J.R.R. Tolkien’s ‘De Hobbit,’ Dutch Paperback, First Printing

Published by Prisma-Boeken, First Edition (1960), Utrecht/Antwerpen: Het Spectrum.

Dutch edition of De Hobbit of daarheen en weer terug, translated by Max Schuchart.

A true collectible: the very first Dutch edition of J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Hobbit, published in 1960 by Prisma-Boeken (Het Spectrum), translated by Max Schuchart. This pocket-sized paperback features the distinctive illustrated cover by Cees Kelfkens, with a playful design of Bilbo and the dwarves set against a vivid magenta background.

Condition report:
The covers show rubbing, edge and corner wear and creasing, including a long crease across the front cover. The colours remain bright.

A previous owner's name is written in blue ink on the half-title. The paper is browned, with scattered spotting, including spots on the title page. There is an opening in the inner gutter at the title-page spread.

The illustrated pages include Thrors kaart.

The copyright page confirms the 1960 first printing, with copyright held by George Allen & Unwin Ltd. and Dutch publication by Het Spectrum. The contents page lists all 19 chapters, with pagination consistent to this edition.

The final pages contain publisher advertisements for other Prisma-Boeken titles and a promotional extract for In de ban van de ring (The Lord of the Rings), also translated by Max Schuchart.

This is the first Dutch printing of The Hobbit, with the distinctive cover by Cees Kelfkens.

First Dutch printing of De Hobbit – a foundational collectible in any serious Tolkien collection.

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