TRUE FIRST PRINTING!
The Lord of The Rings
by JRR TOLKIEN
Leather Bound
Gilt Embellished
Slipcased ~ Collector's Edition
TRUE FIRST PRINTINGThese pictures are for reference only and not of the physical item being sold although the covers and content are the same. Please see physical description below...
eBay Mobile Users: SEE FULL DESCRIPTION!Offered for the collector is this EXQUISITE leatherbound version of JRR Tolkien's classic, The Lord of the Rings.
Designed to emulate the Red Book of Westmarch, this edition is sometimes called "The Collector's Edition".
The Red Book of Westmarch (sometimes Red Book of the Periannath, and The Downfall of the Lord of the Rings, also known as the Thain's Book after its principal version) is the book in which the events of The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings were written.
As Tolkien followers know, The (original) Red Book was a single volume, bound in red leather and kept in a red case. For a detailed accounting of The Red Book of Westmarch CLICK HERE! You may return here by using the back button on your browser, but the following paragraph is a very short synopsis...
The Red Book was written by Bilbo and his heir Frodo Baggins, and contained both their adventures, as well as a lot of background information which the Bagginses collected. The Book was started by Bilbo, recounting his quest of Erebor, which he called There and Back Again. He gave the Book to Frodo at Rivendell after completing it, and Frodo organized Bilbo's manuscript and used it to write down his own quest during the War of the Ring. The title page was inscribed with various titles that had been subsequently crossed out: (see page 307 in ROTK)
My Diary: My Unexpected Journey.
There and Back Again. And What Happened After.
The Adventures of Five Hobbits. The Tale of the Great Ring, compiled by
Bilbo Baggins from his own observations and the accounts of his friends.
What we did in the War of the Ring.
Here Bilbo's hand ended and Frodo had written:
THE DOWNFALL
OF THE
LORD OF THE RINGS
AND THE
RETURN OF THE KING
(as seen by the Little People; being the memoirs of Bilbo and
Frodo of the Shire, supplemented by the accounts of their friends
and the learning of the Wise.)
Together with extracts from Books of Lore translated by Bilbo
in Rivendell.
Obviously, this is NOT the Red Book of Westmarch but as stated earlier, was designed to emulate that book. It is the complete, unabridged and full novel of The Lord of the Rings including all appendices AND a huge pull out map. It is an exquisite edition and should be in every Tolkien collection. IMPORTANT INFO: This is a TRUE first edition, first printing from 1974, released roughly 6 months after Tolkien died! The copyright page says simply FIRST PRINTING COLLECTOR'S EDITION with the copyright dates of 1965 & 1966 (the dates the text was copyrighted) and contains no publisher's print line as issued. Subsequent printings had the descending numberline. The title page has the date of 1974 on it, the actual year it was first printed. It is a VERY RARE copy indeed, especially in this condition! I know I am asking a premium for this book, but a first printing is almost never seen, and if it does not sell, I will keep it rather than reduce the price, because frankly, it's worth more than I am asking, but I paid a reasonable price for it so I am offering it as seen.
NOTE ABOUT IMPROPER STORAGE! This book is a very heavy book and should be properly stored on a bookshelf in it's slipcase. However, many times it is stored laying down with the spine up (so you can see the title). After a short period of time, the weight of the pages causes the books' spine to slump, or bend inwards. MOST used copies currently available have this storage anomaly evident and few sellers mention it! If you are paying a premium price for a copy of this book, you deserve to get one that is not slumping or inwardly bent. If the offering does not mention this, I'd ask if I were you!A true collectors dream, see the physical description follows...
To see all of the Tolkien items I am selling whether on sale or not, CLICK HERE!!
SPECIAL OFFER: This is one of MANY GIFT EDITIONS I am selling including special editions of Harry Potter and Lord of the Rings books. If you buy any combination of 3, I will ship them all free of postage via media mail, anywhere in the USA!To see all the gift editions that qualify, CLICK HERE or go to the ADVANCED SEARCH in eBay and copy and paste the word ALANSGIFTEDITIONS into the eBay search box, and then check the SEARCH TITLE AND DESCRIPTIONS box.
TO GET THE FREE SHIPPING, FOLLOW THE INSTRUCTIONS BELOW! 
If you don't, I can't go back and fix it later!
by JRR TOLKIEN
Leather Bound
Gilt Embellished
Slipcased ~ Collector's Edition
TRUE FIRST PRINTINGThese pictures are for reference only and not of the physical item being sold although the covers and content are the same. Please see physical description below...
TRUE FIRST PRINTINGThese pictures are for reference only and not of the physical item being sold although the covers and content are the same. Please see physical description below...
The title page was inscribed with various titles that had been subsequently crossed out: (see page 307 in ROTK)
There and Back Again. And What Happened After.
The Adventures of Five Hobbits. The Tale of the Great Ring, compiled by
Bilbo Baggins from his own observations and the accounts of his friends.
What we did in the War of the Ring.
