The Hobbit, or There and Back Again (Collector's Edition)

A handsome and enduringly popular deluxe format of Tolkien's beloved debut into Middle-earth, its text shaped by one of the more dramatic copyright disputes in twentieth-century publishing.

J.R.R. Tolkien (1892–1973) first published The Hobbit in 1937 through George Allen & Unwin in London, and its warm reception set in motion the vast imaginative project that would eventually produce The Lord of the Rings. The American publishing history of the book took an unexpected turn in 1965, when Ace Books issued an unauthorised paperback edition of The Lord of the Rings, exploiting a genuine ambiguity in American copyright law regarding books first manufactured overseas. Tolkien and Houghton Mifflin responded by preparing a revised text, with Tolkien making authorial changes substantial enough to constitute a new edition and thereby secure unambiguous US copyright protection.

This edition features Tolkien's own art from the original publication, as well as a striking Dwarvish runic design to the cover and spine in gold and red foil.

Collector's Edition, sixth printing. Large 8vo. 317pp. Green pebbled leatherette boards, cover illustration and dwarvish runic border decorations stamped in gilt and red foil, matching spine design. All edges speckled green. Colour plates and two-tone illustrations throughout by J.R.R. Tolkien, with Thror's map reproduced on the front and rear endpapers. Housed in matching green leatherette slipcase with illustrated title label to cover. A hint of faint foxing along edges and some mild shelf markings to slipcase, else fine throughout. 

This book is currently not on display in store.
If you would like more information or to arrange a viewing, please contact: rarebooks@harryhartog.com.au

Catalogue Number: HH000445