The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring, The Two Towers, The Return of the King

A very smart set of early editions of J R R Tolkien's Lord of the Rings with jackets in bright, very good plus condition. All dating from 1960 these are the eighth, seventh and sixth impression of the first edition of the three novels, acquired together and with one careful owner since they were first bought - her signature appears on each of the three flyleaves. Internally all three novels are fine with the maps present at the rear of all three volumes. The gilt spine lettering to the three books is bright and the red boards unmarked, with good sharp corners. The Fellowship has the ninth impression jacket as happened quite frequently when Allen and Unwin printed more books than jackets: dark mark to lower panel of jacket. The Two Towers has a bump to the lower panel of the jacket with a closed tear that has been sealed shut but which also caused a dent to the lower board beneath it. Minimal scuffing along the top of the jackets which are brighter and cleaner than usually seen on these titles retaining the original light grey colour without staining. Not price-clipped. No sign of the text ever having been read. Overall a very crisp set in highly collectable condition.