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The Two Towers — First Edition, Third Impression, 1955
#cb0025 - The Two Towers — First Edition, Third Impression, 1955 - € 625

A July 1955 third-impression Two Towers in original red cloth, with its folding map and a protective facsimile dust jacket. No original jacket is present.

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The Two Towers — First Edition, Third Impression, 1955


First UK Edition, Third Impression — 1955



Published by George Allen & Unwin, London, this is the third impression of the first edition of The Two Towers, the second volume of The Lord of the Rings. First issued in July 1955, it is identified by its undated title page. The copyright page still reads “Second impression 1955”, a retained statement characteristic of this third printing.

Printing and Production



Printed by Jarrold & Sons Ltd, Norwich, in 11 on 12 point Imprint type. The third-impression production run comprised 4,750 sets of sheets, including those supplied for Houghton Mifflin’s American issue. The Allen & Unwin copies were bound by Key & Whiting in batches between September 1955 and March 1956.

Binding, Map and Facsimile Jacket



In the publisher’s original red cloth, with gilt spine lettering and Ring device, and a red top edge. The title-page opening is framed by runic borders. Christopher Tolkien’s 1954 map of The West of Middle-earth at the End of the Third Age is retained on a folding sheet at the rear.

A later facsimile dust jacket reproduces the Ring-and-Eye design based on Tolkien’s artwork. It is supplied for protection and presentation: this is a reproduction, not an original 1955 jacket. The two jacketed views appear last in the gallery.

Condition



The red cloth retains a strong colour and the gilt spine lettering remains clear. There is light rubbing at the spine ends, board edges and corners. The fore-edge is lightly toned.

The front and rear endpapers show scattered foxing and browning, with a darker vertical band on the front free endpaper. A small Galbraith Book Company bookseller’s label is affixed at the foot of the front pastedown, with pencil figures at the upper inner corner. The photographed text pages are generally clean, with light toning and occasional small spots. The rear folding map is present and shown folded.

A third-impression Two Towers in its original red cloth, retaining its folding map and supplied with a clearly identified protective facsimile jacket.

Bibliographical reference: Wayne G. Hammond and Douglas A. Anderson, J.R.R. Tolkien: A Descriptive Bibliography, pp. 83–99.

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Pictures (click to enlarge):
The Two Towers — First Edition, Third Impression, 1955, photograph 1
The Two Towers — First Edition, Third Impression, 1955, photograph 2
The Two Towers — First Edition, Third Impression, 1955, photograph 3
The Two Towers — First Edition, Third Impression, 1955, photograph 4
The Two Towers — First Edition, Third Impression, 1955, photograph 5
The Two Towers — First Edition, Third Impression, 1955, photograph 6
The Two Towers — First Edition, Third Impression, 1955, photograph 7
The Two Towers — First Edition, Third Impression, 1955, photograph 8
The Two Towers — First Edition, Third Impression, 1955, photograph 9
The Two Towers — First Edition, Third Impression, 1955, photograph 10
The Two Towers — First Edition, Third Impression, 1955, photograph 11
The Two Towers — First Edition, Third Impression, 1955, photograph 12
The Two Towers — First Edition, Third Impression, 1955, photograph 13
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