THE FATHER CHRISTMAS LETTERS.**

UK,slim Qro HB,no dw/dj - as issued,1st edn.[UK,slim Qrto HB,1st edn first published in 1976.Issued without a dw/dj, these were to be issued on subsequent US edns only.The UK HB 1st edn,was published with a low print run,believed to be only 50,000 copies worldwide.] No owner inscrptn,no board-printed price,but original gilt background with black lettering to circular adhesive label with no price removal (£2.50) stuck to lower,fore-edge corner of rear board. Bright,crisp,clean,generally sharp-cornered - bottom corners with the merest hint of gentle curl/pushing,top corners sharp,glossy,colour pictorial illustrated covers with red and white lettering to front cover,similar to spine/ backstrip with black lettered publisher name in a white panel; with negligible shelf-wear,bumping, creasing to edges and corners - no nicks,tears or splits present; front board scoring/indent-free but minimal,minor,superficial scoring to rear board and clean,plain white endpapers with minimal,sporadic but faint spooting to either set.Top+fore-edges generally bright and clean; contents bright,tight and near pristine - no dog-ear reading creases to any pages' corners - would appear unread - apart from my own collation.UK,slim Qrto HB,no dw/dj - as issued,1st edn, 48pp [unpaginated] includes colour vignette illustrated half-title page,colour pictorial illustrated double-page title page and colour pictorial facsimile letter illustrated frntis to its reverse,8 full-colour,full-page illustrations, profuse part-page and margin colour illustrations throughout,and an appendix with an illustrated b/w Goblin alphabet. Enchantingly illustrated in colour throughout by J.R.R Tolkien himself.
A really superb HB 1st edn in a remarkable and exceptional contiton and state of preservation and presentation.An unusual item/ephemera in Tolkien's bold style and will be an important and welcome addition to the Tolkien canon.
Want more J.R.R. TOLKIEN titles? For similar and other available titles - please search my MODERN FIRSTS2,1001 Books You Must Read Before You Die,and/or CHILDRENS/ILLUSTRATED catalogues.
A collection of letters written and illustrated by Tolkien himself,between 1920 and 1943 for his children, supposedly from Father Christmas.They were released posthumously by the Tolkien estate on 2 September 1976, which was the 3rd anniversary of Tolkien's death.They were edited by Baillie Tolkien,second wife of his youngest son, Christopher,and it includes illustrations by Tolkien for nearly all the letters; however,it omitted several letters and drawings.It was the third work by Tolkien to be released posthumously,after a collection of poems and the 'Guide to the Names in The Lord of the Rings.' Warmly received by critics,it has been suggested that elements of the stories inspired parts of Tolkien's major work,the trilogy of 'The Lord of the Rings.' When the book was republished in 1999 it was retitled 'Letters from Father Christmas.' and several letters and drawings not contained in the original edition were added.One edition in 1995 featured the letters and drawings contained in individual envelopes to be read in the manner they were originally conceived to be.
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