Favourite Edition?

[Lalwendë]

Originally Posted by Mister Underhill

I dig your philosophy of collecting. Books are meant to be read, not sealed in plastic or locked under glass.

One book which I saw at Tolkien 2005 in the Dealers' Room was most definitely kept under glass. Songs for the Philologists. The number of copies available are said to be as few as 14. As far as I know, nobody bought it.

Originally Posted by Child

Most of Baynes' work appears as illustrations or covers for the Hobbit and Tolkien's minor works, but there is a one-volume edition of LotR, the earliest one the publishers put out, which has a lovely dustjacket that she did.

That dustjacket is the cover for FotR and RotK in my favourite set - I get this strange sense when I look at the Fellowship cover that I am about to go off on an adventure. It's possibly my younger self thinking this, but it's a powerful memory very easily recalled.

The edition of The Hobbit that I love the most is this one with Smaug on the cover, which I have two copies of, one to keep for sentimental reasons (the first one I read, which goes with my oldest LotR set) and one to read. I also have an edition illustrated by Michael hague which has pages of text missing so is possibly a curiosity, and a paperback of the smae which I got for 50p. I also have this one on my desk at work, this one to match my Grafton set and the Alan Lee one.

One book which has incredible sentimental value is one which davem gave to me, even before we met (which shows how lovely he really is ) and that's the Ted Nasmith Silmarillion. For everyday use at home I use another of my brother's old copies, this one and at work I have another Roger Garland edition which cost me 20p.