Roverandom

J R R Tolkien's 1925 magical dog story, the 1998 first edition and the 2013 reissue

Author

J R R Tolkien, edited by Christina Scull & Wayne G Hammond

Publisher

HarperCollins, London, 1998

Printing Details

First edition, first printing. Hardback in dustwrapper. 22 × 14cm, 106pp.

While on holiday in 1925, four-year-old Michael Tolkien lost his beloved toy dog on the beach at Filey in Yorkshire. To console him, his father, J.R.R.Tolkien, improvised a story about Rover, a real dog who is magically transformed into a toy and is forced to seek out the wizard who wronged him in order to be returned to normal.

This charming tale, peopled by a sand-sorcerer and a terrible dragon, by the king of the sea and the Man-in-the-Moon, went through several drafts over the years. Now, more than 70 years on, the adventures of Rover – or, for reasons that become clear in the story, ‘Roverandom’ – are published for the first time. Rich in wit and wordplay, Roverandom is edited and introduced by Christina Scull and Wayne G. Hammond and includes Tolkien’s own delightful illustrations.

Also included is a first printing of the 2013 reissue in smaller format and a newly designed wrapper.

Condition

The 1998 edition is in good condition, the wrapper price-clipped and a little faded to the spine. Some light tanning to the pages. The 2013 edition is in very good condition.