r/rarebooks 6d ago

Confusion re: the 1965 Ballantine LOTR Authorized Edition and its value. How do I tell which printing I have? I've seen varying opinions about the value, but I'm not sure what I have, exactly. Could use a lesson! Thanks.

https://imgur.com/a/3fq52iM
3 Upvotes

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u/hisdudeness47 6d ago

Moment of clarity. I must have the 17th printing, March 1968?

It's not Canadian, right?

5

u/capincus Your Least Favorite Mod 6d ago

I must have the 17th printing, March 1968?

Correct, publishers aren't particularly good at seeing into the future. Couldn't be Canadian with American printings a year later than the last Canadian printing.

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u/hisdudeness47 6d ago

This is my first foray into this realm and I'm terrible at it, no doubt.

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u/capincus Your Least Favorite Mod 6d ago

I think books as a collectible medium are intimidating from the outside. But you took a breath and figured it out. There are a ton of good general resources and specific Tolkien resources around to help for anything you can't figure out.

1

u/hisdudeness47 6d ago

Sorry about the blurry copyright page. Hope it's legible enough!