The Return of the Shadow : The History Of The Lord Of The Rings, Part One. (The History of Middle-Earth volume 6).
London: Unwin Hyman, 1988. First edition, first impression (5,000 copies printed). Original cloth board with lettering and rule in gilt to the spine, dustjacket, colour frontis plate (an early map of the Shire), b&w illus (including a facsimile of the original opening page of "The Lord of the Rings"), index, pp 497. Small bump to the top of the spine. Small mark lowest corner of rear free endpaper. Some creasing and chipping to the edges of dustjacket, not price-clipped (£17.95). Near-fine condition in very good d.j.
In this volume, the story reaches "The Lord of the Rings". In "The Return of the Shadow" (an abandoned title for the first volume) Christopher Tolkien traces, with full citation of the earliest notes, outline plans, and narrative drafts, the intricate evolution of "The Fellowship of the Ring". The enlargement of Bilno's 'magic ring' into the Ruling Ring of the Dark Lord is traced, and the precise moment is seen when a Black Rider first rode into the Shire, his significance still unknown. First edition of a vital volume in "The History of Middle-Earth". Only 5,000 copies printed. Item #103973
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