The points of issue
First impression published 20 October 1955, 7,000 copies. Red cloth, spine lettered in gilt with the ring-and-eye device, top edge stained red; folding map at rear. Three states of page 49 exist within the first impression: the earliest has undamaged type and no signature mark 4; the second has slipped (sagging) type and no signature mark; the latest has slipped type with the signature mark 4 present.
Is this the true first?
UK Allen & Unwin is the true first. Note that many dealer descriptions still call the slipped-type-with-signature-4 variant the first state, following Hammond's original 1993 sequence; Hammond himself reversed that priority in The Tolkien Collector issue 11 (1995), and the undamaged page 49 without the 4 is now accepted as earliest. All three states are genuine first impressions.
Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
The page 49 damage was never corrected: second and later impressions retain the slipped type, with the signature mark removed after the second impression. Later impressions are noted on the copyright page; the revised second edition (1965 onward) and book club editions are distinct.
Frequently asked questions
Is my copy of The Return of the King (The Lord of the Rings vol. 3) a first edition?
Look for these first-edition points: First impression published 20 October 1955, 7,000 copies. Red cloth, spine lettered in gilt with the ring-and-eye device, top edge stained red; folding map at rear. Three states of page 49 exist within the first impression: the earliest has undamaged type and no signature mark 4; the second has slipped (sagging) type and no signature mark; the latest has slipped type with the signature mark 4 present.
How do I tell the first printing from a later one?
Check the copyright page for the publisher's first-printing convention and confirm the points above. UK Allen & Unwin is the true first. Note that many dealer descriptions still call the slipped-type-with-signature-4 variant the first state, following Hammond's original 1993 sequence; Hammond himself reversed that priority in The Tolkien Collector issue 11 (1995), and the undamaged page 49 without
Is the book-club edition the same as the first?
The page 49 damage was never corrected: second and later impressions retain the slipped type, with the signature mark removed after the second impression. Later impressions are noted on the copyright page; the revised second edition (1965 onward) and book club editions are distinct.
I have a first edition of The Return of the King (The Lord of the Rings vol. 3) — what should I do?
If you're clearing books, New Mexico Literacy Project offers free pickup in Albuquerque, any condition, and makes sure collectible copies aren't lost. To sell, see the author's collecting guide. Either way, nothing valuable ends up in a landfill.