First Edition Hardback Hobbits (US)

HMCO Hobbit 4th State in Facsimile Dust Jacket
Image from the collection under The Hill

HMCO Hobbit 4th State in Facsimile Dust Jacket
Image from the collection under The Hill

“I send herewith the coloured version of the frontispiece. If you think it good enough, you may send it on to the Houghton Mifflin Co. Could you at the same time make it finally clear to them (It does not seem easy): that the first three drawings were not illustrations to 'the Hobbit', but only samples: they cannot be used for that book, and may now be returned. Also that the ensuing five drawings (four and now one) were specially made for the H.M.Co, and for 'the Hobbit'. They are, of course, at liberty to reject or use all or any of these five. But I would point out that they are specially selected so as to distribute illustration fairly evenly throughout the book (especially when taken in conjunction with the black-and-white drawings).” Carpenter #15: Letter from J.R.R. Tolkien to C.A. Furth (Allen & Unwin) • 31 August 1937 (#15)

HMCO Hobbits States 1-4c (top row 1,2,3 / bottom row 4a,4b,4c)
Image from the collection of LanceFormation

This article is an introduction to the first US hardback printings of The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien, published between 1938 and 1944 in the US by Houghton Mifflin Co. There is only one printing as per the copyright pages, but different states within the first printing have been determined based upon various factors including cloth used and text block errors….Hammond & Anderson in their descriptive bibliography, refer to these variations as "states" within the "first printing", and recorded only two: one with the bowing hobbit on the title page, and one with the seated flautist, though additional states have been identified since the bibliography publication. Houghton Mifflin's practice was to place the publication year at the foot of the title page for the first printings of its first editions.

All first edition Hobbit copies, of all variations, with or without the bowing hobbit of the first printing, show "1938" as the date on the title page, perhaps discouraging bibliographers from ascribing different printings to them. This article does not cover the 1937 UK Hobbit, for more information see First Edition Hardback Hobbits (UK).

1938 Houghton Mifflin Co. Dust-jacket and endpapers

HMCO 1st Edition Facsimile Dust Jacket
Image from the collection under The Hill

HMCO Hobbit 1st State Front Endpaper Wilderland Map
Image from the collection of LanceFormation

HMCO Hobbit 1st State Rear Endpaper Thror Map
Image from the collection of LanceFormation

Houghton Mifflin published the first American edition of The Hobbit in the spring of 1938 following its September, 1937 debut in the UK. For this first edition Houghton Mifflin printed the sheets in the United States. They chose to print it in a larger size and on heavier stock than George Allen & Unwin's first edition, and they included four color plates of Tolkien's original artwork. The editors did this, because they thought that Tolkien’s design for the book was “too British” and were worried about sales numbers if they were to publish that version.

Margins are ample and the typesetting is well crafted for readability. The lettering on the cloth cover is printed in deep blue. The bowing hobbit emblem on the front and the dwarf's hood emblem on the spine are filled with bright red. The artist who designed these artworks for the boards appears to have been anonymous or the archival info has been lost by Houghton Mifflin. The end-paper maps were printed in red only, instead of the black and red chosen by George Allen & Unwin. Houghton Mifflin mistakenly put the Wilderland map in front and the Lonely Mountain map in back, the reverse of the description in the text. This was corrected with later states. All printings of the first edition measure 15.0 x 21.0 cm. They contain 310 numbered pages.

1938 Houghton Mifflin Co. Hobbit 1st State

HMCO Hobbit 1st State Front Dust Jacket Cover
Image from the collection of LanceFormation

HMCO Hobbit 1st State Back Dust Jacket Cover
Image from the collection of LanceFormation

HMCO Hobbit 1st State Dust Jacket Spine
Image from the collection of LanceFormation

HMCO Hobbit 1st State Front Jacket Flap
Image from the collection of LanceFormation

HMCO Hobbit 1st State Rear Jacket Flap
Image from the collection of LanceFormation

Surviving dust-jackets on the first edition are rare. There is some debate as to whether that is because of attrition, because some states were not jacketed, or because lots directed to some markets did not come with jackets, or that many were given to libraries. What is known is that jackets have been reported on more than one of the states and most commonly on the first state. The jacket is a deep blue field all around. The front displays the title in white, beneath which appears, in color and framed in red, Tolkien's illustration of Hobbiton. The reverse displays Tolkien's illustration of Smaug on his hoard, also in color. These 1st state copies show the same bowing hobbit emblem on the title page as is visible on the cover, but in outline. The first state appeared on March 1, 1938. This earliest state also has no half-title page. The first state’s table of illustrations lists Thrór's map as the front endpaper, in accordance with the text (page 30) but contradicting the actual order. The later states of the first edition list the Wilderland map as the front endpaper, in accordance with the actual order but contradicting the text.

