Hobbit Facsimile First Edition - John Ronald Reuel Tolkien

This sumptuous gift set includes a replica of the very rare first
edition of The Hobbit, the only edition where one can now read the
original version of the story before Tolkien re-edited it to become the
one enjoyed by readers since 1951. The Hobbit was published on 21
September 1937, with a print run of 1,500 copies. With a beautiful cover
design, nearly a dozen black & white illustrations and two black
& red maps by the author himself, the book proved to be popular and
was reprinted shortly afterwards. History was already being made. The
scarcity of the first edition has resulted in copies commanding huge
prices, way beyond the reach of most Tolkien fans. In addition,
subsequent changes to the text - particularly those to chapter 5, when
Tolkien decided in 1947 to revise the text to bring it better into
accord with events as they were developing in its 'sequel', The Lord of
the Rings - mean that the opportunity to read the book in its original
form and format has become quite difficult. This special printing
reprints the first edition, so that readers of all ages - not just
'children between the ages of 5 and 9', as Rayner Unwin famously
declared in his report on the original submission - can finally enjoy
Tolkien's story as it originally appeared.