TOLKIEN, J.R.R. The Lord of the Rings. Three volumes: The Fellowship of the Ring, The Two Towers and The Return of the King.

London: George Allen & Unwin Ltd., 1968. Second edition, third impression. Octavo. Complete in three volumes. Original red cloth, spines lettered in gilt, housed in the original revised edition dust jackets. Very good copies, the cloth bright and clean throughout. Dust jackets with light rubbing and minor wear to extremities, without significant loss. A handsome and uniform set.

One of the defining works of twentieth-century literature, The Lord of the Rings revolutionised modern fantasy and established J.R.R. Tolkien as one of the most influential writers of the modern era. Originally published between 1954 and 1955, the trilogy traces the quest to destroy the One Ring and the struggle against the Dark Lord Sauron across the richly imagined world of Middle-earth.

This set comprises the revised second edition, first issued in 1966 and incorporating numerous textual corrections and amendments made by Tolkien. The copyright pages confirm the third impression of the second edition, published in 1968. The revised edition represents Tolkien’s preferred lifetime text and remains highly sought after by collectors.

The volumes retain their attractive pictorial dust jackets featuring Tolkien’s own emblematic designs, including the Eye of Sauron and Ring motifs. The set presents particularly well on the shelf and remains one of the most enduring landmarks of fantasy literature, inspiring generations of writers, artists, filmmakers and readers worldwide.

A desirable complete three-volume revised edition set of Tolkien’s masterpiece, increasingly difficult to find in matching jackets and such well-preserved condition.

[WR]