John Ronald Reuel Tolkien (1942) The Hobbit or There and Back Again , UK first book club edition using the first edition, third impression sheets, published by The Children's Book Club by arrangement with George Allen & Unwin. Condition: bad/ There is a previous owners inscriptions, name in pencil on inside front flysheet but no bookplates, no stamps. The original chrome yellow boards are in a bad way and no longer attached to the book. The lettering on the spine is visible but not exceptionally. The page block has some ragged pages but it is all there. The war economy standard paper used for this edition is preserved but not remarkably well. The original dust jacket is not present.
Publication history: In late 1942 George Allen & Unwin printed 1,500 copies of a third impression and 3,000 copies for the children's book club to be sold by Foyles. The sheets were supplied to Foyles unbound and they were bound in cheaper boards without the dragon design familiar with the regular trade edition. Also, no maps as endpapers were used. As opposed to Tolkien's own beautiful dust jacket, an orange-red wrapper showing a fat, dandified Bilbo. Tolkien loathed the design so much that it was not repeated again and this book club edition has remained an anomaly in the early publication history of the much loved children's book. Since the boards used are much thinner and the paper the economy standard it is difficult to find copies that have survived the passage of time in decent condition if at all since book club editions tend to be unloved or discarded.
Title: The Hobbit or There and Back Again , UK ...
Publisher: The Children's Book Club by arrangement with George Allen & Unwin
Publication Date: 1942
Binding: Hardcover
Condition: Poor but complete.
Dust Jacket Condition: No Jacket Edition: 1st Edition
After the glue description
A rare first Children's Book Club edition of The Hobbit using the first edition, third impression sheets by arrangement with George Allen & Unwin. With war economy standard paper. George Allen & Unwin printed 1,500 copies of a third impression and 3,000 copies to be sold by Foyles. The sheets supplied to Foyles were unbound and so the edition was published with cheap, simple boards with no map end papers. Plus a large Bilbo as the illustration on the dust jacket. Tolkien disliked the publication so much that no further book club editions were published. With thinner boards and economy paper there are few numbers of this publication to be found in a decent condition. Original worn yellow cloth boards with faded gilt lettering on the spine. Tiny hole on the spine. Name on front free page. Some spotting and browning within the text. A scarce find. 8vo 310pp. Seller Inventory # 001348
It's an "association copy" meaning it belonged to someone of note, either authors, art collectors, friends of the author, gifted by the author, etc. Typically outside of tolkien, association copies always demand higher values. It's not necessarily the signature that adds to the value of the book nor makes it an association copy. The fact it was owned by him does. (if it's legitimate)
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That made my evening (yep, slow evening, but still)
