think it is almost certain that Clowes would have produced all the dummy copies.

Yes, yes - very good (one would like a peek at your Silmarillion Collection Deagol... ) - every now & then some other copy (with a pre-publication letter!) is casually mentioned.

Billing would surely have made a dummy/variant copy of some sort though. They would have made one in order to send to GA&U themselves. Much like that very pre(pre)-publication BCA 1978 Silmarillion that came up a while back; with printers/typographers notes on the inside cover etc...

BH

I bought that one

£196 if I recall!

By far the most interesting (from a bibliographical perspective; although haven't seen it) Silmarillion variant to appear on Ebay over the past 3-4 years. (Dummy copies generally don't seem to come up on Ebay that often do they.)

On the subject of Silmarillion's: why on earth are later Folio printings going for so much (I know it was Christmas; & there not that expensive)?? I'm looking for a few of the later impressions; just to examine - but all impressions now seem to be going for £20-50! No bargains seem to be had...

By bargain I mean <£5

BH

It is out of print (I think) so they are getting scarce.
Back in 2000-2001 they sold for silly money until it was reprinted in 2002.

I have been checking up on Variant 3 of the Silmarillion dummy. It has no jacket, but it does have the 'Realms of the Noldor and Sindar' map on the left hand side page, so is likely to be a Clowes book rather than a Billing copy.

(Deagol) You say its likely to be a Clowes book rather than a Billing copy; I take it it doesn't have a copyright page then?

My confusion around the Folio prices is simply over the prices paid for later impressions, when the 1997 1rst impression comes up (probably) more frequently. There seems to be (at present) no graduation in prices through the impressions (with the highest prices being realised for 1rst impressions). Buyers seem to be paying £20-25+ for any impression; which shows an alarming disregard for collecting etiquette ( )

BH

Deagol, I'm confused - why does the presence of a map make it more likely to be a Clowes copy?