What am I missing?

http://cgi.ebay.com/J-R-R-Tolkien-UK- ... tible&hash=item1e5e76c1dd

http://cgi.ebay.com/J-R-R-Tolkien-UK- ... tible&hash=item20b3d65122


They look to be the exact same book - but for very different prices ($189 vs $750)

I dont know alot about early hobbit editions but dont they have yellowish cloth boards with a bowing hobbit?

http://cgi.ebay.com/TOLKIEN-HOBBIT-1s ... tible&hash=item27b5b09ab5

Short answer - no, they don't! The book for sale here is what it says it is - a first edition Hobbit, with the B&W frontispiece, and 'First Printed in 1937'.

The books you speak of are reprints.

think he/she means a 1st US the Hobbit, this is a 1st UK the Hobbit

Yes I know; I'm just joshing. Well, not really - technically speaking, there can only be one first edition, with subsequent editions (in whichever country) being counted as reprints.

(That's what I reckon, anyway; I expect I'm probably wrong!)

But it works both ways. I have a very nice 1st ed. 'The Road Goes Ever On', published in the USA. And a very nice UK '1st', which is, really, a reprint.

>>>think he/she means a 1st US the Hobbit, this is a 1st UK the Hobbit

I am a "he". Qweniden is a pseudo elvish name I made for an EverQuest character many moons ago.

Thanks for the info on the hobbit. I didnt realize the USA/UK editions of the hobbit had such different boards.

Anyone here bidding on that?

Qweniden wrote:
Thanks for the info on the hobbit. I didn't realize the USA/UK editions of the hobbit had such different boards.

Houghton-Mifflin thought that the 1937 UK edition of the Hobbit's bindings and dust-jacket were too British for the US market, so they designed their own versions. For later printings of the US Hobbit they did use J.R.R. Tolkien's designs for the UK dust-jacket and binding.

The UK Tolkien designed dust-jacket is often credited with being one of the best designs ever for a book, and is certainly my favourite dust-jacket design.

The UK Tolkien designed dust-jacket is often credited with being one of the best designs ever for a book, and is certainly my favourite dust-jacket design.

Agreed. In general I find Tokien to be a highly underated artist.

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Complete-Poetry ... Books&hash=item415405f85d

I guessing that this is the to do with Mr Jackson and his films ?????????????

Here's something new (to me)

http://cgi.ebay.com/Worm-Ouroboros-bo ... Books&hash=item27b66058e4

The vendor says the cover art is by Henderson, the original artist for LotR. Which is nonsense; but this cover does seem like a rip-off of the Remington covers for Ballantine. Acording to a quick google, Henderson was Eddison's brother-in-law, so it's unlikely that he did the cover. I suspect the book contains prints of his original illustrations. Can anyone shed more light on this?