Lord of the Rings Signed by Tolkien in Elvish to Auction

A first edition of The Lord of the Rings signed by JRR Tolkien in Elvish Tengwar script will go under the hammer at Forum Auctions' Fine Books, Manuscripts and Works on Paper sale on September 25.

Each volume of the trilogy (various impressions) is signed by the author, with The Return of the King additionally signed by Tolkien "jon r. r. tolkien" in Elvish Tengwar script. The estimate is £10,000 - £15,000.

It was vey unusual for Tolkien to sign his name using one of the  scripts created for his MiddleEarth stories. This set was gifted to the present owner by Alan Egerton Parker, a teacher and housemaster who was an undergraduate at University College, Oxford in 1957. 

Parker and two friends had read the trilogy and managed to track down Tolkien, then retired and living in Oxford. The author greeted them at his home, invited them in for tea, and thus began a regular series of social meetings. Towards the end of the students' final term, Tolkien gave each of them a signed set of The Lord of the Rings.

Among other highlights in the same auction is a complete run of Colin Dexter's Inspector Morse series, 1975-1998, 14 first edition volumes, signed presentation copies with a signed letter by the author (estimate: £1,500 - £2,000).

All the books contain personal inscriptions from the author to a friend called Tom ("I wonder if you'll ever really know, Tom, how wonderfully encouraging it's been for me to have a few faithful fans such as yourself around"). The letter from Dexter to Tom announcs the death of the author's brother, John, and expresses his thanks "for your happy and memorable friendship with brother John. And know how very much it meant to him".