A very rare set of proofs, Volumes 1, 2 and 3 of “Lord of the Rings” from 1953-1954, preceding the first edition, bound in wrappers and sent out by the publishers as early review copies, is set for auction by Bloomsbury Auctions on Wednesday, October 24 at 2:00pm EST. Bids will be accepted online by going to bloomsburyauctions.com.

The page-proofs are in their earliest state, with the title page before the borders were added, and pp. 16 and 21 incorrectly numbered, and p. 319 not printed at all. In addition, there are five spelling corrections. The date of the covering letter makes this the earliest recorded copy of Vol 1, other than the copy sent to Tolkien on September 29, 1953.

The set is Lot 111, and is expected to fetch $15,000.

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