# Is "The Lost Road and Other Writings (HoME vol. 5)" by J.R.R. Tolkien a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of The Lost Road and Other Writings (HoME vol. 5) by J.R.R. Tolkien (Unwin Hyman, 1987) is identified by: Edited by Christopher Tolkien; the fifth volume of The History of Middle-earth. The UK Unwin Hyman 1987 edition is the true first; the US Houghton Mifflin edition of 1987 was typeset chiefly from the Unwin Hyman first edition and follows it.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- Edited by Christopher Tolkien; the fifth volume of The History of Middle-earth
- UK first edition, first impression published by Unwin Hyman in 1987 (the successor imprint to George Allen & Unwin), identified by the "First published in 1987" statement on the copyright page with no later-impression numbering added
- Issued as a hardcover in dust jacket
- ISBN 0 04 823349 8, 448 pages
- Publisher imprint reads Unwin Hyman
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | J.R.R. Tolkien |
| Publisher | Unwin Hyman |
| Year | 1987 |
| True first | UK edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | Edited by Christopher Tolkien; the fifth volume of The History of Middle-earth |
| Book-club edition exists? | — |

## Points of issue
Edited by Christopher Tolkien; the fifth volume of The History of Middle-earth. UK first edition, first impression published by Unwin Hyman in 1987 (the successor imprint to George Allen & Unwin), identified by the "First published in 1987" statement on the copyright page with no later-impression numbering added. Issued as a hardcover in dust jacket; ISBN 0 04 823349 8, 448 pages.

## Is this the true first?
The UK Unwin Hyman 1987 edition is the true first; the US Houghton Mifflin edition of 1987 was typeset chiefly from the Unwin Hyman first edition and follows it.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
Later impressions add impression numbering or revised printing statements on the copyright page and depart from the clean 1987 first-impression line.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *The Lost Road and Other Writings (HoME vol. 5)* by J.R.R. Tolkien a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/the-lost-road-and-other-writings-home-vol-5
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.