Books

Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 1954. First Edition. Original Cloth. Near Fine/Very Good Plus. J.R.R. Tolkien. 8vo - over 7¾" - 9¾" tall. The Lord of the Rings, by J.R.R. Tolkien. Published by Houghton Mifflin, 1954/1955/1956 1st US Editions, 1st impression/1st impression/1st impression, respectively. An exceptional and lovely set of first editions of this classic of fantasy literature. The set is housed in a custom leather slipcase with gold stamping of Tolkien's Ring and Eye design to side panel, the JRRT monogram to the rear, and the White Tree of Gondor to the front panel, to show and protect this beautiful set. The set is all original cloth with the correct original 1st State dustjackets. The Fellowship of the Ring is the true 1st US printing or impression, from the same print run as the UK edition, with the 1954 date to the title page. The dustjacket of the Fellowship of the Ring has a scrape, creating a small hole at the upper back fold of the spine, a small amount of loss at…

Book One: The Fellowship of the Ring The story begins in the Shire, a peaceful region where Frodo Baggins inherits a mysterious ring from his uncle, Bilbo. Gandalf the wizard discovers the ring is the One Ring, forged by the dark lord Sauron to dominate Middle-earth. Frodo is tasked with taking the ring to Rivendell, where a council forms the Fellowship: Frodo, Gandalf, Aragorn, Legolas, Gimli, Boromir, Sam, Merry, and Pippin. Together, they set out to destroy the ring in Mount Doom, the only place it can be unmade. Their journey is fraught with peril, and the Fellowship eventually splinters when Boromir succumbs to the ring's temptation, and Frodo decides to continue the quest with Sam. Book Two: The Two Towers The narrative follows two main threads. Frodo and Sam traverse the dangerous lands toward Mordor, guided by Gollum, a former ring-bearer corrupted by the ring's power. Meanwhile, Aragorn, Legolas, and Gimli pursue the orcs who have kidnapped Merry and Pippin. The hobbits escape and find themselves in the ancient forest of Fangorn, where they encounter Treebeard the Ent. Gandalf, reborn as Gandalf the White, reunites with the group. The novel climaxes with battles at Helm's Deep and Isengard, and Frodo's capture by orcs after being betrayed by Gollum. Book Three: The Return of the King Aragorn claims his destiny as the true king of Gondor, leading forces against Sauron's armies. Frodo and Sam, enduring immense hardship, infiltrate Mordor and destroy the ring, aided unwittingly by Gollum. Sauron’s power collapses, peace returns, and Aragorn is crowned. Frodo, burdened by his trauma, sails to the Undying Lands with Bilbo, Gandalf, and the elves, leaving Sam to carry on in the Shire.