The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien - First Edition, Fourth Impression (1946) with Original Dust Jacket.

Rare first edition, fourth impression (1946) of J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Hobbit, featuring the original dust jacket and illustrations by the author. In very good condition with minor foxing and a clean text block. Perfect for Tolkien collectors.

The Hobbit
J.R.R. Tolkien
First Edition, Fourth Impression (1946)
Published by George Allen & Unwin, London
Illustrated by J.R.R. Tolkien

Rare Collectible Edition of The Hobbit - Featuring Tolkien’s Illustrations and Original Gollum Encounter

A beautiful first edition, fourth impression (1946) copy of J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Hobbit, in its original dust jacket. The book is bound in green cloth featuring the distinctive black illustration of Smaug, drawn by Tolkien himself. This edition is one of 4,032 copies printed.

The original dust jacket retains bright colours and Tolkien’s distinctive design. It shows edge tears, chipping and losses at the head and foot of the spine. Old tape repairs and associated discolouration are visible on the reverse, with browning along the upper edges of the flaps. The front flap retains the printed price of 7s. 6d. net. The detailed photographs show the jacket’s wear and repairs.

Book Condition is very good. The green cloth cover with the black illustration of Smaug is in very good condition, with minimal shelf wear on the corners and edges. The spine remains solid and firm. There is some very minor foxing present on the front endpapers and on a few pages (notably pages 30-31 and 170-174), but otherwise, the pages are clean and free of markings. The map endpapers (featuring Thror’s Map and the Map of Wilderland) are intact and clear.

The binding is in excellent condition, holding firm with no loose pages. The text block is clean, with minor toning on the edges.
There is a previous owner’s name on an early blank leaf, as shown in the photographs.
All illustrations are present and in excellent condition. This fourth impression includes a colour frontispiece and eight black-and-white illustrations by Tolkien.

This edition contains the original version of Bilbo’s encounter with Gollum, before the revised text appeared in the second edition of 1951. Tolkien’s own artwork is featured in both the dust jacket and the book itself.

This fourth impression was published in 1946, with a limited run of 4,032 copies. The first impression of The Hobbit was published in 1937, and all four impressions of the first edition feature the original unaltered text of the famous encounter with Gollum, making these early printings highly collectible.

A fourth impression of the first edition, retaining the original Gollum encounter and Tolkien’s original dust-jacket design.

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