The Lord of the Rings — 1967 US Revised First Printings in Custom Clamshell

The Revised American Edition — All Three First Printings

An exceptionally well-preserved three-volume set of J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings, published in Boston by Houghton Mifflin in 1967. The Fellowship of the Ring, The Two Towers and The Return of the King are all first printings of the revised American edition, in their original black cloth and priced dust jackets, housed together in a substantial custom clamshell.

Each title page is dated 1967 and headed “Second Edition”; each copyright page states “First Printing” with the letter W and records manufacture in the United States. The copyright date is 1966, but publication of these American first printings was on 27 February 1967. The recorded first printing comprised 13,300 copies of each volume.

Tolkien’s Revised Text and New Foreword

This is the first printing of the revised American hardcover edition, following the revised British edition of 1966. It contains Tolkien’s corrected and revised text and his new Foreword, and is distinct from the original American edition published in 1954–1956. The text was set as for the corresponding British second edition.

The three volumes retain their rear folding maps: The West of Middle-earth at the End of the Third Age in Fellowship and The Two Towers, and Gondor, Rohan and Mordor in Return. The Shire map appears within Fellowship, and the final volume includes the Appendices and index. The folding maps are photographed attached and folded in place.

Black Cloth and Robert Quackenbush Dust Jackets

The publisher’s black cloth bindings have gilt spine lettering and the Ring-and-Eye device on each front board, coloured orange, red and purple respectively. The top edges are stained in corresponding colours. The plain rear boards and original bindings are shown separately in the photographs.

Robert Quackenbush’s dust-jacket designs combine dark, tree-like forms with orange, red and purple title panels, gilt-coloured lettering and borders of runes. The repeating border reads “The Lord of the Rings translated from the Red Book”. Each front flap retains its original $6.00 price, identifies the book as “Second Edition, Revised” and announces the author’s new Foreword. The original priced jackets distinguish this set from later unpriced book-club issues of the edition. All three are fitted with clear removable protective covers.

Gilt-Lettered Custom Clamshell

The three volumes are housed in a red-and-black patterned custom clamshell with black inner trays and marbled lining in red, cream and gold tones. Its spine is ruled and lettered in gilt with the collective and individual titles, Tolkien’s name and “First American Printing Revised Edition 1967”. The case opens flat to display the set. It is a later protective addition accompanying the original books.

Condition

An exceptionally attractive set in very well-preserved condition. The black cloth is clean and the gilt lettering and coloured devices remain bright, with only light handling wear at the extremities. The coloured top edges remain distinct. The cream pages and endpapers are clean overall; a faint pencil notation is present at the top of the front free endpaper of Fellowship. The photographed text openings show little sign of use.

The jackets retain strong colours and legible spine lettering, with light rubbing and minor wear at the edges and folds. Clear protective covers account for the reflections visible in the photographs. The custom clamshell is also well preserved, with bright gilt lettering, clean marbled lining and light surface wear.

Bibliographical reference: Wayne G. Hammond and Douglas A. Anderson, J.R.R. Tolkien: A Descriptive Bibliography, pp. 139–141.

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