# Is "The Fall of Arthur" by J.R.R. Tolkien a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of The Fall of Arthur by J.R.R. Tolkien (HarperCollins, 2013) is identified by: Edited by Christopher Tolkien. UK HarperCollins is the true first, published May 2013; the US first from Houghton Mifflin Harcourt appeared the same year.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- Edited by Christopher Tolkien
- UK HarperCollins first impression 2013, with a printing number line including 1
- A simultaneous deluxe issue exists: quarterbound with a gilt Arthurian motif stamped on the front board, housed in a matching slipcase, and containing a tipped-in facsimile leaf of Tolkien's original manuscript; it was printed by Clays Ltd, St Ives
- Publisher imprint reads HarperCollins
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | J.R.R. Tolkien |
| Publisher | HarperCollins |
| Year | 2013 |
| True first | UK edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | Edited by Christopher Tolkien |
| Book-club edition exists? | — |

## Points of issue
Edited by Christopher Tolkien. UK HarperCollins first impression 2013, with a printing number line including 1. A simultaneous deluxe issue exists: quarterbound with a gilt Arthurian motif stamped on the front board, housed in a matching slipcase, and containing a tipped-in facsimile leaf of Tolkien's original manuscript; it was printed by Clays Ltd, St Ives.

## Is this the true first?
UK HarperCollins is the true first, published May 2013; the US first from Houghton Mifflin Harcourt appeared the same year. The deluxe slipcased issue and the standard trade hardback were both published in 2013.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
Later printings are identified by a number line no longer beginning at 1; the deluxe issue is distinguished by its quarterbinding, gilt-stamped board, slipcase, and facsimile manuscript leaf.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *The Fall of Arthur* by J.R.R. Tolkien a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/the-fall-of-arthur
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.