J.R.R. TOLKIEN SIGNED FARMER GILES OF HAM [eBay]

What's written over the sign? I can't read it.

Hi, I have seen this particular seller list a number of supposed Tolkien Signed Editions over the past couple of years (many signed US Paperback Editions). In my humble opinion, not a real signature. The particular impression of the book listed (4th) was jointly issued by Unwin and Houghton Mifflin (joint imprints in any case) - and the book listed on Ebay has a US$ Price on the Inside Flap of the Dustjacket - So a Houghton Mifflin Edition. I doubt Tolkien signed too many US Editions. Just another piece of evidence making the signature likely not to be genuine. Regards. IMHO.

I'm not a handwriting expert, nor do I own a signed book, but one thing about this signature that stands out in my eyes is the 'K'. Comparing signatures from the www.tolkienlibrary.com website the upper diagonal part of the 'K' ( / ) flows from the vertical part of the 'k' ( l ) and the bottom diagonal (\ ) restarts the signature. However, in this signature it is the bottom diagonal that flows from the vertical and te top diagonal is added after the rest of the signature is has been completed.

Again, I'm not a handwriting expert and on first impressions tis signature looks quite natural and flowing I'm not totally convinced.

Maybe others who are in posession of an authentic signature can comment

One other reason why this sale is so tricky is because it is a private auction and most of the times these are selling fakes;

One of the reasons why i did not add too many true signatures on tolkienlibrary.com is because i suspected people to start copying the signatures there. At first I had made a list of much more signatures (starting to show the difference between the early autograph of Tolkien towards his final signatures...) but i never did finish that part of the article because I suspected it to bring even more fakes on the market.

I wonder whether this seller IS a non-profit organisation raising money for a cancer cure. It's beyond belief if this is the case.

A dodgy signature from a seller with a history of selling doubtful signatures. They seem to have a suspiciously large range of signatures. I would avoid at all costs. The organisation may have nothing to do with the seller of course.

Beren,

I was looking at the David Miller Items on your site and found this item http://www.tolkienlibrary.com/dmiller/000282.htm

If you look at the picture of the 'signed' Fellowship of the Ring http://www.tolkienlibrary.com/dmiller/images/000282.jpg, it is the same as the 'signed' Farmer Giles of Ham. The illegible scribble above Tolkien's signature according to Mr Miller says 'Yours truly'

Both items look dodgy to me as I am sure that the Professor could write 'Yours truly' so that you could read it.

Trotter

And now i remember where I saw a similar thing before! Indeed they very much look alike... i'll have to write David Miller and ask some more info and put the two signatures next to each other.

Thnxs for pointing it out!

Thanks Beren

I'll be interested in any reply from David Miller. From reading between the lines David seems to have got these particular books from the same sellers that Deagol describes as "A dodgy signature from a seller with a history of selling doubtful signatures. They seem to have a suspiciously large range of signatures"

As it stands it seems a bit strange on your web site to have an article warning about the dangers of buying Tolkien signatures and then having directly below it an advert for a 'signed' book that myself and other contributers to this post believes is fake.

What do others think?