The Two Towers — First Edition, Fourth Impression, 1956

First UK Edition, Fourth Impression — 1956

Published by George Allen & Unwin, London, this is the fourth impression of the first edition of The Two Towers, the second volume of The Lord of the Rings. First available in June 1956, it is explicitly identified on the copyright page as “Fourth Impression 1956”. The title page is undated.

Printing and Production

Printed by Jarrold & Sons Ltd, Norwich, in 11 on 12 point Imprint type. The recorded print run was 4,000 copies, all for Allen & Unwin, with none exported for Houghton Mifflin’s American issue. The first binding batch was completed by Jarrold in June 1956, followed by further batches bound by Key & Whiting in December 1956 and March 1957.

Binding, Map and Facsimile Jacket

In the publisher’s original red cloth, with gilt spine lettering and Ring device, and a red top edge. Runic borders frame the title-page opening. 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, and is a reproduction rather than an original 1956 jacket. The two jacketed views appear last in the gallery.

Condition

The original red cloth retains a strong colour, with clear gilt lettering on the spine. There is light rubbing at the spine ends, edges and corners, and a few small pale marks on the boards. The fore-edge is lightly toned.

The endpapers show foxing and browning, with pronounced vertical brown bands beside the inner hinges, especially at the front. The photographed text pages are generally clean, with light toning and occasional small spots. The folding map is present and shown folded at the rear.

An early fourth-impression Two Towers in 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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