The Hobbit or There and Back Again. Illustrated by the Author. London: George Allen, 1961. First Edition, Twelfth Impression. Publisher’s pale green cloth boards, with illustrated end papers. Covers lightly faded, otherwise a nice bright copy.

Tolkien’s prelude to ‘The Lord of the Rings,’ in which the true significance of Bilbo’s success in riddles, and the nature of Gollum’s ‘Precious’ is revealed.

The 12th impression, counting from the First Edition of 1937. Although confusingly the Fifth and Sixth Impressions were called ‘Second Editions’.