J.R.R. Tolkien, The Lord of the Rings, First Edition Early Impression Set, 1955–1956

Overview:

An attractive early first-edition set of J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings, published by George Allen & Unwin in the original red cloth bindings. The set comprises early impressions of all three volumes and retains the important original folding maps printed in red and black.

The set comprises:

• The Fellowship of the Ring: First Edition, Fifth Impression, December 1956
• The Two Towers: First Edition, Fourth Impression, 1956
• The Return of the King: First Edition, Second Impression, November 1955

Particularly notable is The Return of the King, which is the second impression, published in November 1955, only one month after the first impression appeared in October.

Maps

All three volumes retain their original folding maps, including the large map of Middle-earth and the detailed map of Rohan, Gondor and Mordor. Printed in black and red, these maps were an integral feature of the original Allen & Unwin editions and are frequently damaged or absent from surviving copies.

The maps in this set remain particularly well preserved, with the original folds present and no significant losses noted.

Provenance: The Casley Family

Of additional interest is the Casley family provenance.

One volume bears an engraved armorial bookplate for Casley, displaying a two-towered castle upon the shield, surmounted by a lion rampant and surrounded by the motto:

Malo Mori Quam Foedari
"Better to die than be dishonoured."

These arms and motto are recorded in nineteenth-century heraldic sources for Wilbraham John Braddick Casley (1850–1922), of Coatham, Redcar, Yorkshire, whose family is described in Fairbairn's Book of Crests as "Casley (formerly De Chastelai)."

The family included Wilbraham's son, Lieutenant Hugh de Chastelai Casley (1886–1915), a constructional engineer who served with the 6th Battalion, Yorkshire Regiment during the First World War. He was killed during the Gallipoli campaign on 7 August 1915 and is commemorated on the Helles Memorial.

An additional manuscript ownership inscription appears to read "Louis [or Lewis] de C. Casley", possibly employing an abbreviated form of the family's de Chastelai name. The precise individual represented by this inscription has not yet been conclusively identified, so no direct ownership by Wilbraham or Hugh Casley is claimed.

The bookplate nevertheless provides an interesting connection between this early Tolkien set and an identifiable British family library with roots extending into the Victorian period.

Condition

Bound in the publisher's original red cloth with gilt titles to the spines. Some fading, rubbing, marks and general shelf wear to the cloth, with wear around the extremities and spine ends consistent with age and use. The gilt remains clearly legible.

Internally generally well preserved. All three original folding maps are present and remain in good condition.

Lacking the original dust jackets.

Please look at the photographs, if need I can produce more for your evaluation.

Why Buy This Set?

While not first impressions, these are genuine first-edition printings from the original 1950s publication period, including the particularly early second impression of The Return of the King. The survival of all three original folding maps, original publisher's bindings and the unusual Casley family provenance makes this an appealing set for a Tolkien collector who wants an early Lord of the Rings without the considerable cost associated with a first-impression set in dust jackets.