The Lord of the Rings - Original 1963 UK Deluxe Set, with Original Pauline Baynes Triptych Slipcase by Tolkien, J.R.R - 1963

London: Allen & Unwin, 1963. 1st Edition, Hobbits, Lord of the Rings. Hard Cover. Near Fine/No Jacket, as Issued. J.R.R. Tolkien. 8vo - over 7¾" - 9¾" tall. The Lord of the Rings, by J.R.R. Tolkien. The true 1st Edition, Allen and Unwin 1963 Deluxe Edition of the 3 volumes of the Lord of the Rings, comprised of "The Fellowship of the Ring", "The Two Towers", and "The Return of the King". This set is bound in the original Black Buckram cloth with gilt titles, author and publisher to the spines of each volume. The gilt is still bright, without any rubs or tarnishing. Each volume features Bevel-Edged boards, gilded page edges, with an original silk bookmark sewn in. The books are in Near Fine condition, with almost no marks or rubbing to the gilded edges, no writing or inscriptions in any of the books. The textblocks are clean and unmarked, with a very tight binding. The spines of the books are all a black color, the Two Towers a bit lighter in color, a common fault with these sets. The books are housed in the very scarce original publishers slipcase featuring the Pauline Baynes color "Triptych" artwork. This case has a couple of bumps to the corners, and a little rubbing to the edges, no color loss to speak of. Clean and bright, without any corner splits, a lovely case that fits snuggly around the books. One of the nicest sets overall I've run across in years. The scarcest of all the original Allen & Unwin 1st Editions, as well as the Houghton Mifflin issues. According to publishers records, 1000 or less sets were produced. Briefly mentioned in the Tolkien bibliography by Hammond and Anderson on page 98. The outside of the slipcase show some superficial rubbing, but is whole & complete, without any major stains or faults. A rare opportunity for this scarce set and the original publishers slipcase illustrated by Pauline Baynes. Digital images available upon request. Other Tolkien sets, original and rebound are available. Inquire if interested. A wonderful addition to anyone's Tolkien collection. Near Fine / No Jacket, as Issued.