Its not rare but it feels nice to pick one up as its the only true 1st/1st I'll ever own of any of the main Middle-earth books.
This is the "export variant" which precedes the UK market "domestic" printing and thus considered the true first state. Its in pretty good nick apart from some fading of the top edge. The spine is pretty vibrant and shows no real signs of fading.
To be honest the main reason I wanted the export version over the domestic is that it has all the bonuses 1) cloth binding 2)blue and white headband & 3) top edge blue stain. The domestic does not feature the headband.
Rounds out my 70s set nicely too alongside the 4th edition Hobbit and 2nd edition 2nd DJ variant LOTR.
Yeah I'd seen the 70's LOTR only boxset here and there but didn't know about the Library set till you mentioned it. For me personally the Library box isn't worth the premium I'm seeing.
I just realized I have the Domestic version and it looks like the 2nd printing (William clowes & Sons) - it's in excellent condition. Just curious ballpark what these are worth? I collected Tolkien books for many years but never really sought out super valuable ones. I'm sure this one isn't because I see they are listed as "common." just curious though.
PS - Love seeing the whole set you've built together!
I didn't really see any 2nd impressions during my search but I would guess in the £20-30 range if in really great condition? Maybe someone else could chime in with a more informed estimate.
Definitely agree. I don't have a LOTR 1st but the 2nds have the same cloth binding. Something I would like to do in the future is to have a LOTR 2nd set, a Silmarillion 1st and Hobbit 2nd/3rd rebound in leather but to resemble their original cloth bindings.
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u/RedWizard78 4h ago
Looks great with the Hobbjt and LotR editions….i know which set you were creating…..