This first edition is one of the rare FIRST IMPRESSIONS of the third and final work in JRR Tolkien's Lord of the Rings Trilogy. The Return of the King was published by George Allen Unwin in 1955. The book is bound in original publisher's red cloth and still has it's original dust jacket which is protected by clear plastic. JRR Tolkien rose to fame after his book The Hobbit, originally published in 1937, but The Lord of the Rings trilogy delves much deeper into the world of Middle Earth.
Due to the value of this book, it'll be sent to the customer in a box via courier - your phone number will be required for the courier. If you order from overseas, please be aware that there will be Customs Fees to be paid - the amount is determined by the destination country.
The book is in very good condition with light rubbing to the corners. The red tint to the top edge of the dust jacket is faded and there is a long scuff to the top edge. There is some light shelf wear to the board edges and subtle dark marks to the front board. The back board has some small splash marks to the cloth; the text block edges are toned with minor marks. The dust jacket shows wear, with loss to the paper at the spine ends. There is a large tear to the front and creasing where the paper has been crumpled - the plastic Brodart cover will help keep the DJ from deteriorating further. There are some small splits to the paper DJ in places - this can be seen to the edges of the spine and at the corners. The spine is noticeably tanned and darkened, with scuffing to the paper. The DJ shows some marking but is remarkably clear and bright for it's age. There are some small chips to the edges of the DJ but the DJ is unclipped which is nice to see.
Inside, the pages are clean and bright with only minor age toning. There is no foxing and only occasional minor marking. Page 334 has a more noticeable mark and a tiny hole in the paper. Pages 162 and 227 have very slight folds to the bottom edges of the page - these are small and unobtrusive but every page of this scarce and collectable book has been carefully checked for any flaws, no matter how small! There is a small area of red to the top of the front endpaper where the red tint has spread slightly.
Dimensions approximately 22.7cm x 15cm. The book will be securely wrapped in bubble wrap and then gift wrapped in patterned wallpaper and ribbon.
I use a range of eco friendly, 100% recyclable jiffy bags and boxes, and whenever possible I use brown paper tape. The green bubble wrap is oxo-degradable and the clear bubble wrap is 100% recyclable. I also reuse boxes when I feel it's appropriate (if the boxes are sturdy enough).