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Do you have $14,300 laying Around - A First UK Edition/Fist Impression of The Hobbit on eBay

July 14, 2000
Submitted By Jonathan

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The Cover
The rate that these books are making their appearance on eBay is increasing. I would love to be able to afford this copy. But for those of you, like me, who can only afford to window shop, wish and to dream head on over to eBay and check it out.

"I would like to explain to new collectors of Tolkien, who may not be aware which editions are more valuble, why this specific copy of the Hobbit is so rare.

"The Hobbit is John Ronald Reuel Tolkien first literary work. It was published in the United-Kingdom in 1937 by Allen&Unwin in a very small number of copies, since it was intended for the small local UK market and Tolkien at the time was only a starting writer who did not justify a larger print.


Inside
"Not only was it a very small local print to begin with, but during the Nazi air raids on the UK in 1940, during World War 2,423 copies of the 1st edition are known to have been destroyed.

In addition, many more copies were lost during the 63 years that passed since this book was printed in 1937, Tolkien did not became famous until the much later publication of Lord of the Rings in 1954-1955, and just like any other children's book, the few copies of the 1st/1st UK Hobbit suffered the normal damage and lost that children's book are subject to in the hands of young readers. So the actual number of copies to survive to this day is very very small. This amazing copy is one of the very few survivors to reach the 21st century...


Inside
"There are currently only 2 known copies of this 1st/1st UK edition of the Hobbit for sale anywhere in the world as far as I know. One is a superb copy with the original dust jacket and covers which sells for over 72,000$ (this is not a typing mistake, yes it costs 72,000$), the other is a copy very similar to this one, it is a re-bound copy with Tolkien's signature which sells for 35,000$."

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