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Review copy of Unfinished Tales by J.R.R. Tolkien, published in 1980 by Houghton Mifflin. Includes original review slip issued prior to publication.
#clp0189bd - Unfinished Tales - 1980 Houghton Mifflin First American Edition Review Copy - 900 EUR

Review copy of Unfinished Tales by J.R.R. Tolkien, published in 1980 by Houghton Mifflin. Includes original review slip issued prior to publication.

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Unfinished Tales – First American Edition Review Copy, 1980


J.R.R. Tolkien, edited by Christopher Tolkien. Houghton Mifflin, Boston. First printing with publisher’s review slip.


The first American edition of Unfinished Tales of Númenor and Middle-earth, with the First American Edition statement and complete number line ending in 1 on the copyright page. ISBN 0-395-29917-9. The original Houghton Mifflin publicity slip is included, giving the publication date as November 18, 1980 and the price as $15.00. The slip is photographed in a clear protective sleeve. This is a finished hardcover review copy, not an uncorrected proof.

Bound in green cloth with silver spine lettering and dark decorative devices, in the original gold-toned dust jacket with red and blue lettering and Tolkien’s Númenórean helmet design. The jacket retains its $15.00 price.

The jacket has visible rubbing, scattered marks, edge creasing and small tears, including a tear at the upper edge of the rear panel and wear at the spine ends. The cloth appears well preserved in the photographs, with light handling wear. The photographed preliminary pages are clean with light age-toning. The review slip is lightly toned.

This volume gathers stories from the First, Second, and Third Ages that expand on themes from The Silmarillion and The Lord of the Rings, including narratives of Tuor and the Fall of Gondolin, the history of Galadriel and Celeborn, and the story of the Five Wizards.

An American review copy from the original U.S. publisher, retaining its publicity slip.

A first-printing American review copy retaining the publisher’s original announcement of this important addition to Tolkien’s legendarium.

Digital photos available on request.
Pictures (click to enlarge):
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