A set of the deluxe edition of Tolkien's renowned works with beautiful full-page illustrations. The Hobbit began as an amusement for the Tolkien children, and reached print rather unexpectedly, a typescript of it having been shown to the publisher by a former pupil of Tolkien's. Once published, it was an equally unexpected success and Unwin pressed Tolkien for a sequel, which grew into the Lord of the Rings trilogy. The stories include The Adventures of Tom Bombadil and Smith of Wootton Major. Each volume is luxuriously bound and decorated with the relevant emblem in gold and silver to the upper cover and housed in the original cardboard box, with the latter two still retaining the original sugar-paper wrappers.

Deluxe editions, third, seventh and first impressions respectively; 8vo (23 x 15 cm); The Hobbit with colour frontispiece and a further 12 colour illustrations, black and red map illustrations to front and rear, unmarked internally; publisher's black buckram depicting Smaug to upper cover in gold, silver & red with gilt panelling and title to spine, green speckled spine edges, fine condition; soiling to box label, lower corner of box cracked, finger-marks to cloth; The Lord of the Rings printed on India paper, with map of the shire and two folding maps, the first being a little creased at the corner, unmarked internally; publisher's black buckram with design after Tolkien to upper cover in gold, silver & green with gilt panelling and title to spine, green speckled spine edges, with original, fragile sugar-paper jacket preserved, though with significant losses, overall fine condition; finger-marks and some light scuffs to box; Poems and Stories with colour frontispiece and 23 further colour illustrations, illustrated title-page to each story, double-page block-print style dividers between each story, numerous vignettes and ornaments all printed in orange and black, unmarked internally; publisher's black buckram with tree design to upper cover in gold & green with gilt panelling and title to spine, green speckled spine edges, with original, fragile sugar-paper jacket preserved in near-fine state, with only minor nicks to jacket edges, overall fine condition; shelf-wear to box, some scuffing to extremities, top edge loose; 286pp, 1193pp, 344pp.