# Is "Beren and Lúthien" by J.R.R. Tolkien a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of Beren and Lúthien by J.R.R. Tolkien (HarperCollins, 2017) is identified by: Edited by Christopher Tolkien and illustrated by Alan Lee (eight full-page colour plates plus in-text drawings and the wraparound jacket art). The UK HarperCollins edition (published 1 June 2017) is generally taken as the true first; the US Houghton Mifflin Harcourt edition appeared the same year.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- Edited by Christopher Tolkien and illustrated by Alan Lee (eight full-page colour plates plus in-text drawings and the wraparound jacket art)
- Standard UK HarperCollins first printing is bound in black textured cloth boards with gilt titling to the spine and carries a full descending number line ending in 1 beneath the "First published 2017" statement on the copyright page; the pictorial Alan Lee wraparound dust jacket should retain its printed price on the flap
- A separate deluxe issue, quarter-bound in green with grey boards and gilt design and housed in a matching gilt-stamped slipcase, was published simultaneously and is a distinct format rather than a later state
- Publisher imprint reads HarperCollins
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | J.R.R. Tolkien |
| Publisher | HarperCollins |
| Year | 2017 |
| True first | UK edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | Edited by Christopher Tolkien and illustrated by Alan Lee (eight full-page colour plates plus in-text drawings and the wraparound jacket… |
| Book-club edition exists? | No |

## Points of issue
Edited by Christopher Tolkien and illustrated by Alan Lee (eight full-page colour plates plus in-text drawings and the wraparound jacket art). Standard UK HarperCollins first printing is bound in black textured cloth boards with gilt titling to the spine and carries a full descending number line ending in 1 beneath the "First published 2017" statement on the copyright page; the pictorial Alan Lee wraparound dust jacket should retain its printed price on the flap. A separate deluxe issue, quarter-bound in green with grey boards and gilt design and housed in a matching gilt-stamped slipcase, was published simultaneously and is a distinct format rather than a later state.

## Is this the true first?
The UK HarperCollins edition (published 1 June 2017) is generally taken as the true first; the US Houghton Mifflin Harcourt edition appeared the same year. Distinguish the standard cloth issue from the concurrent deluxe slipcased issue.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
No book-club edition; later HarperCollins printings drop the 1 from the number line.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *Beren and Lúthien* by J.R.R. Tolkien a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/beren-and-l-thien
CC BY 4.0. Part of the Canonical First-Edition Points of Issue dataset (https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/api/first-edition-titles.json). Last reviewed 2026-07-04.