Favourite Edition? - The Barrow-Downs Discussion Forum

Child of the 7th Age · 10-06-2005, 09:19 AM

I have avoided this thread, since I knew I would run off at the mouth. Please bear with me. I am not only a long-time Tolkien fan but a special collections librarian by training. This can be a dangerous combination! I've collected Tolkien and Tolkien criticism off and on from the early 60's. For endless years, I was a student so had virtually no money in my pocket and learned to be creative about acquiring the books I wanted.

When the movies came out, and our family's budget loosened just a tad, I went temporarily berserk. Because of the internet and the fact that people were unearthing treasures out of their attic, you could find older editions that had been virtually unavailable before. Most of the early books I had casually picked up were published in the U.S since this is where I live. One of the nicest things about the movie upsurge was that I suddenly had access to a ton of material published in England, The lure was irresistable. The downside of all this was that prices for some things went through the ceiling and have never totally come down, at least not yet.

I am not an organized or picky collector. Some people know exactly what they want and confine themselves to collecting a particular title, publisher, era, whatever. Other people see their collecting as an "investment" and want their books in pristine condition. Because of this, they hide their "rarest" editions behind closed glass and never touch them.

None of this applies to me. I buy an edition because I love it or find something about it intriguing. I am an inveterate bargain hunter. I haunt library book sales and used bookstores. I will lurk for months on e-bay to get a particular edition at a bargain basement price. Many of my books are old and tatty, since I have read and re-read them many times. I collect paperbacks, hard covers, calendars, and old posters with equal glee. I do get a kick when I see that something I picked up for a few dollars at a garage sale has suddenly skyrocketed in price. But that's not why I do this. There are editions out there that are true works of art because of the quality of the illustrations or binding. And I find the publishing history of these books fascinating. It tells us so much about how different readers and generations have responded to Tolkien.

I have so many favorites I hardly know where to start. I love my early ACE and hippy Ballentine paperbacks. The latter are first printing, but hang together with tape. I also love anything illustrated by Pauline Baynes. One of my prize possessions is a signed bookplate with Farmer Giles and dragon that Baynes designed for her friend and book dealer Rene van Rossenberg. Rossenberg's shop has editions and titles I've never seen anywhere else. Most of Baynes' work appears as illustrations or covers for the Hobbit and Tolkien's minor works, but there is a one-volume edition of LotR, the earliest one the publishers put out, which has a lovely dustjacket that she did. I also like the Harper Collins 1992 India paper edition. The slipcase doesn't look like anything special but the volume is so well put together, plus it is light and easy to handle because of the "Bible" paper. And I love the gigantic clunky one-volume Alan Lee centenary edition (1992) that has those wonderful illustrations.

I've sometimes wondered which editions I would take with me if I was exiled to a desert island. Recently, when Rita threatened to hit Houston, I had the chance to find this out. Our family was making plans to evacuate. In the midst of scrambling around to safeguard my kids and pets, I managed to put some of my Tolkien books on a high closet shelf, hoping they would survive the anticipated flood. At the very last minute, I shovelled a few books into my suitcase. It was interesting to me to see what I chose. I guess when pinch came to shove, these have to be my favorites. I took the quirky old hardcover LotR put out by Houghton Mifflin, because it had so many memories of my days in college from the late 60s and the equally weird 1960 Readers' Union set (the earliest Book Club edition), which was the first hardcover intended for "the workingman". (It is the second row, under the hardcover British first editions.) I just like the idea of that. It has no illustrations and a strange cover that I doubt Tolkien appreciated, but this would definitely have to be the set that Samwise owned!

BTW, if anyone wants to learn more about a particular book they own, I would recommend visiting the Tolkien Collectors Forum. Occasionally, someone like Wayne Hammond will post on the site, and some of these people really know their stuff. BTW, if you have an older book that lacks the "real" dustjacket, you can sometimes pick up a facsimile here. Just insert the name Tolkien in the search line at the top and a page will come up.

***Mister Underhill*** · 10-06-2005, 10:10 AM

Wow, Child, I'd love to get a tour of your collection. I'm especially intrigued by the "India Paper" edition -- it sounds so exotic. I guess it is, considering that according to amazon.uk, only a thousand were published. Why such a limited run? I'd love to own one.

I dig your philosophy of collecting. Books are meant to be read, not sealed in plastic or locked under glass.

