The Lord of the Rings (Hors de Commerce Copy)

The Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien. London: The Folio Society, 1977. Sixth, seventh and seventh printing of the 1997 reprint (with a new binding), this being part of the limited run of 1750 copies that were bound by Smith Settle in 2002 in full gold-blocked leather and issued as a ‘limited edition’ in a slip case with leather ends. 

The present copy is an Hors de Commerce copy, marked as O/S and Not for Resale, and it is a copy that belonged to the principal craftsman who dressed leather for The Folio Society (as well as this edition) for close to 15 years.

Description

3 vols (see below). Type: Barbou with Libra for display. Printed at The Bath Press, Bath on St Paul's Wove paper. Bound by Smith Settle of Otley in Wassa goatskin with hand-woven Indian silk sides, with lettering gold-blocked to spine, top edges gilt and ribbon markers; endleaves with a map in dark blue. Housed in a full leather slipcase with scalloped edges and with title, author and decorative motifs (by calligrapher John Andrew) gold-blocked to right-hand panel. 

The illustrator, ‘Ingahild Grathmer’, was in fact Queen Margrethe II of Denmark. Tolkien had seen her sketches and been favourably impressed, so, despite his stated opposition to an illustrated edition of the trilogy, his executors were persuaded to allow this edition to proceed. The Queen’s designs were redrawn by Fraser – it is said, to their considerable improvement. Margrethe’s drawings (in Fraser’s redrawn versions) were also used in a Danish translation published in 2001. 

The three volumes are as follows: 

[1] J.R.R. Tolkien, The Fellowship of the Ring, being the First Part of The Lord of the Rings. Pp. [1–7] 8–459 [460–464]. The illustrations consist of four full-page drawings (including the frontispiece) and 21 head-pieces. 

[2] J.R.R. Tolkien, The Two Towers, being the Second Part of The Lord of the Rings. Pp. [1–9] 10–372 [373–376]. The illustrations consist of three full-page drawings (including the frontispiece) and 20 head-pieces. 

[3] J.R.R. Tolkien, The Return of the King, being the Third Part of The Lord of the Rings. Pp. [1–7] 8–487 [488]. The illustrations consist of three full-page drawings (including the frontispiece) and 16 head-pieces.

Provenance

This set comes from the personal library of Mr John Riches who dressed leather for The Folio Society for almost 15 years between early 2000s and 2015, and supplied the binders they nominated. Mr Riches worked on the leather of this beautiful set and was then gifted it by Kenneth Settle, the Founder and then-Director and Owner of Smith Settle.

Condition

Near-fine with the lightest wear to edges and boards; a beautiful, unread set. In like slipcase with just minor shelf-wear. A lovely opportunity to acquire a set that belonged to one of the main contributors to the project.