THE SILMARILLION.**

UK,8vo HB+dw/dj,1st edn. [First published 1977 - the true 1st edn believed to be a UK,8vo HB+dw/dj unpriced export edn with 'William Clowes & Sons,Limited' attribution on it's copyright page.The 1st edn,2nd imp was priced (£4.95).The book went through several impressions in the same published year - this example though,the first trade edn of the same year,and printed in Great Britain at the Billing &Sons Ltd.,Guildford,London and Worcester.] NFINE/NFINE. No owner inscrptn but price-clip to dw/dj. Bright,crisp,clean,glossy,wrap-around purple background with circular,colour pictorial illustrated emblem to front panel of dw/dj - the Luthien Tinuviel emblem,repeated,but in blocked gilt,to head of spine/backstrip - white-outlined, red-lettered title and capitalised,white-lettered author surname; an inevitably and ubiquitous sunned/faded spine/backstrip with similarly coloured+lettered author+ title as front,the title being faded from red to a pale orange,and publisher's capitalised,orange-lettered name to foot of same,rear panel with colour pictorial illustrated five different emblem designs: central circular surrounded by four squares tipped/turned to the right through 90 degrees and each with circular emblem within - top left to right,centre and bottom left to right: Fingolfin, Earendil, Idril Celebrindal, Elwe and Feanor respectively. Negligible shelf-wear, bumping,creasing to edges and corners – one tiny snick with miniscule loss at foot of rear- facing gutter's fold/crease - no other major nicks,tears or splits present. Both panels of dw/dj with inevitable but minimal, superficial scoring/indents - not obtrusive and without penetration to boards beneath.Top edges coloured blue, fore-edges very lighly toned/aged with faint sporadic dust flecking(?); contents bright,tight,clean,solid and sound - virtually pristine - no dog-ear reading creases to any pages' corner tips,appears unread,other than my own collation.Publisher's bright,crisp,unblemished,sharp-cornered,original plain navy blue cloth boards with bright, crisp,blocked gilt lettered spine/backstrip with aforementioned blocked emblem at head of same,and generally clean plain white endpapers.Described hard but fairly and honestly - a really superb copy - definitely better than most cursorily listed or to be found elsewhere. UK,8vo HB+dw/dj,1st edn,7-365pp [paginated] includes a Foreword by Christopher Tolkien,a Contents list/table,4 short stories and Quenta Silmarillion comprising XXIV (24) chapters,Tables: I-V genealogies,The Sundering of the Elves,Notes on Pronunciation,an Index of names,an Appendix,and tipped in to the rear 2pp blanks an immaculate gate-folding b/w map with red titles of "Beleriand and the Land's to the North" with no blemishes, and no nicks or tears present. Plus [unpaginated] 2pp blanks,half-title with additional books titles listed to its reverse,and a title page with both these two pages with rune illustrated top+bottom borders.The issue points/ typographical errors of the 1st edn are present in this example (e.g pp330,pp352 etc),and these were then subsequently rectified in the following issues. Visually the exterior appearance is exceptional,and particularly internally,the book is also in an exceptional condition/state of preservation and presentation for a book of its 40+ year-old age. It is only the minimal,minor exterior faults described that prevents a slightly higher overall grading.Despite them,it really is still an exceptional, exemplary example for its cleanliness and, brightness, making it a truly excellent edition to J. R. R. Tolkien's canon. Tolkien's first book and also his last.In origin though,it precedes even 'The Hobbit',and is the story of the First Age of Tolkien's Middle Earth.Tolkien worked on it,changed it,and enlarged it throughout his entire life.It was finally edited and published posthumously 4 years after his father's death,by his son Christopher Tolkien.Contains the stories: 'Quenta Silmarillion', 'Ainulindale', 'Valaquenta' and 'Akallabeth' and 'Of The Rings of Power and the Third Age'.
A truly exceptional example in a really good and unusually high grade/condition.
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