You never quite know what you’ll find…
Case in point: During a recent walk through a (for now) anonymous suburb, I chanced upon a copy of Ace Science Fiction Classics 1965 edition (Ace book number “A-6”) of J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Return of the King. “Hmmm…,” I pondered, “Eh. Neat, but, it’s not science fiction. I just don’t know…. Meh.” Then, I took a closer look at the cover art, and immediately realized that – though his name is absent from the illustration itself – the cover art was by Jack Gaughan, which was confirmed by a look at the title page. “Okay, that’s interesting. A find most worthy for the blog!”
So, you can see the book below. Bedraggled; showing the full weight of its 55 years and probably having passed before the eyes of more than a few readers; bearing several age lines on its cover, it still’s passable: In the center, Sauron (one eye barely visible) stands behind Barad-dûr (well, it sure ain’t Za’ha’dum, though I don’t know which would be worse), while five knights in green – members of the Fellowship, I suppose – approach from the foreground.
Yet, only upon putting together this post did I realize the unusual nature of this particular edition of The Return of the King. As fully discussed in Clarence Petersen’s 1965 Chicago Tribune article (below), the publication of Ace’s edition of The Return of the King, along with the company’s The Fellowship of the Ring (Ace book number A-4), and The Two Towers (Ace A-5), was done with neither authorization from J.R.R. Tolkien nor payment of royalties to him, based on a (then?) loophole in copyright laws. The cover illustrations of all three books were created by Jack Gaughan, and are distinguished by background color as well as title: While the The Return of the King is in blue, The Fellowship of the Ring, with Gandalf surrounded by members of the Fellowship, is in red, and The Two Towers, showing a Nazgûl (ringwraith) is in yellow. Each book cover has a different line of Celtic runes in the background.
The unusual nature of these Ace editions is indicated by the selling price – at both EBay and ABE books – of complete good-quality sets, with the trio going for between $200 and $500. (No plug. Just an observation!)
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Another Battle of Editions Is Joined
Clarence Petersen
Chicago Tribune
August 15, 1965
COPYRIGHT laws, especially those involving reprint rights to books first published abroad, seem to be one of the biggest flies in the book industry ointment this season.
About half a dozen lawsuits have been filed in recent months in which one publisher has charged another – or two or three others – with getting out “unauthorized editions” of books to which the first publisher claimed exclusive rights.
At times the situation has become unbelievably confusing, even to the publishers themselves. One Monday afternoon I received by mail a news release from New York in which Putnam announced its suit against Lancer over rights to Terry Southern and Mason Hoffenberg’s “Candy.” Earlier the same day I had discovered another version of the book, published by Greenleaf, which had arrived in Chicago bookstores over the weekend. There was no mention of the Greenleaf edition in the news release. Putnam had not yet heard about it.
THE latest battle, however, is not expected to reach the courts at all. The public will decide the outcome. It centers on the fantasies of British author J.R.R. Tolkien and involves Houghton Mifflin, Ballantine Books, and the author on one hand, and Ace Books on the other. The drama will begin to unfold tomorrow morning.
At that time, if distribution schedules are met, Ballantine’s 95 cent edition of “The Hobbit” will go on sale in Chicago. “The Hobbit” is the prelude to Tolkien’s imaginative trilogy, “The Lord of the Rings,” which has been one of those underground best sellers. Since 1937, when Houghton Mifflin published the first American edition in hard cover, a persistent if never spectacular demand has put “The Hobbit” thru 19 hard cover printings. Houghton Mifflin never sold the reprint rights until a few weeks ago.
What broke the ice was publication of “The Lord of the Rings” by Ace Books in three 75-cent paperback volumes [“The Fellowship of the Rings,” “The Two Towers,” and “The Return of the King”]. Although Ace paid nothing for reprint rights, either to Houghton Mifflin or to Tolkien, there is nothing illegal about the Ace editions, due to technicalities in the copyright laws during the early years of World War II.
Having no legal recourse, Houghton Mifflin did the next best thing by selling rights to an “authorized edition” to Ballantine Books, which will publish the trilogy in 95-cent editions in October. The difference of 20 cents a copy, of course, pays Houghton Mifflin and Tolkien.
THE new Ballantine editions will offer some additional enticements for potential buyers. The covers are a sort of squared-off jigsaw puzzle, so that when you stand them in line face out, they form a miniature mural of the landscape on which “The Fellowship of the Rings” takes place. Inside, there is some additional material by Prof. Tolkien which should be of interest especially to those for whom “The Hobbitt” and the trilogy have formed the basis of a cult.
But the clincher is Prof. Tolkien’s pungent paragraph that will appear on the back covers of all four volumes: “This paperback edition, and no other, has been published with my consent and co-operation. Those who approve of courtesy – at least to living authors – will purchase it, and no other.”
In a letter to booksellers, Houghton Mifflin, Ballantine, and Tolkien join in the statement that “tho there is no legal weapon to prevent exploitation of an author’s property, we believe that booksellers will prefer to sell authorized, royalty-paying editions if they exist.”
However, the Ace trilogy has been in the bookstores since May, and there is little indication that anyone plans to send copies back. “In this case, where the issues aren’t clear, where there is no legal issue at all, I suppose we will wind up selling both versions,” said Paul Horowitz, paperback manager of Charles Levy Circulating company, which supplies paperbacks to most Chicagoland outlets. “The public will have to decide which version they like best.”
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One ring to rule them all,
one ring to find them,
One ring to bring them all
and in the darkness bind them.
Ash nazg durbatulûk,
ash nazg gimbatul,
Ash nazg thrakatulûk
agh burzum-ishi krimpatul.
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LORD OF THE RINGS # 3
The Return of the King
The unforgettable series of fantasy adventures known as the saga of the Lord of the Rings is completed in this magnificently climactic volume, THE RETURN OF THE KING. Here, in its marvel-packed pages, is the culmination of the fabulous events of Middle-earth that began with the expedition of Frodo the Hobbit to challenge all the forces of Darkness that a world steeped in wizardry could command.
The Spectator, outstanding British literary journal, wrote:
“THE RETURN OF THE KING does not fail to sustain the standard set by the first two volumes: the siege of Gondor and the last stages of the quest are as good as anything that has gone before. It is a unique work, like the hobbits themselves a new genus. … It is hard to believe that it will not eventually find a permanent place in literature.”
References
One Ring, at Wikipedia
Barad-dûr, at Wikipedia
Za’ha’dum, at Babylon 5 Fandom