Hilde Bracegirdle · 10-06-2005, 10:46 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Child of the 7th Age

I have avoided this thread, since I knew I would run off at the mouth.

So glad you decided to post!!! That was a real treat!

But for enshrining books, I'm guilty to an extent, I suppose. The books I truly love, I tend to have a copy to read and a copy (hardback) to keep on the bookshelf in case of emergency. I have come to believe that these fancier copies are 'put away' in order to ease the heartache when the old paperbacks finally do turn to dust.

Aiwendil · 10-06-2005, 02:45 PM

Mister Underill wrote:

Quote:

How are the books-on-tape, by the way? I've been wondering if there is a good BoT edition but haven't taken the initiative to look for one.
Quote:

Overall, I like them a lot. Inglis does most of the voices quite well - each is somewhat distinctive, but it's never overdone. There are a few characters, I admit, for whom his voices don't quite match up with my imagination - Theoden in particular. His singing isn't bad either, and the tunes are fairly close to what I had imagined.

Lalwendë · 10-06-2005, 04:51 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mister Underhill

I dig your philosophy of collecting. Books are meant to be read, not sealed in plastic or locked under glass.

One book which I saw at Tolkien 2005 in the Dealers' Room was most definitely kept under glass. Songs for the Philologists. The number of copies available are said to be as few as 14. As far as I know, nobody bought it.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Child

Most of Baynes' work appears as illustrations or covers for the Hobbit and Tolkien's minor works, but there is a one-volume edition of LotR, the earliest one the publishers put out, which has a lovely dustjacket that she did.

That dustjacket is the cover for FotR and RotK in my favourite set - I get this strange sense when I look at the Fellowship cover that I am about to go off on an adventure. It's possibly my younger self thinking this, but it's a powerful memory very easily recalled.

The edition of The Hobbit that I love the most is this one with Smaug on the cover, which I have two copies of, one to keep for sentimental reasons (the first one I read, which goes with my oldest LotR set) and one to read. I also have an edition illustrated by Michael hague which has pages of text missing so is possibly a curiosity, and a paperback of the smae which I got for 50p.

I also have this one on my desk at work, this one to match my Grafton set and the Alan Lee one.

One book which has incredible sentimental value is one which davem gave to me, even before we met (which shows how lovely he really is

) and that's the Ted Nasmith Silmarillion. For everyday use at home I use another of my brother's old copies, this one and at work I have another Roger Garland edition which cost me 20p.

Azaelia of Willowbottom · 10-06-2005, 05:08 PM

My favorite edition is my favorite because of sentimental value. It was my mom's before it was mine. The three books are separate and were printed in 1973 by Ballantine, although the copyright is from 1965.

My mom was a hippie, and these books were hers. They are the books that I was first introduced to LOTR with...and they are now rather battered, in spite of my efforts to keep them neat and clean and nice. There is nothing like reading them for me. They have that unique smell that I associate with the LOTR reading experience, an old-book, lived-in, friendly sort of smell. I have the Fellowship volume on my table here as I type, and if I touch it, I can feel a kind of electricity, a demand to open it up and read it. If I hold it close to me, I can smell the invitation to read. A book for me (but this story in particular) is an experience that not only captures my heart and mind, but is also physical, right down to the smell of the paper and ink, the feel of the pages at my fingertips (soft and worn, yellow around the edges with time).

I have my own copy of LOTR, a paperback 3-in-one from Houghton-Mifflin in 2001, though I have noticed an error or two in there...though I am by no means an expert. But there's else something missing in it, because it wasn't the first LOTR I read. It's different. And I can't really explain why.

One of my friends and I got lost once in an Alan Lee illustrated version of LOTR. We were visiting the Tolkien aisle in our local book store and stopped to ooh and ahh over the wonderful pictures. If I had enough money, that is what I would buy. I love his art.

Bêthberry · 10-06-2005, 05:08 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Lalwendë

One book which I saw at Tolkien 2005 in the Dealers' Room was most definitely kept under glass. Songs for the Philologists. The number of copies available are said to be as few as 14. As far as I know, nobody bought it.

It's a pity Squatter wasn't there, Lal--or at least not that he's told us

--as this sounds exactly up his alley. I do recall him spending a fair bundle on a LotR first edition, which he generously showed some us one memorable afternoon in the Bird and Baby.

