Houghton Mifflin FotR 1st Edition - not sure about printing

According to The Tolkien Collector #20 - "Identifying First Edition Printings of the Houghton Mifflin Lord of the Rings Part I" by Steven M. Frisby (which tolkienbooks.us used for their webpage info I believe):

• having both Allen & Unwin and Houghton Mifflin on the title page means 10th printing or later
  
• not having printing info on the verso (where it just says "Printed in Great Britain") means either 10th or 11th
  
• to differentiate between 10th and 11th, there are some damaged text indicators. Page 19, line 29: remained > rema*nd (dot on 'i' is clipped in 11th printing); Page 76 line 13: morning > *orning ('m' nicked on left in 11th). There are others if these two indicators are not sufficient, let me know.
  

Your dustjacket does not have a price - price was added by after the 8th and before the 12th according to the article (Seven did not see the 9th through 11th impressions when writing it, and I don't have those impressions either). The "V" shape to the bottom of Tolkien's picture is mentioned as being seen on 3rd and 4th impression dustjackets, and not on 1st, 8th and 9th impression. I wouldn't take that as clear indication that it is a 3rd impression jacket, it sounds like the shape changed off and on and as 10/11 impressions are not seen, they could go either way.

I'd say you have a 10th or 11th - check the damaged text and let me know what you see!

Thank you very much Urulókë !
I don't have the book with as of now, but once I would have it in my hands, I will check for sure !

If I can chime in here.. I think you have a 9th printing.

I can't get to my notes right now unfortunately, but I think the 10th and 11th printings of Fellowship were believed to have print info/dates on their copyright pages. I haven't seen a 10th or 11th either (frustratingly) but the idea is simply based on the fact that the concurrent printings of Towers and Return began to state print info when FotR 10th was issued. so FotR 10th would most likely do the same.

Another note from Frisby's article: "FR 1/9 was the first Houghton Mifflin impression to have a joint A&U/HM title-page, and is the only Purnell impression with the correct reading on p. 414/28 ‘honr’ > ‘hour’. The ninth is also the only FR seen that has a joint A8U/HM title-page without also having the Allen & Unwin printing history on the title verso."

Purnell impressions were the ones that stated "PRINTED IN GREAT BRITAIN" (all caps) on the title verso (the same statement on the impressions printed by Jarrold & sons was in italics).

The entries on TolkienBooks.US for these books are just plain inadequate. Fleshing the three pages out has been on my to-do list for years now. Also, for the record, I corresponded with Mr. Frisby and although I did draw largely from his article (with permission), I recall updating certain points when necessary. So if you happen to spot a couple diverging facts, this is either because I came to a new conclusion based on additional research, or I made a mistake (my money would be on the latter).

Thank you so much Berelach, much appreciated. That what i believed also...
I don't have the book in my hand but as I said to Urulókë i will check asap will all points both of you have highlighted.

What intrigues me is still the jacket (if it is a 9th printed indeed).
Please find below a picture from another ad where the guy - I suppose - could have sold a 9th printing. Many convergins point (H&M and A&U titles on title page, "PRINTED IN GREAT BRITAIN" on verso, jacket not priced, but a fair straight bottom line of the Tolkien photograph (mine is V).
Would tend to show tha both straight and V bottom lines tolkien pics were in circulation for 9th, 10th, 11th printings.

The history of H&M editions is really tricky indeed.

While waiting for my book to arrive, I just found some very interesting auctions with pictures.
This is a whole set of 3 books, with copyright page scanned.
Fellowship is stated to be 10th printing, and has its copyright page with all printing details since the first, to the tenth, stating 1961. We also can see (by trasnparency) that the half title page has the A&U collophon.
Maybe this picture help to determine that printing details have come from the 10th printing after all?, involving mine is at the highest a 9th printing.

Here at the pictures.

emilien wrote:
While waiting for my book to arrive, I just found some very interesting auctions with pictures.
This is a whole set of 3 books, with copyright page scanned.
Fellowship is stated to be 10th printing, and has its copyright page with all printing details since the first, to the tenth, stating 1961. We also can see (by trasnparency) that the half title page has the A&U collophon.
Maybe this picture help to determine that printing details have come from the 10th printing after all?, involving mine is at the highest a 9th printing.

Here at the pictures.

Thanks for sharing that Emilien! That does indeed confirm what was assumed.

Berelach wrote:
....
Another note from Frisby's article: "FR 1/9 was the first Houghton Mifflin impression to have a joint A&U/HM title-page, and is the only Purnell impression with the correct reading on p. 414/28 ‘honr’ > ‘hour’. The ninth is also the only FR seen that has a joint A8U/HM title-page without also having the Allen & Unwin printing history on the title verso."

That's a good catch. Frisby's article evidently has a mistake - it says in step 2 to check for the joint A&U/HM title-page, and if found, skip to checking between 10th impression through 12th. But then for the 8th/9th check it says the 9th is the first to have the joint title-page.

So looks like emilien could well have a 9th impression, and the 10th should have the printings indicated on the verso of the title page. Good detective work everyone!

If only Houghton Mifflin had printed impression details, does anyone know why they did not?

Yes bih thanks to both of you.
The only point that remains is the jacket. I'm waiting to have it in my hands to analyse carefully the points distinguishing the 3rd and 4th printing DJ.
I checked some pictures of FotR 7th/8th and 9th impressions and none have the picture of Tolkien with a "V"
Don't know about the 5th printing though.