The Hobbit and The Two Towers - Bantam mass market paperbacks, reader copies

Description: For sale: two Ballantine mass-market paperback editions of Tolkien Middle Earth books. We have: The Hobbit, "The Authorized Edition," the 1972 thirty-fourth printing of the 1966 revised edition. This is of course a book that has been constantly in print since it was released, but this late printing of its original paperback edition is still hard to come by. Ace published an unauthorized edition in 1965, and Houghton (through its Ballantine imprint) issued a second revised edition of The Hobbit in paperback in 1966. This is the thirty-fourth printing of that second revision. (Realistically, if you're considering this purchase at all, you probably already know this history, but I do find it fascinating, so here we are.) The second item in the lot is the similarly-authorized Ballantine paperback edition of The Two Towers, consisting of the third and fourth books of The Lord of the Rings. This is the 1969 sixteenth printing of the Ballantine mass market paperback that was initially released in 1965. As you'll see in the condition notes section, while The Hobbit is in pretty good shape, this copy of The Two Towers is very definitely a "reader," as it is missing its back cover and its interior is much rougher. But the text block is intact and complete. Here are the condition notes: Both are in "reader" condition. The Hobbit is in the better condition of the two, complete and intact. Exterior shows significant wear, including tears, creasing, weathering, and general damage, particularly around the edges. The Two Towers is the same and additionally is missing its back cover and a portion of the last page. The back matter has been stabilized in place with tape. The book is otherwise intact. Interiors are unmarked with light staining, particularly in The Two Towers, and evenly tanned pages. Both have intact bindings; The Hobbit is the better of the two. See photos for details.

Price: 20 USD

Location: Urbandale, Iowa

End Time: 2024-09-18T14:36:55.000Z

Shipping Cost: 6.77 USD