Here Bilbo's hand ended and Frodo had written:
OF THE
LORD OF THE RINGS
AND THE
RETURN OF THE KING
(as seen by the Little People; being the memoirs of Bilbo and
Frodo of the Shire, supplemented by the accounts of their friends
and the learning of the Wise.)
Together with extracts from Books of Lore translated by Bilbo
in Rivendell.
A true collectors dream, see the physical description follows...
SPECIAL OFFER: This is one of MANY GIFT EDITIONS I am selling including special editions of Harry Potter and Lord of the Rings books. If you buy any combination of 3, I will ship them all free of postage via media mail, anywhere in the USA! To see all the gift editions that qualify, CLICK HERE or go to the ADVANCED SEARCH in eBay and copy and paste the word ALANSGIFTEDITIONS into the eBay search box, and then check the SEARCH TITLE AND DESCRIPTIONS box. TO GET THE FREE SHIPPING, FOLLOW THE INSTRUCTIONS BELOW! If you don't, I can't go back and fix it later!
For any of the literally hundreds of other items, there are links above and below and if you have any requests, by all means let me know and if I have it, I'll list if for you right away~ (No off-eBay Sales)
Regarding Auctions & the Item... I am a private collector of art, books, music (10,000 records alone!) and "stuff" and am very picky about what I buy. I don't like surprises when I buy things from auctions any more than you do. I promise everything there is to know about this item is in this description. I also do not subscribe to "grading" as frankly, grading is totally inconsistent and most of the "graders" TRULY have no clue, so I will use plain English if it is OK with you...
This particular copy appears to be previously read and VERY gently handled! It is in VERY clean condition overall with book clean and bright, the slipcase showing a minimal amount of shelfwear and it has been properly stored so the binding is not slumping, just beautiful. A FEW WORDS ON TOLKIEN COLLECTIBILITY...I have been collecting Tolkien books for over 30 years and it really galls me to find people selling items for ridiculous prices claiming they are "rare" or "highly collectible"; and what's worse is, naive people are paying it~! The fact is, there are relatively few "RARE" Tolkien items on eBay and most of the stuff claimed as such, just isn't. Granted, some may be hard to find, but not rare. In order to be a VALUABLE collectible, the books need to be immaculate or close to it, a scarce or extremely early printing of an early edition and if it comes with a dust jacket, that too should be close to fine. Otherwise, they are just common items not worth much, but people are paying gobs of cash, caught up in the frenzy.
Before you pay high bucks For over a decade, I have sold tens of thousands of items on eBay and have only received a handful of complaints about the accuracy in my descriptions. Having met eBay standards for excellence in trading, you may bid with confidence knowing you will get what you THINK you are bidding on! Please check my feedback. It is a record I am very proud of...
I have LOTS of music items, and tons of books available for purchase. Please check my other offerings to see if there is anything else you might be interested in for combined shipping. There are links above and below and why not bookmark my site to make it easier to find at a later date!Â
As you can see by the pictures above and right, this exquisite book is a collectors dream!!! The book is bound in red leather with beautiful gilt and colored embellishments to the cover and spine. The hard slipcase is covered in the same material as the book but is unadorned
PAYMENT TERMS: Pretty simple. Pay me, I send it!
Why Are My Shipping & Handling Costs a Bit Higher than Other Sellers? Please Read on...
GUARANTEED DELIVERY OR YOUR MONEY BACK!I really DO CARE about when and how your product gets to you. Because the post office is so incredibly inept, I ONLY SHIP domestic packages INSURED, which is AUTOMATICALLY INCLUDED in the shipping cost, and that is not free as the post office charges for it. If your parcel gets lost OR damaged in freight, your item will be replaced if one is available OR you will be completely refunded!
IMPORTANT MONEY SAVING TIP! If you are buying more than one of my items and would like to SAVE MONEY by COMBINING SHIPPING costs, I will be happy to do so, but eBay has now made it more difficult to get discounts by confusing people with "Buy it Now" and "Add to Cart" options on non-auction style pages. If you are buying one item from a seller use the Buy it Now. BUT IF YOU WANT COMBINED or FREE SHIPPING, DO NOT USE THE BUY IT NOW button! Instead, select ADD TO CART. Then use your BACK button on your browser and select the other items you want that qualify using ADD TO CART each time. When you are finished, look for the shopping cart icon at the top right corner of your eBay page and click on it. Find the blue button which reads COMMIT TO BUY & SEND REQUEST. Once done, the items will be held and I will create a single invoice with either combined or free shipping. NOTE: I cannot retroactively go back and combine items that are not purchased in this manner so PLEASE PAY ATTENTION.
Once you receive your invoice, payment is expected promptly! All of the payment info you need will be listed including multiple shipment options.
Since I am a legitimate business, California deliveries will require sales tax.
PAYMENT OPTIONS:I accept Credit Cards, eChecks and electronic transfers with 
. Unfortunately, direct bank transfers are not offered due to cost and security concerns. As I reside in the USA, all payments must be made in US Dollars & Cents.
