15 Aug, 2020
2020-8-15 4:57:33 PM UTC
Good afternoon everyone and thanks in advance for your help.
I've been looking for a book signed by Christopher Tolkien for a long time and recently found one, but I'm afraid it may be a fake signature.
I would appreciate the help of a charitable soul who can get me out of doubt. Thank you.
15 Aug, 2020
2020-8-15 5:12:04 PM UTC
This is not Christopher Tolkien's signature but could be Chris Tolkien's signature, grandson of Tolkien's brother Hilary.
15 Aug, 2020
2020-8-15 5:12:54 PM UTC
100% not CT.
EDIT: Highly doubt it's Chris Tolkien unless someone stuck that in front of him at Moreton; and unlikely he'd have signed a copy of S anyway, for obvious reasons...
15 Aug, 2020
2020-8-15 5:29:28 PM UTC
Khamûl wrote:
100% not CT.
EDIT: Highly doubt it's Chris Tolkien unless someone stuck that in front of him at Moreton; and unlikely he'd have signed a copy of S anyway, for obvious reasons...
I agree, that it is probably not Chris Tolkien, but only have one copy of his signature for reference, so don't know at the moment.
15 Aug, 2020
2020-8-15 5:37:38 PM UTC
Thank you very much, I also thought it was false, but it was worth doubting.
17 Aug, 2020
2020-8-17 7:12:56 AM UTC
Another query, do you think this Tolkien signature is good? It is stuck in a book that I have seen for sale on the Internet, but the price does not seem very high. Thanks.
17 Aug, 2020
2020-8-17 7:14:39 AM UTC
I think you would need a much higher resolution image to make much of a judgement on that one.
17 Aug, 2020
2020-8-17 7:28:32 AM UTC
Could it be worth like this?
17 Aug, 2020
2020-8-17 4:09:22 PM UTC
The form of the signature is correct. The question then is, has it actually been written on the plate, or is it a reproduction? (The ink smudge beneath the signature looks promising, but might too be a reproduction or a clever addition.)
The three dots after "Viney" and after "1971" are characteristic of Tolkien. However, the hand of the words "Jonathan Viney" and the date (especially the former) are not. They may have been written by someone else (note the difference in type of pen, too), or perhaps Tolkien was trying to write very precisely, but I can't recall a similar example of this from Tolkien's hand.
17 Aug, 2020
2020-8-17 4:16:37 PM UTC
The description indicates that it is Michael Tolkien who wrote the name, and effectively, it has his style.
https://mcnaughtans.co.uk/product/lord ... i-the-return-of-the-king/The original owner of this copy was a student of Michael Tolkien, who arranged for a signature from his father during half-term; the signed card is ruled in green and in addition to J.R.R. Tolkien's distinctive signature it has the name of the original owner and the month and year (November 1971) added in a similar hand, probably Michael Tolkien's.
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