The Hobbit: Rare first edition expected to fetch thousands at auction

The copy of The Hobbit is one of only 1,500 first edition first impressions

A rare first edition of JRR Tolkien's 1937 novel The Hobbit is expected to fetch thousands of pounds at auction.

The first impression copy is one of only 1,500 original pressings of the fantasy novel - that went on to spawn Tolkien's universe of Middle-Earth.

It was found in a chest of drawers at a home in Berkshire, where it had been left dormant after being inherited.

The novel will be sold by Cotswold-based Kinghams Auctioneers on Thursday.

Adrian Rathbone, the auctioneers' associate director, said: "I have never handled a first edition before in my 20 to 25 years in this industry, it's a very rare find."

The book was found in a chest of drawers

The tale of Bilbo Baggins and his adventures through Middle Earth was written by Tolkien during his time in Oxford.

The Professor of English language and literature at Merton College originally created it as a bedtime story for his children.

George Allen & Unwin published the first edition in September 1937, with the 1,500 copies all sold out by December that year.

It is illustrated in black and white by Tolkien - who also designed the dust cover.

The version includes a hand-corrected mistake on the rear flap

On the first edition, first impression there is a manual correction on the rear inner flap of the dust cover for "Dodgeson" - Charles Dodgson was a fellow Oxford don who is better known by his pen name Lewis Carroll and as the author of Alice in Wonderland.

Mr Rathbone told the BBC this mistake gave the version additional value - similar to first editions of Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, which feature notable typos in the copy.

Rare first editions are known to fetch between £6,000 and more than £20,000.

It was illustrated by Tolkien

Mr Rathbone said the auction house had placed an estimate of £7,000-£10,000 on the copy: "We're getting a lot of interest coming in already, and we know there is a massive fandom for Tolkien."

He added that the novel was expected to land in the hands of a private collector as it was a "real connoisseurs book".

A similar copy was sold at auction last year, where it fetched more than £10,000 after being found among donations to an Oxfam shop.

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