The Lord of the Rings Trilogy, comprised of: The Fellowship of the Ring; The Two Towers and The Return of the King

London: George Allen and Unwin, 1955. First editions. Near Fine/Very Good to Near Fine. A first printing set of Tolkien's epic masterpiece. Near Fine copies of all the books, free of previous owner names or markings. Minor foxing and offsetting to the end papers, otherwise clean throughout. Dust jacket for book one has been restored, cracks to the folds have been repaired and minor loss at the spine ends has been filled in. Jackets for books 2 and 3 are unrestored and in very nice condition overall. Book 2 jacket is price-clipped at the lower corner of the front flap, spine a bit darkened and small chips at the crown. Book 3 jacket with the spine a bit darkened and a small crease at the crown, second state with the reviews for the first two books on the rear flap. Page 49 with sagging type in book 3. Complete with all the original maps. Only 3000 copies of the first book, 3,250 of the second and 7,000 of the final book were produced. Housed in a red quarter-leather clamshell case.

A timeless classic and a cornerstone of the fantasy genre, The Lord of The Rings follows the adventures of the hobbit Frodo Baggins and his compatriots as they battle the Dark Lord Sauron, and attempt to destroy the ring that gives him power over Middle Earth. Tolkien began writing the novel when he was 45 and it took him 12 years to finish it. (The Lord of the Rings would not be published until 1955.) The books, which were inspired by Tolkien's interest in subjects as far reaching as mythology and philology, went on to become a sensation - selling over 150 million copies and being translated into over 30 languages. W.H. Auden called The Lord of the Rings a "masterpiece", and it has appeared on Le Monde's list of the 100 best books of the century. The books were also adapted into the Oscar award winning film trilogy, directed by Peter Jackson and starring Elijah Wood, Ian McKellen, and Viggo Mortensen. "...among the greatest works of imaginative fiction of the twentieth century." (Contemporary Sunday Telegraph Review). Near Fine in Very Good to Near Fine dust jacket.