1st UK Printing - Smith of Wootton Major, J.R.R. Tolkien

TOLKIEN, J.R.R. Smith of Wootton Major. London: George Allen & Unwin, 1967. First Edition, First Printing.

Small octavo, original pictorial paper-covered boards, top edge stained blue, in original dust jacket. Illustrated by Pauline Baynes.

First edition of Tolkien’s late masterpiece of fairy literature, published just six years before his death. Conceived originally as a preface to George MacDonald’s The Golden Key, the tale grew into a stand-alone meditation on the gift of Faery, the mystery of art, and the fleeting yet enduring nature of wonder.

This U.K. first edition is the true first appearance of the work, preceding the U.S. edition by a matter of months. It is prized among collectors for its charming Baynes illustrations and its significance as one of the final new works of fiction published during Tolkien’s lifetime. Copies in collectible condition are increasingly scarce.