You didn't happen to remember the going rate, did you? Not that I would buy it for Squatter. A bidding war, though ....

Lalaith · 10-07-2005, 04:18 PM

You know, I have to confess that the LotR edition I use most often these days is the pdf one I keep on my computer desktop. Very handy for searching...

The first Tolkien book I ever saw, when I was small, was this one: http://www.tolkienbooks.net/html/the...937-1984_5.htm - it belonged to my mother, I think it's still around somewhere, without its cover probably.
We also had in the house the Pauline Baynes single volume paperback Child mentioned, although it lost its cover very quickly due to the multiple readings it endured...
The edition I love the most is my first edition copy of the Silmarillion, bought with my very own saved-up pocket money from a little bookshop which is now, I believe, a Subway sandwich joint....

Lalwendë · 10-08-2005, 12:44 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bethberry

You didn't happen to remember the going rate, did you? Not that I would buy it for Squatter. A bidding war, though ....

Davem remembers the price as being about £1500, which is not that bad considering how few copies there are available!

Quote:

Originally Posted by Lalaith

The edition I love the most is my first edition copy of the Silmarillion, bought with my very own saved-up pocket money from a little bookshop which is now, I believe, a Subway sandwich joint....

Are you from the UK Lalaith? I can't believe how difficult it is to find little bookshops these days; where I live seemingly every little shop is being turned into take-aways, restaurants or bars.

Those large, well-known chain bookshops just aren't the same (and seem to be being eaten up by coffee shops themselves...). I tend to find most of my unusual books from charity shops or ebay these days, though the 'remainder' bookshops can sometimes turn up a treasure, as I found the very rare Tolkien Family Album in one of these.

10-06-2005, 09:19 AM	#1
Child of the 7th Age Spirit of the Lonely Star Join Date: Mar 2002 Posts: 5,133	The dangers of book collecting... I have avoided this thread, since I knew I would run off at the mouth. Please bear with me. I am not only a long-time Tolkien fan but a special collections librarian by training. This can be a dangerous combination! I've collected Tolkien and Tolkien criticism off and on from the early 60's. For endless years, I was a student so had virtually no money in my pocket and learned to be creative about acquiring the books I wanted. When the movies came out, and our family's budget loosened just a tad, I went temporarily berserk. Because of the internet and the fact that people were unearthing treasures out of their attic, you could find older editions that had been virtually unavailable before. Most of the early books I had casually picked up were published in the U.S since this is where I live. One of the nicest things about the movie upsurge was that I suddenly had access to a ton of material published in England, The lure was irresistable. The downside of all this was that prices for some things went through the ceiling and have never totally come down, at least not yet. I am not an organized or picky collector. Some people know exactly what they want and confine themselves to collecting a particular title, publisher, era, whatever. Other people see their collecting as an "investment" and want their books in pristine condition. Because of this, they hide their "rarest" editions behind closed glass and never touch them. None of this applies to me. I buy an edition because I love it or find something about it intriguing. I am an inveterate bargain hunter. I haunt library book sales and used bookstores. I will lurk for months on e-bay to get a particular edition at a bargain basement price. Many of my books are old and tatty, since I have read and re-read them many times. I collect paperbacks, hard covers, calendars, and old posters with equal glee. I do get a kick when I see that something I picked up for a few dollars at a garage sale has suddenly skyrocketed in price. But that's not why I do this. There are editions out there that are true works of art because of the quality of the illustrations or binding. And I find the publishing history of these books fascinating. It tells us so much about how different readers and generations have responded to Tolkien. I have so many favorites I hardly know where to start. I love my early ACE and hippy Ballentine paperbacks. The latter are first printing, but hang together with tape. I also love anything illustrated by Pauline Baynes. One of my prize possessions is a signed bookplate with Farmer Giles and dragon that Baynes designed for her friend and book dealer Rene van Rossenberg. Rossenberg's shop has editions and titles I've never seen anywhere else. Most of Baynes' work appears as illustrations or covers for the Hobbit and Tolkien's minor works, but there is a one-volume edition of LotR, the earliest one the publishers put out, which has a lovely dustjacket that she did. I also like the Harper Collins 1992 India paper edition. The slipcase doesn't look like anything special but the volume is so well put together, plus it is light and easy to handle because of the "Bible" paper. And I love the gigantic clunky one-volume Alan Lee centenary edition (1992) that has those wonderful illustrations. I've sometimes wondered which editions I would take with me if I was exiled to a desert island. Recently, when Rita threatened to hit Houston, I had the chance to find this out. Our family was making plans to evacuate. In the midst of scrambling around to safeguard my kids and pets, I managed to put some of my Tolkien books on a high closet shelf, hoping they would survive the anticipated flood. At the very last minute, I shovelled a few books into my suitcase. It was interesting to me to see what I chose. I guess when pinch came to shove, these have to be my favorites. I took the quirky old hardcover LotR put out by Houghton Mifflin, because it had so many memories of my days in college from the late 60s and the equally weird 1960 Readers' Union set (the earliest Book Club edition), which was the first hardcover intended for "the workingman". (It is the second row, under the hardcover British first editions.) I just like the idea of that. It has no illustrations and a strange cover that I doubt Tolkien appreciated, but this would definitely have to be the set that Samwise owned! BTW, if anyone wants to learn more about a particular book they own, I would recommend visiting the Tolkien Collectors Forum. Occasionally, someone like Wayne Hammond will post on the site, and some of these people really know their stuff. BTW, if you have an older book that lacks the "real" dustjacket, you can sometimes pick up a facsimile here. Just insert the name Tolkien in the search line at the top and a page will come up. __________________ Multitasking women are never too busy to vote. Last edited by Child of the 7th Age; 10-06-2005 at 10:07 AM.

