Rare first-edition Hobbit sells for £43k at Bristol auction

Summarised from 2 outlets · Updated 21 Oct, 13:03 · Archive

A first-edition copy of The Hobbit from 1937, discovered during a house clearance in Bristol, sold for £43,000 at auction in August 2025.

A rare first-edition copy of The Hobbit from 1937 was discovered during a house clearance in Bristol and sold for £43,000 at an online auction that ended on 6 August 2025. The book, one of only 1,500 copies printed in September 1937, had been overlooked among other titles in a private collection and was found lying in an old lawyer's cabinet alongside reference books, cookbooks and children's titles.

Auctioneum, an auction house in Bath, had initially estimated the book would sell for between £10,000 and £12,000, but competitive bidding pushed the final price to about 3.6 times the upper estimate. The book lacked a dust jacket, which collectors typically seek, and its spine was slightly discoloured. Book specialist Caitlin Riley described it as being in 'absolutely beautiful condition' and noted that it set a record price for an unsigned first edition without a dust jacket.

The book was discovered after the property owner's death. Auctioneum managing director Evan McPherson was at the address when he sent photographs to Riley for identification. Auctioneum suggested a possible connection between the book's previous owner, botanist Hubert Priestley, and Tolkien through Oxford circles, though the precise nature of that connection remains unclear.

How it is being reported

• Rare first-edition copy of Tolkien's The Hobbit sells for £37k at auctionA rare first-edition copy of The Hobbit, discovered during a house clearance, sold for £37k at auction.Oxford Mail · 21 Oct, 12:30
• Rare first-edition copy of Tolkien's The Hobbit sells for £37k at auctionA rare first-edition copy of The Hobbit, discovered during a house clearance, sold for £37k at auction.Oxfordshire Guardian · 21 Oct, 12:30

In this story: Tolkien · The Hobbit · Auctioneum · Bristol · Bath · Hubert Priestley · Caitlin Riley · Evan McPherson

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