HMCO Hobbit 1st State Front Cover
Image from the collection of LanceFormation

HMCO Hobbit 1st State Spine
Image from the collection of LanceFormation

HMCO Hobbit 1st State Title Page
Image from the collection of LanceFormation

HMCO Hobbit 1st State Copyright Page
Image from the collection of LanceFormation

Two HMCO Hobbit First State Binding Variants
Image from the collection of LanceFormation

Title Page Emblem: Bowing Hobbit
Half Title Page: Not Present
Book Cloth: Yellowish-tan with slight greenish cast. Even color, tight weave in both directions.
Error on page 118 (chapter 6)
IllustrationTable: List’s Thror’s map in front

1938 Houghton Mifflin Co. Hobbit 2nd State

HMCO Hobbit 2nd State Front Cover
Image from the collection of LanceFormation

HMCO Hobbit 2nd State Title Page
Image from the collection of LanceFormation

Printed in November, 1938. A series of changes to the book suggest Houghton Mifflin printed the first edition several times in a short period. At some point the publisher replaced the emblem on the title page with a seated flutist. The first two states mistakenly identify Chapter VII as Chapter VI on page 118. A side note regarding the bowing Hobbit emblem: some have stated that the boots the hobbit wears conflicted with the text's description of a bare-footed hobbit, which caused Houghton Mifflin to replace it. Yet the device comes directly from Tolkien's picture of Bilbo bowing to Smaug on his horde of treasure from that chapter of the book that contains their conversation. Tolkien defended the boots to an astute reader by explaining that Bilbo had acquired them along the way.

HMCO Hobbit 2nd State Copyright Page
Image from the collection of LanceFormation

HMCO Hobbit 2nd State Printing Error Pg. 118
Image from the collection of LanceFormation

Title page emblem: Flautist
Half title page: Present
Book Cloth: Yellowish-tan with slight greenish cast. Even color, tight weave in both directions.
Error on page 118 (chapter 6)
Illustration Table: List’s Thror’s Map in back

1938 Houghton Mifflin Co. Hobbit 3rd State

HMCO Hobbit 3rd State Front Cover
Image from the collection of LanceFormation

HMCO Hobbit 3rd State with Corrected Chapter Number Pg. 118
Image from the collection of LanceFormation

Also printed in November, 1938. As stated earlier, at some point the publisher replaced the emblem on the title page with a seated flutist. The first two states mistakenly identify Chapter VII as Chapter VI on page 118, a defect corrected in the third. The binding cloth changes slightly in color and texture in step with other changes. Records seen at Houghton Mifflin indicate two batches of printings in 1938, 5,000 and 2,500 volumes respectively. It is unclear which batches refer to which states.

Title page emblem: Flautist
Half title page: Present
Book Cloth: Neutral light tan, the lightest amongst the group. Tight weave
Corrected page 118 (chapter 7)
Illustration Table: List’s Thror’s Map in back

1938 Houghton Mifflin Co. Hobbit 4th State

HMCO Hobbit 4th State, Variant A Front Cover
Image from the collection of LanceFormation

HMCO Hobbit 4th State, Variant B Front Cover
Image from the collection of LanceFormation

HMCO Hobbit 4th State, Variant C Front Cover
Image from the collection of LanceFormation

Printed in the 1940’s, Three variants of the 4th state have been laid out by keen observers, including, Steven Frisby, and Daan Strebe based on damaged type not seen in the earlier states. These have been identified as 4A,B,&C and there is some speculation that these 4th States may have been in print as early as 1942, based on records kept, owners inscriptions, and or library stamps seen. Each variant can be identified by two main factors; binding and type flaws.


