The Hobbit, or There and Back Again, by J.R.R. Tolkien. Published by Allen & Unwin in 1951.

Original Cloth, Near Fine/Very Good Original Dustjacket.

A superb copy of an early printing of The Hobbit.
The 1951, 5th overall printing, or the 1st printing of the 2nd Edition (1951).

A Near Fine book, with a Very Good dustjacket.

The original dust jacket has small chips and tears at the spine ends, folds and edges, with tanning and spotting, especially to the reverse.
The stated 5th impression dustjacket is original to the book, and has protected it well over the years.
It is not price clipped and still shows "8s 6d. net", to the front flap.
Stated 5th impression on title verso, one of 1,800 copies printed (UK) and bound from November 1950 thru March 1953 (per Hammond and Anderson).

The text block is generally clean and bright, with light age-toning and a few spots to the page edges, bound in the green colored original cloth, stamped in dark blue, from the publisher.
Shows no shelf wear or rubbing, no soiling to note, or bumped corners. A beautiful clean bright copy, only slightly marked or faded.

Contains the full color frontispiece "The Hill: Hobbiton-across-the Water", as well as the original line drawings by Tolkien.
The red-and-black endpaper maps remain clear, with a few pale spots and light toning.
No other writing or marks.

A well-preserved copy in its original dust jacket.
The first to incorporate the changes to help conform the tale of The Hobbit to the 'Lord of the Rings' story line.
A good copy of the 2nd edition, the 5th printing overall, and notable for the revisions by Tolkien to chapter 5, 'Riddles in the Dark'. As Tolkien was writing The Lord of the Rings he became aware of the inconsistencies in the character of Gollum, who originally was less demented and corrupted by his association with the Ring, and therefore at odds with his desperate obsession with the Ring in Lord of the Rings, hence the substantial revisions to chapter 5 in this present edition.

The first printing of the revised second edition of The Hobbit, with the rewritten “Riddles in the Dark” and its original fifth-impression dust jacket.

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