The Lord of the Rings – 1979 Deluxe India-Paper Edition, Seventh Impression

Deluxe India-Paper Edition, Seventh Impression — 1979

Published by George Allen & Unwin, London, this is the seventh impression of the deluxe India-paper edition of J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings. The complete work — The Fellowship of the Ring, The Two Towers and The Return of the King, together with the Appendices and Index — is presented in a single compact volume.

The deluxe edition was first published in 1969. This copy’s copyright page explicitly records “Seventh impression 1979” and the ISBN 0 04 823091 X. Printed in Great Britain by William Clowes & Sons, Limited, Beccles and London.

Original Binding and Publisher’s Box

The publisher’s black binding carries a heraldic design based on Tolkien’s artwork, blocked in gold, silver and green, with gilt lettering and decorative rules to the spine. Patterned front endpapers and green-speckled page edges complement the binding. The use of thin India paper gives the complete text a notably slender format.

The book retains its original black publisher’s box, with a cream printed title label in red and black, framed by runic and Elvish lettering. This labelled box is the correct form of publisher’s packaging for the 1979 impression; it replaced the slipcase used for the earliest impressions of this deluxe edition.

Maps

The edition includes A Part of the Shire on page 30 and two folding maps: 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. Both folding maps are retained in this copy and are shown folded in the photographs.

Condition

The book is very well preserved. The black boards retain a clean, attractive appearance, with only light handling marks; the front decoration and gilt spine lettering remain bright and clearly defined. The patterned front endpapers and the photographed text openings are clean and well kept.

The original box shows light surface scuffing and rubbing, with small areas of wear at the edges and corners. The cream title label has some discolouration, spotting and surface marks, as visible in the close-up photographs. These signs of use are principally to the outer box; the decorated book within presents particularly well.

A handsome example of the enduring Allen & Unwin deluxe edition, retaining both folding maps and its original labelled box.

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

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