4th State, Variant A, Earliest Confirmed Date, September, 1944
Title page emblem: Flautist
Half title page: Present
Book Cloth: Slightly darker than the 3rd state; very faint pinkish cast in some light. Even weave.
Corrected page 118 (chapter 7)
Illustration Table: List’s Thror’s Map in back

4th State, Variant B, Earliest Confirmed Date, December, 1942
Title page emblem: Flautist
Half title page: Present
Book Cloth: Variegated darker tan, lacking any greenish or yellowish pall. Linen-like weave.
Corrected page 118 (chapter 7)
Illustration Table: List’s Thror’s Map in back

4th State, Variant C, printing date unknown at this time.
Title page emblem: Flautist
Half title page: Present
Book Cloth: Similar to the 1st and 2nd state, but more of a yellow color.
Corrected page 118 (chapter 7)
Illustration Table: List’s Thror’s Map in back

The following table seeks to provide a handy guide to identifying which variant of the 4th state you might have by listing out type flaws and which variants have them. Data is based primarily on the work of Daan Strebe. This can be used in conjunction with the binding style.

HMCO Hobbit 4th State Printing Error Pg. 193
Image from the collection of LanceFormation

HMCO Hobbit 4th State Printing Error Pg. 193
Image from the collection of LanceFormation

HMCO Hobbit 4th State Printing Error Pg. 205
Image from the collection of LanceFormation

1st Edition Library Binds

HMCO Hobbit 1st Edition Bowing Hobbit Library Bind
Image from the collection of LanceFormation

There were also many library bindings done for the 1938 US Hobbit. As can be seen above and below. These were sold to libraries across the United States in the 1930’s and 40’s and or done by the librarians themselves. Pictured are various binds of various states.

Various HMCO 1st Edition Library Binds and Rebinds
Image from the collection of LanceFormation

Home Project Binds

HMCO Hobbit 4th State, Homemade Rebind Front Cover
Image from the collection under The Hill

HMCO Hobbit 4th State, Homemade Rebind Spine
Image from the collection under The Hill

HMCO Hobbit 4th State, Homemade Rebind Back Cover
Image from the collection under The Hill

There are also some home project binds that have come to light in recent years. I myself have one of these in my possession as can be seen above. This particular 4th state was owned by a college professor in the New Hampshire area for many years who also did bookbinding as a hobby. As can be seen above, he removed the boards and endpaper maps, as the book had belonged to his children and had been read many times, and he added new boards but kept the spine and page block intact. I’m sure there are more home project binds in the wild out there.

Advertisements

Binding of The Hornbook Magazine, Nov.-Dec. 1938
Image from the collection under The Hill

Cover of the Christmas 1938 issue of The Hornbook
Image from the collection under The Hill

Advert for The Hobbit from the Christmas 1938 issue of The Hornbook
Image from the collection under The Hill

There was an ad published in the Fall of 1938 in the HornBook, a book of various adverts and other small scale publications in the 1930's. Houghton Mifflin was again taking some liberties with artwork and the way Bilbo is presented. It includes a couple of quotes about the book as well.

Conclusions

The early United States editions of The Hobbit were published by the Houghton Mifflin Company of Boston and New York City and are particularly collectible but difficult to identify. Very roughly, earlier printings are valued more than later. In particular, the first edition, with its different account of Riddles in the Dark, is in great demand. The unusual binding and rarity of the dust jacket in good shape is a particular driver in the higher price of these.

A very big thank you to LanceFormation for providing images for 95% of the article. He is, in fact, the Mayor of Mickel Delving.

Works Cited
J.R.R. Tolkien A Descriptive Bibliography - Wayne G. Hammond with the assistance of Douglas A. Anderson (Oak Knoll)
The Art of The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien - Wayne G. Hammond & Christina Scull
The Annotated Hobbit - Douglas A. Anderson
Frisby, Steven M. (October 2009). "Identifying First and Second Edition Printings of the Houghton Mifflin Hobbit". The Tolkien Collector (30): 16–32
English Language Editions of The Hobbit - Wiki Page
Berelach's Tolkienbooks.us - 1938 Hobbits

TCG Hobbit Articles

• First Edition Hardback Hobbits (UK)
  
• First Edition Hardback Hobbits (US)
  
• US Second Edition Hobbits
  
• Facsimile Hobbits
  
• UK Hobbit Dust-jacket Blurb
  
• The Hobbit and other Stories