The Return of the King — 1955 First UK Impression in Original Dust Jacket and Custom Slipcase

First UK Edition, First Impression — 1955

Published by George Allen & Unwin, London, on 20 October 1955, this is the first edition, first impression of The Return of the King, the third and concluding volume of The Lord of the Rings. The title page is dated 1955 and the copyright page states “First published in 1955”, with no later impression listed.

As well as completing the narrative, the volume contains the Appendices, including the histories and genealogies, the chronology of the Third Age, calendars, writing systems and an account of the languages and peoples of Middle-earth. The difficulty of bringing this material into final form contributed to the delay in publication after the first two volumes.

Printing and Production

Printed by Jarrold & Sons Ltd, Norwich, in 11 on 12 point Imprint type. The first-impression printing order was for 12,000 sets of sheets, including 5,000 for Houghton Mifflin’s American issue. The publishing records list 7,160 Allen & Unwin copies bound by Jarrold in October 1955, the excess over the nominal 7,000 allowing for the printer’s normal overproduction.

Page 49 in this copy carries the small signature mark “4” at the foot. Variants of this page occur within the first impression; no separate publication priority is claimed for this copy.

Binding, Map, Original Jacket and Slipcase

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 folding map of Gondor, Rohan and Mordor, printed in red and black, is retained at the rear.

The original Ring-and-Eye dust jacket is unclipped, retaining its printed price of 21s net. Its rear flap carries short review quotations for The Fellowship of the Ring and The Two Towers, identifying the second variant of the first-impression jacket. The rear panel advertises The Hobbit and Farmer Giles of Ham. A removable clear protective sleeve is fitted.

A later cream cloth-covered custom slipcase, with a recessed opening, accompanies the book. This fitted protective case is a later addition, distinct from the publisher’s original binding and jacket.

Condition

The red cloth retains a strong colour and clear gilt lettering. There is rubbing and wear at the spine ends, edges and corners, with a few small pale marks on the boards. The page edges are toned and spotted.

The front and rear endpapers have pronounced mottled browning and foxing. The photographed text pages are generally clean, with light toning and occasional spotting. The rear folding map is present and shown folded.

The original jacket has browning, strongest on the spine, with scattered spotting and marks on the panels and reverse. There is rubbing and creasing along the edges and folds, with wear at the spine ends and corners. The spine lettering and front-panel title and design remain legible. The custom slipcase shows light handling wear.

A first-impression Return of the King retaining its folding map and original unclipped second-variant jacket, housed in a fitted custom slipcase.

Bibliographical reference: Wayne G. Hammond and Douglas A. Anderson, J.R.R. Tolkien: A Descriptive Bibliography, pp. 85–99.

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