It was when the book was in the process of being catalogued by Bretells (19% buyer’s premium) of Newport, Shropshire, that a second impression copy of Tolkien’s The Hobbit (right) was seen to bear the author’s signature.
Some of the pages were a little speckled, the binding was somewhat worn and the price-clipped jacket showed a few losses and tears, but in a July 27 sale it went on to sell for £23,000 against an estimate of £1500-3000.