VERY RARE J.R.R. TOLKIEN SOUNDBOOK. 1977. 4 LP & POSTER SET Caedmon SBR 101

$

150

Back in 1977, I purchased this JRR Tolkien Soundbook for my husband, an avid Hobbit and Lord of the Rings follower.  I worked as a public librarian at this time, and had become aware of Caedmon's spoken word LPs through a catalog received at the library.  What is fascinating about these 4 vinyl LP records it is the actual voice of Tolkien (and his son Christopher Tolkien) reading and singing excerpts from their works.  To listen to these works, you are hearing their "intention" of what they have written, not another person's interpretation of their works.

In the program notes on the back cover of the discs, in August 1952 Tolkien had visited a friend George Sayer, to whom he had lent the unpublished manuscript of The Lord of The Rings, a manuscript that had been rejected by publishers.  Instead of returning the manuscript by mail, Sayer invited Tolkien to visit him at his home.  During the evenings of this visit, Sayer produced a tape recorder, and Tolkien reads and sings excerpts and poems from The Hobbit and yet unpublished The Lord of the Rings.  According to Sayer, as Tolkien listens to his text, he regains confidence in The Lord of the Rings and decides to submit it to another publisher.

Condition: I'm not a professional collector, so I'm not sure of the correct verbage to describe this record set.  I consider the vinyl records themselves to be in excellent condition with no scratches, having only been played once or twice, if that.    The paper sleeves have been protected, and although they have yellowed slightly with age (see photo), but are intact with no tears.  The album covers have been protected by the hardcover box, so there is minimal wear because they have been continually protected. The poster which is folded inside the hardcover box, is pristine, with no fades and no tears. The green hardcover box which I call a slipcase, not knowing its correct term,  is shelf worn (see photos) especially in the corners, and the spine is slightly faded to be a bluish green instead of green in color.

Description of Contents:

• Record, J.R.R. Tolkien "The Silmarillion of Beren and Luthien" Read by Christopher Tolkien. (Caedmon, TC1564, 1977)
  
• Record, J.R.R. Tolkien reads and signs his "The Hobbit" and "The Fellowship of the Ring" Conversation with Smaug.  (Caedmon, TC1477, 1975)
  
• Record, J.R.R. Tolkien Poems and Songs of Middle Earth Tolkien reads in English and Elvish (Caedmon TC1231, 1967)
  
• Record, J.R.R. Tolkien reads and sings his The Lord of the Rings The Two Towers and The Return of the King (Caedmon TC 1478, 1975)
  

• Full size CAEDMON map of Beleriand and the lands of the north
• Outer Sleeve for all 4 records (green hardcover)

Please email with any questions, or if you would like me to email any more pictures since I was limited to 12 on eBay.  I admit I don't know what people would want to see in depth, so please ask, and I'll take those photos.

I will mail to the United States and Canada, with insurance and tracking, 2 business days after confirmed PayPal payment.  Thanks for checking out my auction!