Imagine stumbling upon a dusty old book while clearing out a house—only to find out it’s worth over a million rand.
That’s exactly what happened during a routine house clearance in southwest England, where an incredible literary gem was discovered: a rare first edition of The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien.
A Rare Edition Hiding in Plain Sight
The book was found tucked away on a standard bookshelf in a Bristol home.
No one suspected it was anything special—just one of many books left behind after the homeowner passed away.
But Caitlin Riley, a rare books expert at Auctioneum, immediately recognized it as something extraordinary.
“At first glance, I thought, ‘This looks like an early Hobbit,’” Riley shared.
“I started flipping through it and quickly realized—it was the real deal.
I couldn’t believe what I was holding.”
Sold for Over £43,000 After Global Bidding War
Once confirmed to be an original 1937 copy—one of only 1,500 ever printed—the book was put up for auction.
Bidders from around the globe showed up with big offers, driving the final sale price to £43,000 (just over R1 million), which is more than four times what the auctioneers had anticipated.
“It’s a phenomenal result for such a historically important book,” Riley said.
Why This Edition Is So Special
These original copies are incredibly scarce—only a few hundred are thought to still exist.
What makes this one even more unique is its condition and features.
It’s bound in light green cloth and includes rare black-and-white illustrations drawn by Tolkien himself.
These early design touches are cherished by collectors and fans of Middle Earth alike.
A Personal Connection to Tolkien’s Circle
Auctioneum also revealed an intriguing bit of history about the book’s original owner.
It belonged to Hubert Priestley, a botanist who had ties to Oxford University, just like Tolkien.
In fact, it’s believed that Priestley and Tolkien might have known each other and even shared correspondence with another literary legend—C.S. Lewis.
A Legacy That Still Captivates Millions
Tolkien’s The Hobbit, which later set the stage for The Lord of the Rings trilogy, has sold over 100 million copies worldwide.
The stories have lived on not just in books but also through blockbuster film adaptations that captivated audiences in the 2000s.
This isn’t the first time a Hobbit first edition has fetched eye-watering sums.
Back in 2015, a copy with a handwritten note in Elvish from Tolkien himself sold for a whopping £137,000 at Sotheby’s.
