Uncorrected proof of the first British edition, featuring an erroneous publication date of 1567, which Tolkien found “rather alarming.”
Publisher and Year: London: George Allen & Unwin, 1567 [1967]
Edition: Uncorrected proof of the first British edition, with the publication date misprinted as 1567 on the copyright page, a full four centuries too early. Issued in August 1967, approximately three months before publication on 9 November 1967. Tolkien was sent his first proof copy on 7 August and a revised proof eight days later with two of the pictures rearranged. The present copy is the earlier of the two issues of the proof, with the textual errors and illustration placements unchanged. (Hammond & Anderson A9; Scull & Hammond, 2006, p. 705)
Condition and Description: Small octavo, 6” x 4”, publisher’s pale blue wrappers, title and drawing by Pauline Baynes in black on the front wrapper, “Book Proof” and publication details rubber stamped in blue ink to the front wrapper, spine bare (as issued). Includes a total of 11 illustrations in black and white by Pauline Baynes. 62 pp. [1]. Wrappers foxed, as usual, and extremities mildly worn. Invisible and reversible reinforcement to the front hinge where it had begun to separate from the text block. Interior securely bound and unmarked, with clean pages. Extra ink from the press misprinted onto the title page around and through the author attribution lines. A sound and clean example of a scarce proof.
“To seek for the meaning is to cut open the ball in search of its bounce.”
On 9 August 1967, Tolkien wrote to Ronald Eames, an employee of the publisher, and commented on “the rather alarming publication date (1567),” highlighted three textual corrections to be made, and asked that three of the illustrations be moved to correspond better with the text. Ultimately, he consented to keeping the frontispiece in the same location, as it was a planned pairing with the illustrated title page, and to the relocation of the other two illustrations that Eames suggested. The illustrations on p. 26 and p. 28 were moved to p. 27 and p. 25, respectively. The final page of the proof is blank, which would later be changed to a list of other titles by Tolkien in the first edition.
Inventory ID: 360 - 567 - 293
Uncorrected proof of the first British edition, featuring an erroneous publication date of 1567, which Tolkien found “rather alarming.”
Publisher and Year: London: George Allen & Unwin, 1567 [1967]
Edition: Uncorrected proof of the first British edition, with the publication date misprinted as 1567 on the copyright page, a full four centuries too early. Issued in August 1967, approximately three months before publication on 9 November 1967. Tolkien was sent his first proof copy on 7 August and a revised proof eight days later with two of the pictures rearranged. The present copy is the earlier of the two issues of the proof, with the textual errors and illustration placements unchanged. (Hammond & Anderson A9; Scull & Hammond, 2006, p. 705)
Condition and Description: Small octavo, 6” x 4”, publisher’s pale blue wrappers, title and drawing by Pauline Baynes in black on the front wrapper, “Book Proof” and publication details rubber stamped in blue ink to the front wrapper, spine bare (as issued). Includes a total of 11 illustrations in black and white by Pauline Baynes. 62 pp. [1]. Wrappers foxed, as usual, and extremities mildly worn. Invisible and reversible reinforcement to the front hinge where it had begun to separate from the text block. Interior securely bound and unmarked, with clean pages. Extra ink from the press misprinted onto the title page around and through the author attribution lines. A sound and clean example of a scarce proof.
“To seek for the meaning is to cut open the ball in search of its bounce.”
On 9 August 1967, Tolkien wrote to Ronald Eames, an employee of the publisher, and commented on “the rather alarming publication date (1567),” highlighted three textual corrections to be made, and asked that three of the illustrations be moved to correspond better with the text. Ultimately, he consented to keeping the frontispiece in the same location, as it was a planned pairing with the illustrated title page, and to the relocation of the other two illustrations that Eames suggested. The illustrations on p. 26 and p. 28 were moved to p. 27 and p. 25, respectively. The final page of the proof is blank, which would later be changed to a list of other titles by Tolkien in the first edition.
Inventory ID: 360 - 567 - 293
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