A rare first edition of JRR Tolkien's The Hobbit sold for 43,000 at auction after being found during a house clearance in Bristol. It is one of only 1,500 original copies published in 1937, with only a few hundred believed to still exist. Auctioneum, the auction house, noted that bidders from around the world increased the price beyond expectations. The discovered copy, with black-and-white illustrations by Tolkien, belonged to Hubert Priestley, whose family library included historical connections to Tolkien and CS Lewis.
A rare first edition of JRR Tolkien's The Hobbit found during a house clearance sold at auction for 43,000, far exceeding expectations due to international bidding.
The first edition was published in 1937, with only a few hundred copies believed to still exist. The book was discovered without a dust cover in Bristol.
Caitlin Riley stated, "It's a wonderful result for a very special book" after uncovering the copy, which was recognized as an early edition at first glance.
The book belonged to Hubert Priestley, a botanist with ties to Tolkien, and was linked to mutual correspondence with CS Lewis, emphasizing its historical connections.
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