The Hobbit or There and Back Again by J.R.R. Tolkien, First American Edition, 1938

Tolkien, J.R.R. The Hobbit or There and Back Again. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Company, 1938. First American edition, first impression. Octavo. In publisher's original tan cloth boards with blue titles and red embossing to front and spine. Illustrated. Housed in a custom archival 1/4 red leather and tan cloth clamshell, with raised bands, gilt titles, and gilt tooling to the spine, red embossed Smaug on front. 

This is the first American edition, first impression of J.R.R. Tolkien’s classic The Hobbit or There and Back Again. This printing was published by Houghton Mifflin Company in 1938, only one year after the British edition was released. The first American edition is illustrated with a color frontispiece, three color plates, and 9 black and white illustrations, all by Tolkien, while the British edition has none of the color plates. This 310-page novel is presented here in its original tan cloth boards, with blue embossed titles and red embossed illustration to the front board and spine. It is protected with a new, custom archival 1/4 red leather and tan cloth clamshell with gilt titles to the spine and a red silhouette of “Smaug” embossed on the front.

The Hobbit follows the quest of the main character Bilbo Baggins as he ventures to win a treasure guarded by Smaug the dragon. The story is told in the form of an episodic quest with the introduction of new characters as Bilbo journeys through unknown territories. The book focuses on the character’s personal growth and a developed sense of heroism. Critics believe the themes and story line to be developed from Tolkien’s own experiences during World War I.

Upon its first release, the novel was met with unwavering and practically unanimous praise. Following financial and critical success, Tolkein was encouraged to write a sequel. Tolkein’s work progressed on the successor The Lord of the Rings, and he made significant changes to The Hobbit in the second edition of the work to accommodate it. To this day, The Hobbit has never gone out of print and remains a prominent work in the genre of high fantasy, especially following cinematic adaptations.

CONDITION:

Overall very good condition. 8vo. First American edition, first impression, with bowing hobbit decoration on title-page. Publisher's tan cloth, stamped in blue and in red, slightly cocked, scattered other very light soiling to boards and spine. No original dust-jacket. All edges trimmed. Illustrated endpapers. Illustrated with a color frontispiece, three color plates, and 9 black and white illustrations, by Tolkien. Past owner's book-plate on verso of frontispiece "Dorothy Jyce Roth". 310 pp. Ref: Hammond and Anderson A3b1. Accompanied by a new archival 1/4 red leather and tan cloth clamshell case with raised bands, gilt titles, and gilt tooling to the spine and a red embossed "Smaug" silhouette on the front. 

Book Dimensions: 8 1/4"H x 6"W x 1 1/8"D. Clamshell Dimensions: 9 3/8"H x 7 1/8"W x 1 7/8"D.

Accompanied by our company's letter of authenticity.