TOLKIEN, J.R.R. The Hobbit [Ballantine Books, 1965] 1st US Paperback

TOLKIEN, J.R.R. The Hobbit; or, There and Back Again.

New York: Ballantine Books, Inc., 1965. First Ballantine paperback edition, first printing (August 1965). 7" x 4.25", 287pp. Original pictorial wrappers featuring the unauthorized “lion” cover illustration. Covers creased and heavily worn, with tears, surface loss, and tape reinforcement to lower edge; spine rolled; pages toned with scattered stains but text complete. Front cover partially detached. Fair.

This edition marks the first authorized American paperback appearance of The Hobbit, issued concurrently with Ballantine’s paperback Lord of the Rings trilogy. Notably, Tolkien strongly objected to the cover art—particularly the inclusion of a lion, an animal he felt had no place in Middle-earth—and his displeasure led to Ballantine commissioning revised artwork for subsequent printings. Despite its fragile survival rate, the first-print “lion cover” remains a cornerstone collectible for Tolkien paperback collectors due to its historical importance and brief lifespan in the marketplace.