Description
For sale: a rare and exceptional first edition, third printing hardcover copy of The Silmarillion by J. R. R. Tolkien. Illustrated by the author.
The book is in Near Fine condition with clean, bright boards, strong silver title gilt on a straight spine and strong gilt on the illustrations on both front cover and spine. Also, lightly foxed page blocks, tight binding, no spine tilt, lightly rolled spine ends, mild edge wear, and two bumped corners. The interior of the book is also in Near Fine condition with an erased price on the half-title page. No other marks, inscriptions, or other signs of ownership inside. The end papers and the interior pages are clean and bright, making it an excellent addition to any collection.
The first issue dust jacket is in Very Good condition with mild surface wear and heavy edge wear, chips and tears with the $10.95 price on the front flap. A brilliant cover illustration by Tolkien that looks great in a new archival wrap.
A number-one New York Times bestseller when it was originally published, The Silmarillion is the core of J.R.R. Tolkien’s imaginative writing, a work that he could not publish in his lifetime because it grew with him. Its origins stretch back to a time long before The Hobbit. But The Hobbit was caught up in what Tolkien called “the branching acquisitive theme” he began in The Silmarillion, and eventually The Lord of the Rings emerged from this as well.
hips promptly with s