10-06-2005, 05:08 PM	#6
Azaelia of Willowbottom Shade of Carn Dûm Join Date: Nov 2001 Location: By the Sea Posts: 446	My favorite edition is my favorite because of sentimental value. It was my mom's before it was mine. The three books are separate and were printed in 1973 by Ballantine, although the copyright is from 1965. My mom was a hippie, and these books were hers. They are the books that I was first introduced to LOTR with...and they are now rather battered, in spite of my efforts to keep them neat and clean and nice. There is nothing like reading them for me. They have that unique smell that I associate with the LOTR reading experience, an old-book, lived-in, friendly sort of smell. I have the Fellowship volume on my table here as I type, and if I touch it, I can feel a kind of electricity, a demand to open it up and read it. If I hold it close to me, I can smell the invitation to read. A book for me (but this story in particular) is an experience that not only captures my heart and mind, but is also physical, right down to the smell of the paper and ink, the feel of the pages at my fingertips (soft and worn, yellow around the edges with time). I have my own copy of LOTR, a paperback 3-in-one from Houghton-Mifflin in 2001, though I have noticed an error or two in there...though I am by no means an expert. But there's else something missing in it, because it wasn't the first LOTR I read. It's different. And I can't really explain why. One of my friends and I got lost once in an Alan Lee illustrated version of LOTR. We were visiting the Tolkien aisle in our local book store and stopped to ooh and ahh over the wonderful pictures. If I had enough money, that is what I would buy. I love his art. __________________ "Wherever I have been, I am back."

10-07-2005, 04:18 PM	#8
Lalaith Blithe Spirit Join Date: Jan 2003 Posts: 2,779	You know, I have to confess that the LotR edition I use most often these days is the pdf one I keep on my computer desktop. Very handy for searching... The first Tolkien book I ever saw, when I was small, was this one: http://www.tolkienbooks.net/html/the...937-1984_5.htm - it belonged to my mother, I think it's still around somewhere, without its cover probably. We also had in the house the Pauline Baynes single volume paperback Child mentioned, although it lost its cover very quickly due to the multiple readings it endured... The edition I love the most is my first edition copy of the Silmarillion, bought with my very own saved-up pocket money from a little bookshop which is now, I believe, a Subway sandwich joint.... __________________ Out went the candle, and we were left darkling

10-06-2005, 10:10 AM	#2
*Mister Underhill* Dread Horseman Join Date: Sep 2000 Location: Behind you! Posts: 2,744	Wow, Child, I'd love to get a tour of your collection. I'm especially intrigued by the "India Paper" edition -- it sounds so exotic. I guess it is, considering that according to amazon.uk, only a thousand were published. Why such a limited run? I'd love to own one. I dig your philosophy of collecting. Books are meant to be read, not sealed in plastic or locked under glass.