Overview

• The online auction opened at £10,000 and has already surged past £24,000 as collectors compete for the volume.
• The book is one of 1,500 copies from the original 1937 print run, with only a few hundred known to survive in private collections.
• It is the sole first edition featuring Tolkien’s black-and-white illustrations and a green cloth binding before later reprints introduced color plates.
• Auctioneum has branded the discovered copy the ‘holy grail’ of Tolkien collectibles, emphasizing its unmatched rarity and provenance.
• First published in 1937 as a prelude to The Lord of the Rings, The Hobbit became an instant bestseller, and its original printing has maintained its allure among collectors for decades.