[The Squatter of Amon Rûdh]

The first edition of The Hobbit is indeed the one to watch, and I've been intrigued by the original version of Bilbo's encounter with Gollum ever since first I heard of it. A friend of mine works in a shop where one was sold recently, but they're much harder to come by than LoTR, largely owing to being twenty years older. My main interest in the first edition of the later work is the maps, which to my knowledge have never since been printed as full-colour fold outs.

When I was checking the price I'd been offered I saw a leather-bound folio first edition of The Hobbit selling for more money than I'm ever likely to have to spend on a book. Rummage sales and second-hand shops are certainly a good place to find the rarer books, but as Child has said it does require a lot of patience and a sharp eye. Some of us are just spendthrifts, preferring to lay out more money on a certainty than to spend years on the chase. The chase is probably a lot more fun, though.