If you want it in a week or less, you are going to have to bite the bullet and pay for Priority Mail which will get it there in 2-3 working days, 99% of the time, but it is more expensive. Basically, the choice is yours, but if you choose media mail, please don't write to me in 5 days asking where your package is, because the post office will have it and most of the time, they don't have a clue! International deliveries all go by Priority Mail and usually arrive within 1-2 weeks. BE AWARE, you may need to pay Customs fees over which I have no control!
SHIPPING INFO: IMPORTANT!! I can ONLY SHIP to the address as noted in PAYPAL'S "TRANSACTION DETAILS". If you want it shipped to an alternate location, you will need to register that address BEFORE paying or it will be shipped to the registered address.Shipping costs will be determined by weight & destination! You may click on the SHIPPING & PAYMENT tab found at the top of the page, just under the item's picture for all shipping options to all destinations both domestic and international. There you will find drop down boxes for your location and you can then use the shipping calculator to determine the correct cost for where you live.
Media Mail (once known as 4th class mail) is a special class of postage for books, music, videos and other printed media available within the US and territories. It is far less expensive than Priority Mail, but - it ..... is ........... slooowwwww!!!! Despite USPS claims of 3-9 day delivery times, MEDIA MAIL CAN actually TAKE UP TO 3 WEEKS to arrive, and their tracking info is frequently not updated until it actually arrives, making that feature pretty useless! PLEASE remember this when you leave feedback scores as the choice is yours and not my fault if it takes a long time to get there! If you want it in a week or less, you are going to have to bite the bullet and pay for Priority Mail which will get it there in 2-3 working days, 99% of the time, but it is more expensive. Basically, the choice is yours, but if you choose media mail, please don't write to me in 5 days asking where your package is, because the post office will have it and most of the time, they don't have a clue!
International deliveries usually arrive within 1-2 weeks but CAN take up to a month! Faster shipping is available on request, but expensive. Import duties, taxes and charges are not included in the item price or shipping charges. These charges are the buyer's responsibility. You can check with your country's customs office to determine what these additional costs will be prior to bidding/buying. Finally, we do not mark merchandise values below value or mark items as "gifts"; it is illegal and immoral.
Questions? Ask and I'll try to answer...
Please check out the other "lovely" items I have just waiting for you by
CLICKING HERE!
Thanks so much for looking and bidding on my items ~Alan.
Once you receive your invoice, payment is expected promptly! All of the payment info you need will be listed including multiple shipment options.
Since I am a legitimate business, California deliveries will require sales tax.
PAYMENT OPTIONS: International deliveries all go by Priority Mail and usually arrive within 1-2 weeks. BE AWARE, you may need to pay Customs fees over which I have no control!
SHIPPING INFO: IMPORTANT!! I can ONLY SHIP to the address as noted in PAYPAL'S "TRANSACTION DETAILS". If you want it shipped to an alternate location, you will need to register that address BEFORE paying or it will be shipped to the registered address. Shipping costs will be determined by weight & destination! You may click on the SHIPPING & PAYMENT tab found at the top of the page, just under the item's picture for all shipping options to all destinations both domestic and international. There you will find drop down boxes for your location and you can then use the shipping calculator to determine the correct cost for where you live.
Questions? Ask and I'll try to answer...
IMPORTANT MONEY SAVING TIP! If you are buying more than one of my items and would like to SAVE MONEY by COMBINING SHIPPING costs, I will be happy to do so, but eBay has now made it more difficult to get discounts by confusing people with "Buy it Now" and "Add to Cart" options on non-auction style pages. If you are buying one item from a seller use the Buy it Now. BUT IF YOU WANT COMBINED or FREE SHIPPING, DO NOT USE THE BUY IT NOW button! Instead, select ADD TO CART. Then use your BACK button on your browser and select the other items you want that qualify using ADD TO CART each time. When you are finished, look for the shopping cart icon at the top right corner of your eBay page and click on it. Find the blue button which reads COMMIT TO BUY & SEND REQUEST. Once done, the items will be held and I will create a single invoice with either combined or free shipping. NOTE: I cannot retroactively go back and combine items that are not purchased in this manner so PLEASE PAY ATTENTION.
.Media Mail (once known as 4th class mail) is a special class of postage for books, music, videos and other printed media available within the US and territories. It is far less expensive than Priority Mail, but - it ..... is ........... slooowwwww!!!! Despite USPS claims of 3-9 day delivery times, MEDIA MAIL CAN actually TAKE UP TO 3 WEEKS to arrive, and their tracking info is frequently not updated until it actually arrives, making that feature pretty useless! PLEASE remember this when you leave feedback scores as the choice is yours and not my fault if it takes a long time to get there! If you want it in a week or less, you are going to have to bite the bullet and pay for Priority Mail which will get it there in 2-3 working days, 99% of the time, but it is more expensive. Basically, the choice is yours, but if you choose media mail, please don't write to me in 5 days asking where your package is, because the post office will have it and most of the time, they don't have a clue!