Tolkien (J.R.R.) The Lord of the Rings, 3 vol., first editions, first impressions, each volume signed by the author on front free endpapers, The Return of the King with signature mark '4' and text block misaligned on p.49, occasional light finger-soiling to margins, light browning to endpapers, original cloth, shelf-lean to Two Towers, slight bumping to spine tips and corners, dust-jackets, light toning to spines, spine ends and corners chipped with some fraying, short tears with creasing to head and foot of joints and fore-edges, closed tear to foot of Two Towers upper panel and head of Return of the King lower panel, light creasing to head and foot of panels with a few short nicks, light marking or soiling to panels, [Hammond & Anderson A5.a.i., ii, iii], 8vo, Allen and Unwin, 1954-55.

⁂ A fully-signed first edition, first impression set of this foundational work of fantasy fiction and one of the best-selling books of all time. It is believed that this was among a handful gifted by Tolkien to the Directors and Senior Managers at Allen and Unwin, presented by him to the Sales and Marketing Manager, Leslie Berry. Fully-signed sets are exceptionally rare, we can trace very few at auction in the last 40 years.

Following the success of The Hobbit, Tolkien's publishers encouraged him to begin work on a sequel. Though resistant at first, the author began this new work within months, sometime between 16th and 19th December, 1937. The new work was influenced heavily by the world building of Tolkien's then-unpublished Silmarillion, indeed the author would come to see both works as a single text and his insistence of their being published together (and the consequent costs involved) led to Allen and Unwin initially declining publication. After a brief flirtation with the publisher Collins, Tolkien returned to Allen and Unwin. Now willing to compromise he agreed to split The Lord of the Rings and The Silmarillion into separate works and to divide the former into three books to reduce the costs involved for the publishers. Even so, the outlay involved for Allen and Unwin was considerable, but the firm finally agreed to publish in 1952 with an unusual arrangement whereby Tolkien would be paid no royalties initially but take a share in all profits once the costs had been covered. Tolkien's revisions and corrections to the texts, issues with printers Jarrold & Sons and the author's precise standards regarding his hand-drawn maps and Middle-Earth scripts meant that publication of the The Fellowship of the Ring would take some 18 months and Return of the King almost 3 years. Sales of The Lord of the Rings in hardback were brisk, due in part to the hard work of Leslie Berry and his team, with each volume averaging at least one new impression per year until the publication of the UK paperback edition in 1968 at which point the rate of reprints would increase. Tolkien's remarkable work would come to sell over 150 million copies, the numerous adaptations and expansions of the world he created have ensured its lasting popularity.

Leslie Berry (d. 1967) first joined the firm of Allen and Unwin as a boy in 1934. He was called up to the Lincolnshire Regiment in 1939 and rose to the rank of major. On his return to the firm after the war, his new senior rank led to his transfer to the travelling sales team where he excelled before becoming Allen and Unwin's first sales manager. Berry would continue travelling in this new role, bringing the firm to new and emerging markets across the world. His unstinting efforts undoubtedly contributed to the success of The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings.

Provenance: passed by descent to the present owner. A letter of provenance accompanies this item.

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