The Lord of the Rings The Two Towers The Return of the King

TOLKIEN, J.R.R. The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring; The Two Towers; The Return of the King. London: George Allen & Unwin Ltd; Boston: Houghton Mifflin Company, 1961. Three octavo volumes. First edition, early impressions (tenth impression of The Fellowship of the Ring, eighth impression of The Two Towers, and seventh impression of The Return of the King). Finely rebound in full crimson morocco. Covers framed with double gilt fillets, centering an elaborate gilt ring and Sauron's Eye design encircled by Elvish script in gold. Spines with raised bands, framed in gilt with dual contrasting black morocco lettering pieces stamped in gilt, and Tolkien's monogram tooled in gold within the bottom compartment. Hand-marbled endpapers in red, gold, and black; gilt-ruled turn-ins; all edges brightly gilt. Folding maps printed in red and black, in exceptionally crisp condition. Internally bright and clean, without marks and no foxing. A superb set inside and out. Housed in a custom cloth-and-leather clamshell box. A stunning, masterfully bound 1961 set of Tolkien's landmark high fantasy trilogy. The text blocks are clean, supple, and bright throughout, with all folding maps intact and free of misfolds or tears. The binding and clamshell case are immaculate, presenting as an exhibition-grade centerpiece copy of the foundational fantasy work of the twentieth century. .…