How many original copies of The Hobbit were published in 1937?

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1,500 Original Copies of The Hobbit Were Published in 1937

A rare first edition of J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Hobbit was recently discovered during a house clearance in Bristol, England, highlighting the scarcity of its initial print run. This particular copy is one of only 1,500 original editions of the seminal fantasy novel that were published in 1937. The auction of this rare find saw bidding reach £23,000 (RM129,675) by Wednesday morning, underscoring the significant value placed on these early printings.
Scarcity of Surviving First Editions

Of the initial 1,500 copies of The Hobbit published in 1937, it is estimated that only a few hundred are believed to still exist today. Auction house Auctioneum, which discovered the book, stated that surviving copies from this first print run are now considered among the most sought-after items in modern literature. The discovery was made on an old bookcase at a home in Bristol, with the book’s existence unknown to the current family.
Unique Features of the Discovered Copy

The newly found first edition of The Hobbit is bound in light green cloth and includes rare black-and-white illustrations drawn by Tolkien himself. The book was part of the family library of Hubert Priestley, a botanist associated with the University of Oxford. Auctioneum suggests that Tolkien and Priestley may have known each other, potentially through shared correspondence with C.S. Lewis, another Oxford academic.
Historical Context and Market Value

The Hobbit, a precursor to the epic The Lord of the Rings series, has achieved global success with over 100 million copies sold worldwide. The enduring popularity of Tolkien's Middle-earth universe, further amplified by film adaptations, contributes to the high value of its early editions. For comparison, a first edition of The Hobbit featuring a handwritten Elvish note by Tolkien sold for £137,000 at Sotheby's in June 2015, indicating the significant market interest in such rare literary artefacts.

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How many original copies of The Hobbit were published in 1937?

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