Is My The Return of the King a First Edition?

The points of issue

• First impression published 20 October 1955, George Allen & Unwin, 7,000 copies — the last-published of the three volumes and, at 7,000 copies, actually the largest first impression (Fellowship at 3,000 and Two Towers at 3,250 are the scarcer volumes)
• The copyright-page verso reads 'First published in 1955' with no later-impression notice — this, not the page-49 features, is the reliable first-impression point
• One two-colour folding map, 'Gondor, Rohan and Mordor', is inserted at the rear; the dust jacket is price-present (unclipped)
• Page 49 exists in three recognised states in the early printings: State 1 (earliest) has undamaged type and NO signature '4'
• State 2 has damaged/'stepped' type and no '4'
• State 3 (latest) has the damaged type WITH the signature '4' at the foot of the page

How George Allen & Unwin marked a first edition

• First editions state "First published [Year]" or "First published in [Year]" on the copyright page (frequently with the printer named), later printings noted with added impression lines
• First printing = the 'First published' statement with NO subsequent-impression notation

Full George Allen & Unwin first-edition guide →

How to verify your copy, step by step

1. Find the copyright page — the verso (back) of the title page.
2. Confirm the first-edition statement — look for “First Edition,” “First Printing,” or the publisher’s equivalent wording.
3. Read the indicia — a first-printing single issue carries no later-printing line; a collected edition is “first thus,” not the true first.
4. Verify this is the UK true first — not a later-market or reprint edition.
5. Photograph four things — the front cover, spine, title page, and copyright page — the standard record for identification.

Format & printing

This title first appeared as a single issue / periodical, not a trade book. The true first is the first-printing single issue; later trade paperbacks or hardcover collections are “first thus.” Check the indicia (the small-print publication block) for a printing statement.

Is this the true first?

UK Allen & Unwin is the true first. Many dealer descriptions still call the signature-'4'-with-slipped-type variant the 'first state', following Hammond & Anderson's original 1993 Descriptive Bibliography sequence (which assumed printers would have corrected the damage). Hammond reversed that priority in The Tolkien Collector, issue 11 (October 1995): the undamaged page 49 without the '4' is now accepted as the earliest state, and the '4'-plus-damage as the latest. Dealer state-numbering is inconsistent (the '4' variant is variously called '2nd' or '3rd state'), but all these states are genuine first impressions.P-036861

Telling it from reprints & book-club editions

The page-49 type damage was never corrected: the second and all later impressions retain it, and the signature '4' was removed after the second impression. Later impressions are stated on the copyright page; the revised second edition (1965 onward) and book-club copies are distinct.P-036862

Frequently asked questions

Is my copy of The Return of the King a first edition?

A first edition of The Return of the King by J.R.R. Tolkien (George Allen & Unwin) is identified by: First impression published 20 October 1955, George Allen & Unwin, 7,000 copies — the last-published of the three volumes and, at 7,000 copies, actually the largest first impression (Fellowship at 3,000 and Two Towers at 3,250 are the scarcer volumes).

How do I tell the first printing from a later one?

Check the copyright page. For a single issue, the indicia shows the printing. UK Allen & Unwin is the true first.

Is the book-club edition the same as the first?

The page-49 type damage was never corrected: the second and all later impressions retain it, and the signature '4' was removed after the second impression. Later impressions are stated on the copyright page; the revised second edition (1965 onward) and book-club copies are distinct.

I have a first edition of The Return of the King — what should I do?

First, document the copy: photograph the copyright page (the number line and any edition statement) and the dust-jacket flap — an unclipped, priced jacket matters. Confirm the points of issue above against your copy, and use the free First Edition Checker to decode the printing. To sell, the author’s collecting guide covers the market. And if you are clearing books in the Albuquerque area, the New Mexico Literacy Project offers free pickup, any condition, and makes sure collectible copies are identified rather than discarded.

Glossary

First edition

Every copy printed from the first setting of type. Collectors usually want the first edition, first printing (the true first).

First printing / impression

A single press run from that setting. The first printing is the earliest and most desirable; later printings are still the first edition but not the true first.

Number line (printer's key)

A row of numbers on the copyright page (e.g. 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1). The lowest number present is the printing — a line including 1 marks a first printing (Random House deliberately ends at 2).

Points of issue

Specific physical details — a stated edition, a number line, a typo, a jacket state — that identify the true first printing.

Book-club edition (BCE)

A reprint made for a book club. Tells include a blind-stamped dot or square on the rear board and a dust jacket with no printed price. Not the true first.

First thus

The first appearance of a particular version (first paperback, first illustrated, first U.S. printing) — a first of that kind, not the first edition of the work.