Relatively new here, good to receive the feedback to keep my buying grounded. Have only recently started to increase my collection volume.

I bought this edition for the book, (I have a 2nd with good box, so planning to do a switcheroo between the sets).

Also, re:the hobbit above, being in Oz, I found the local price not too different when factoring the overseas shipping costs. Still, new to it, so appreciate the guidance.

Just an FYI, the box is made of different materials between the 1st and 2nd prints. Textured paper and covered vinyl. Also nice organized shelves there.

Mr. Underhill wrote:

Just an FYI, the box is made of different materials between the 1st and 2nd prints. Textured paper and covered vinyl. Also nice organized shelves there.

I think there are multiple paper types used, actually. My first impression box is not the same as the one in the listing. I imagine it is the usual story where they used up boxes between impressions

Hmmm, interesting...I wonder which 1st variant is more common then? A&U must have printed more books than boxes in the initial print run and then made more boxes as they went along.

Nice clean box there. The 79 set I have is this one, from ebay a few months ago. Padding out the different editions slowly.

Mr. Underhill wrote:

Hmmm, interesting...I wonder which 1st variant is more common then? A&U must have printed more books than boxes in the initial print run and then made more boxes as they went along.

Yeah, who knows? The boxes probably would have also been shared with the LoTR, as the only difference is the label, so could be a few variations out there, potentially.

My box appears essentially identical to Poems and Stories' box, other than the paper fake grain is running at a slightly different angle. I'd say totally the same materials.