The Two Towers & The Return of the King in the original dust jackets (The Fellowship of the Ring has a replacement dust jacket).

Red cloth binding with gilt title on the spine. Dimensions are for one volume. Maps: Each volume contains a fold-out map at the rear and undamaged.

• We provide an in-depth photographic presentation of this item to stimulate your feeling and touch. More traditional book descriptions are immediately available

• Note: This book carries a £5.00 discount to those that subscribe to the F.B.A. mailing list

For conditions, please view our photographs. A nice clean original book set from the library gathered by the famous Cambridge Don, computer scientist, food and wine connoisseur, Jack Arnold LANG.

                            Jack was a big fan of Tolkien

Valuation Note: A three-volume set of J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings published by George Allen & Unwin in 1965 typically sells for several hundred to over a thousand British pounds (£GBP), depending heavily on the specific impressions of each volume and their condition.

The year 1965 falls within the publication dates of the second edition, revised, which began in 1966. Therefore, a set printed in 1965 is more likely to contain a mix of impressions from the first edition (originally published 1954-1955).

Key Factors Affecting Value

The value of your specific set depends on several key details:

• Edition and Impression: While all were printed in 1965, each volume (“The Fellowship of the Ring,” “The Two Towers,” and “The Return of the King”) will have its own specific “impression” (or printing number) listed on the copyright page. Earlier impressions of the first edition are generally more valuable.

• Condition: The physical condition of the books is crucial. Factors like clean pages, tight bindings, and minimal wear significantly increase value.

• Dust Jackets: The presence and condition of the original dust jackets are perhaps the most important factor. Unclipped, bright, and intact dust jackets can double or triple the value of the set.

Estimated Value Range (Based on Recent Sales)

Prices on the market can vary widely:

• Set without dust jackets or in poor condition: Around £40 to £300 GBP.

• Set in very good condition with good dust jackets: Around £495 to £1,200 GBP.

• Set in fine condition with unclipped dust jackets (earlier impressions): Can reach £1,650 GBP or more.

John Ronald Reuel Tolkien (3 January 1892 – 2 September 1973) was an English writer and philologist. He was the author of the high fantasy works The Hobbit (1937) and The Lord of the Rings (1954–55).

From 1925 to 1945 Tolkien was the Rawlinson and Bosworth Professor of Anglo-Saxon and a Fellow of Pembroke College, both at the University of Oxford. He then moved within the same university to become the Merton Professor of English Language and Literature and Fellow of Merton College, and held these positions from 1945 until his retirement in 1959. Tolkien was a close friend of C. S. Lewis, a co-member of the Inklings, an informal literary discussion group. He was appointed a Commander of the Order of the British Empire by Queen Elizabeth II on 28 March 1972.

After Tolkien’s death his son Christopher published a series of works based on his father’s extensive notes and unpublished manuscripts, including The Silmarillion. These, together with The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings, form a connected body of tales, poems, fictional histories, invented languages, and literary essays about a fantasy world called Arda and, within it, Middle-earth. Between 1951 and 1955 Tolkien applied the term legendarium to the larger part of these writings.

While many other authors had published works of fantasy before Tolkien, the tremendous success of The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings ignited a profound interest in the fantasy genre and ultimately precipitated an avalanche of new fantasy books and authors. This has led to his popular identification as the “father” of modern fantasy literature. He is widely regarded as one of the most influential authors of all time.