The Book of Lost Tales, Part I (1984)

The Book of Lost Tales, Part I
J.R.R. Tolkien
Edited by Christopher Tolkien
1984 Book Club Edition
Houghton Mifflin Company
Boston
ISBN: 0395354390
SFBC #: 02005
Hardcover in dust-jacket
viii, 302 pp.
Illustrations by J.R.R. Tolkien
Hammond Page Ref.: p. 249

Notes
Typeset as for the Houghton Mifflin 1984 First ‘Domestic’ Edition.

1st Printing: October, 1984

At least eight printings issued.

RRP: $5.98.

Since The Book of Lost Tales, Part I was first published in 1984 many reprints have been issued by book clubs such as the Science Fiction Book Club and the Book-of-the-Month Club. Although publication dates are difficult to determine, there are a number of identifying points which can distinguish them from each other. Notably, no book club edition has ever been issued with a price on its dust-jacket or a number line on its copyright page. Also, book club editions are 8.5 inches tall whereas the trade editions are 9 inches in height. The following table shows additional differences between each printing:

  BCE #1 (October, 1984) BCE #2 (August, 1985?) BCE #3 BCE #4 BCE #5 BCE #6 BCE #7 (June/July, 1987) BCE #8
Copyright Page Lacks ISBN Lacks ISBN ISBN present ISBN present ISBN present ISBN present Lacks ISBN; (‘Berryville Graphics’ on rfep)* Lacks ISBN; ‘Berryville Graphics’
Jacket Front Flap ‘Book Club Edition’ present ‘Book Club Edition’ present No BCE statement No BCE statement No BCE statement No BCE statement ‘Book Club Edition’ present No BCE statement
Jacket Back Cover / Book Club Number ‘2005’ ‘2005’ ‘02005’ ‘02005’ ‘02005’ ‘02005’ ‘02005’ ‘02005’
Binding Paper over boards, black cloth spine Paper over boards, black cloth spine Paper over boards, black paper spine Paper over boards Paper over boards, black cloth spine Paper over boards Paper over boards, black cloth spine Paper over boards, black cloth spine
Book’s Spine Lettering Green Gilt Green Green Green Gilt Green Green
Fore-edge Deckle edge Deckle edge Trimmed edge Trimmed edge Trimmed edge Trimmed edge Deckle edge Deckle edge
Gutter Code
(p. 297)		 Z39  AA?33  None None  None  – CC27 or none  None

* Stamp seen on some but not all copies; may denote later printings.

 
The Book of Lost Tales, Part I (1984) The Book of Lost Tales, Part I (1984) The Book of Lost Tales, Part I (2003)