Books

First editions, first impressions, of this set in which tales, songs, poems, maps, illustrations, genealogical tables, and even linguistic primers for Tolkien's languages give the fullest picture available of one of the most thoroughly imagined worlds ever created in the history of fantasy literature. The 12-volume The History of Middle-Earth is presented here complete and alongside the Unfinished Tales. The remarkable breadth of material presented in The History of Middle-Earth was only hinted at in The Lord of the Rings (1954-55) and The Hobbit (1937) and was drastically condensed into a single volume in the Silmarillion (1973). The History of Middle-Earth set has been described as "a remarkable testimony to the creativity of J. R. R. Tolkien and the industry and painstaking scholarship of his son Christopher" (Beahm, p. 34). Together 13 works, octavo. Original variously coloured boards, Unfinished Tales bound in red cloth, spines lettered in gilt. With dust jackets. With 10 frontispieces and further full-page and in-text illustrations; Unfinished Tales with large folding map at rear. A couple of bumps to edges, foxing to edges of a few vols, remainder mark to bottom edge of vol. 8, contents fresh. A near-fine set in very good jackets indeed, couple of bumps and short closed tears, sunning to spine of vol. 1, vol. 2 with faint splash mark at foot and closed tears at spine centre, vols 2 and 4 with verso tape repair, price sticker on front flap of vol. 12, overall sharp and bright examples. Hammond A17, 21-9. George Beahm, The Essential J. R. R. Tolkien Sourcebook, 2003.