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

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of The Fall of Gondolin by J.R.R. Tolkien (HarperCollins, 2018) is identified by: Edited by Christopher Tolkien and illustrated by Alan Lee, published by HarperCollins, London, August 2018. The UK HarperCollins edition is generally taken as the true first; the US Houghton Mifflin Harcourt edition (Boston/New York, 2018, typeset identically) appeared the same year and its trade issue likewise carries a number line ending in 1.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- Edited by Christopher Tolkien and illustrated by Alan Lee, published by HarperCollins, London, August 2018
- The trade first edition, first impression is bound in black cloth boards and has a number line ending in 1 on the copyright page; it contains eight colour plates, black-and-white chapter head- and tail-pieces, and a folding map to the rear, all in Alan Lee's dust jacket
- A separately issued deluxe edition, quarter-bound with gilt design and Tolkien monogram, silk ribbon, and matching slipcase, was published the same year
- The first impression was printed in Italy by LEGO SpA
- Publisher imprint reads HarperCollins
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | J.R.R. Tolkien |
| Publisher | HarperCollins |
| Year | 2018 |
| True first | UK edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | Edited by Christopher Tolkien and illustrated by Alan Lee, published by HarperCollins, London, August 2018 |
| Book-club edition exists? | Yes |

## Points of issue
Edited by Christopher Tolkien and illustrated by Alan Lee, published by HarperCollins, London, August 2018. The trade first edition, first impression is bound in black cloth boards and has a number line ending in 1 on the copyright page; it contains eight colour plates, black-and-white chapter head- and tail-pieces, and a folding map to the rear, all in Alan Lee's dust jacket. A separately issued deluxe edition, quarter-bound with gilt design and Tolkien monogram, silk ribbon, and matching slipcase, was published the same year. The first impression was printed in Italy by LEGO SpA.

## Is this the true first?
The UK HarperCollins edition is generally taken as the true first; the US Houghton Mifflin Harcourt edition (Boston/New York, 2018, typeset identically) appeared the same year and its trade issue likewise carries a number line ending in 1.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
Later printings differ in the number line. The US Science Fiction Book Club issue is distinguished from the trade edition by the absence of a copyright-page number line.

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