The Lord of the Rings. The Fellowship of the Ring; The Two Towers; The Return of the King.

First editions, eighth, seventh, and sixth impressions, all published the same year; 3 vols; 8vo (23 x 15 cm); each vol. with folding map printed in red and black to rear; full red crushed morocco, spines lettered and tooled in gilt in 6 banded compartments, all edges gilt, minor wear, a near fine set; 423, [1]; 352; [6], 11-416pp. A lovely example of Tolkien's modern classic sumptuously bound in full red morocco gilt. Named Britain's best book in the BBC's inaugural The Big Read survey of 2003, The Lord of the Rings regularly features in lists of the world's greatest novels, and continues to be one of the most published works of all time. At first, Tolkien intended the the books to be a children's tale in the style of The Hobbit but The Lord of the Rings quickly grew darker and more serious in tone. Though a direct sequel to The Hobbit, it addressed an older audience, drawing on the immense back-story of Beleriand that Tolkien had constructed in previous years and which eventually saw posthumous publication in The Silmarillion and other volumes. Tolkien's influence continues to weigh heavily on the fantasy genre, the popularity of which grew following the success of The Lord of the Rings.…