The Reader's Union edition of J.R.R Tolkien's renowned Lord of the Rings series is somewhat of an oddity so I have decided to dedicate a brief post to this rare set. Estimated to have been printed to just 3,000 sets, the RU set was printed in 1960 - just five years after the books were first published.
With a distinctive illustrations of Sauron's eye, drawn by Tokien himself, this set was never released to the public and was purchasable only through membership of the RU. Inside, the book is almost exactly the same as the original first editions, with a very similar title page and a fold-out map tipped in at the rear of each volume.
A complete set has been sold in excellent condition at Bonhams for £375 but usually they reach only £125-£150. The original first edition set printed at the same time (1960) might reach between £200 and £250.
For more J.R.R Tolkien blog posts see the links below:
Values and guide to all of Tolkien's works
http://anantiquebooksguide.blogspot.co.uk/2014/05/the-tolkien-guide-values-info-and-more.html
The art of Tolkien
The art of Tolkien
http://anantiquebooksguide.blogspot.co.uk/2014/07/the-art-of-jrr-tolkien-hobbit-and-more.html
Below are a number of photos showing the Reader's Union set compared with the George Allen & Unwin original sets.
RU set:
Original first edition set:
If you reached this far, thanks for reading and please share/ +1 and comment if at all possible!
Take a look at my many other blog posts for more antique books.
Take a look at my many other blog posts for more antique books.
What would you say that symbol is on the top of the spines? a fleur-de-lis? It looks slightly different, so I'm not sure :/
ReplyDeleteThis is indeed one of (a term I've kind of coined for oddities, or one-offs) Unique Editions. I'm also about 90% certain that this is the only Tolkien title offered by RU.
It's neat in that it has that Eye of Sauron drawn by Tolkien himself, I have never seen elsewhere: not in ARTIST & ILLUSTRATOR nor THE ART OF THE LORD OF THE RINGS. Unless I've missed it somehow.
These look pretty sharp with a custom slipcase offered by TolkienBookshelf.
EDIT: Enlarging and zooming in one of the photos, I can see that it IS a fleur-de-lis
DeleteOH! i recently acquired a lovely set of these RU versions. any help you could give would be immensely appreciated.
ReplyDeleteAs far as 'edition' since they came from A&U would they still be considered first edition, maybe some odd # of impression?
Also the artwork: how were you able to verify that the eye sketch (never saw this elsewhere) was done by JRR tolkien himself? not doubting it but a lot of research on my end came up empty.
Thank you in advance!
Will
How much would this book sell for
ReplyDeletereally good shape? hand-made box to fit them in? $1000 in my opinion
DeleteDepends on the condition they market now for $150-$350. Have not seen a set go higher. $1000 is a vast over estimate unless the books are in near fine condition.
Delete