I found a complete set of the first edition Ballantine paperbacks of The Lord of the Rings (from 1965) in decent condition. These were the first authorized paperbacks released (after the infamous Ace pirated editions), the ones that launched The Lord of the Rings into the stratosphere! In the same haul, I also found the first paperback edition of The Hobbit and The Tolkien Reader (both also Ballantine from 1966). In all my used book travels, I've very rarely come across these (and then they are usually in pretty bad shape). Usually the earliest editions of LotR you'll see are the Ballantine second editions from 1973. I'm so excited to have these on my shelf!
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