I pre-ordered my Silmarillion and ate it up when it came out.
I also own the (to me) very interesting
A Guide To Middle Earth by Robert Foster -- first printing
1974, cover art Tim Kirk (Galadriel is of the House of
Finarphir) -- includes an ad for a boxed set of
The Hobbit and
The Lord of the Rings for five dollars.
To order by mail, send one dollar and fifty cents per book plus twenty five cents per order for handling.
I'm ordering today