Wayne has already answered this point in The Descriptive Bibliography page 220

The first print order was for 100,000 copies. By the end of May 1977 booksellers' orders included 65,000 from overseas, and the print run was increased to 300,000. Later the order was raised to 325,000, and in September to 375,000. Several firms were commissioned to print the book, at one time four printers, working in blocks of 50,000 copies, to insure against a feared industrial action stopping production.

Each firm printed a different impression number in the book, (Clowes & Billings both printed first impressions). They were pretty much all printed at the same time, apart from William Clowes' printed copies which were in three distinct printings and two different impressions (first and second).

One mystery which has been discussed before on the forum is about the third impression. It does not appear to exist.

I think there a few odd points here. Clearly when GA&U inserted 4th impressions into the boxset, there were 2nd impressions available; because, as Wayne reminds us, 2nd impressions were so overproduced that when HarperCollins bought UH (who had bought GA&U) there were still copies available --which were covered with slightly downsized John Howe dj's (as Wayne states in Bibliography).

Interestingly, in the 4th impressions I've seen in this boxset, the Silmarillion jacket had been re-priced; (in this case to '£5.95') as you would expect of any Silmarillion of post-1977.

My question to Trotter, and particularly to Wayne & Christina, is: do your copies carry the original printed price? --or have they been re-priced?

My feeling is that when 4th impressions were inserted there would have been 2nd impressions to hand. But, conceivably, when 2nd impressions were inserted, the 4th impressions may have been exhausted.

One last (picky!) point to Trotter. The seperate Clowes 'printings' (as you call them) are states . And, the Unwin Brother 5th impression also had the intermediate GA&U-paper state (like Clowes); as well as the GA&U-cloth state, and the BCA copy. (Unrecorded, I'm sure for space reasons!, by Hammond...)

BH

My question to Trotter, and particularly to Wayne & Christina, is: do your copies carry the original printed price? --or have they been re-priced?

Our copy has the original printed price.

My feeling is that when 4th impressions were inserted there would have been 2nd impressions to hand. But, conceivably, when 2nd impressions were inserted, the 4th impressions may have been exhausted.

There were certainly 2nd impressions in existence, but they may not have been to hand. It may be that the 2nd was thought to be exhausted (and new impressions ordered), while in fact a stock went unnoticed in some warehouse until recovered long afterward by HarperCollins. Also, it would be natural to assume that since our Tolkien Library set (with the 2nd impression Silmarillion) was one of the publisher's file copies, it was one of the first to be released.

One last (picky!) point to Trotter. The separate Clowes 'printings' (as you call them) are states. And, the Unwin Brothers 5th impression also had the intermediate GA&U-paper state (like Clowes); as well as the GA&U-cloth state, and the BCA copy. (Unrecorded, I'm sure for space reasons!, by Hammond...)

Much new information has come to light since the Bibliography cut-off date of mid-1992!

Wayne & Christina

My question to Trotter, and particularly to Wayne & Christina, is: do your copies carry the original printed price? --or have they been re-priced?

My copy also has the original printed price £4.95.

One last (picky!) point to Trotter. The separate Clowes 'printings' (as you call them) are states. And, the Unwin Brothers 5th impression also had the intermediate GA&U-paper state (like Clowes); as well as the GA&U-cloth state, and the BCA copy. (Unrecorded, I'm sure for space reasons!, by Hammond...)

I was thinking more of the printing change on page 352 (italic and nonitalic and in the Ulmo entry) of the book than the difference between the headbands, and paper and cloth bindings, which is why I describe them as printings and not states.

3 printings - 1st with the and in italics, 2nd with the and not in italics and 3rd as a Second Impression.