The Lord of the Rings – 1969 Deluxe India-Paper Edition, First Impression

First Deluxe India-Paper Edition — 1969

Published by George Allen & Unwin, London, this is the first impression of the deluxe India-paper edition of J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings. All three parts — The Fellowship of the Ring, The Two Towers and The Return of the King — are brought together in one compact volume, complete with the Appendices and Index.

The copyright page states “This India paper edition first published 1969”, with no later impression recorded, and carries the original nine-digit SBN 04 823091 X. It also records the earlier one-volume edition of 1968: this 1969 issue is the first deluxe India-paper edition, rather than the first appearance of the work in a single volume. Printed in Great Britain by Hazell Watson & Viney Ltd, Aylesbury, Bucks, in 10 on 11 point Pilgrim type.

Original Binding and Slipcase

The publisher’s black binding has a striking heraldic design based on Tolkien’s artwork, stamped in gold, silver and green, with gilt title and author lettering to the spine. Patterned endpapers and green-speckled page edges complete the presentation. The thin India paper allows the complete work to be accommodated in a notably slender volume.

This copy retains its original black slipcase, with a thumb recess at the opening. The slipcase belongs to the early presentation of this edition, before the publisher changed to a labelled box during the 1974 impressions.

Maps

A Part of the Shire is printed in red and black on page 30. Both folding maps are present: Gondor, Rohan and Mordor opposite page 770, and the 1954 map of The West of Middle-earth at the End of the Third Age at the rear.

Condition

An attractive copy in its original binding. The front-board decoration and spine lettering remain clear and bright, with light surface marks and rubbing to the black boards. The patterned endpapers are well preserved, and the photographed text openings are generally clean.

A substantial calligraphic gift inscription in black ink occupies the half-title and is dated 1 July 1971. This is a personal gift inscription, not an inscription by Tolkien. Both folding maps remain attached and are photographed folded.

The original slipcase shows surface scuffing and rubbing, with wear along the edges and at the corners, including small areas where the underlying board is exposed. The photographs show the slipcase from all sides as well as the binding, inscription, publication details, text and maps.

Bibliographical reference: Wayne G. Hammond and Douglas A. Anderson, J.R.R. Tolkien: A Descriptive Bibliography, pp. 143–144.

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