This binding was done after 1990 by Zaehnsdorf, reknowned for fine bindings since 1842, recently joined Sangorski & Sutcliffe.

It is gilt tooled, and has on-lays in many colors, with front and rear covers each jeweled with 10 red stones within the borders and a single white jewels within the central designs. A third white jewel adorns the spine.

The silk moiré end leaves, gilt-rolled board edges and all gilded page edges, make this Hobbit stunning.

On the rear cover the Hobbit approaches the treasure, holding a torch and a pearl. Both covers have on-laid maroon and green borders decorated with Celtic interlace and lozenges in gilt, with 10 red jewels on small yellow floral on-lays. The spine, in six compartments separated by gilt tooled raised bands, shows four colored labels adorned with butterfly, spider, sword and dragon gilt tooling and a third white jewel.

The binder made a small mistake and wrote "Riverdell", but it ressembles very well Tolkien's own interpetation of the valley.

Housed in a velvet-lined book-style drop-back case of full morocco, titled in gilt on spine.

This first edition, first printing has been changing owner a couple of times and was recently esimated by PBA galleries between USD 60000 and USD 90000.

Originally Allen & Unwin planned to illustrate the book only with the endpaper maps, but Tolkien's first tendered sketches so charmed the publisher's staff that they opted to include them without raising the book's price despite the extra cost. Thus encouraged, Tolkien supplied a second batch of illustrations.

The publisher accepted all of these as well, giving the first edition ten black-and-white illustrations plus the two endpaper maps. The first color plates only appeared 6 months later in the 1st American edition of the Hobbit.

To honor the art by JRR Tolkien, the Chelsea Bindery has taken these illustrations to decorate this first impression of the Hobbit, using superb onlays. On the front the onlay imitates the scene of the frontispiece: Hobbiton-across-the-Water. On the back Bilbo floats on his barrel towards the huts of the Raft elves. These two superb onlays make this copy one of the most beautiful rebindings ever made.

Finely bound by The Chelsea Bindery in full green morocco, this The Hobbit 1st impression also has gilt titles and decoration on the spine, raised bands, a single gilt rule to the boards, an elaborate onlay to both the front and back boards, twin rule to turn-ins gilt, black coated endpapers and all edges gilt.

This amazing piece of art is available by Peter Harrington for GBP 15000.

Rebound in sumptuous full green morocco and signed by bayntun-riviere with morocco onlays on both upper and lower covers of Smaug the dragon in red and brown together with mountains in brown and black, spine with morocco onlays of mountains in brown and black together with lettering and runic symbols in gilt, upper cover of original binding trimmed and bound at rear, marbled endpapers, gilt edges, sewn head and foot bands, full green morocco folding box duplicating spine of volume in gilt and onlays.

This copy was sold on auction by Sotheby's in December 2007 for GBP 11875.

The front panel is the view from Bilbo's round front door, showing the Road leading over hills and through forests to the Long Lake and the Lonely Mountain, with the dragon himself hovering above it. The back panel is that same door, closed, after the adventure is over. It was exhibited and sold at the Interaction Art Show in 2005 and signed by both the binder and the illustrator, Alan Lee.

One thing is certain however, while you can select the leather color and manner of decoration and binding style, you will also get high quality and fine craftmenship.

For example this The Hobbit published by HarperCollins Publishers in 2007 received a very unique decoration: a bas-relief onlay enhanced with hand made tooling of Smaug the dragon.

The book received can be closed like a folder. I'm certain this copy will be treasured by the current owner.

The elaborately decorated faces of book and clamshell use the motives of Tolkiens' maps. The letter is decorated with a red eye and the dragon dragon design by JRR Tolkien. The raised band show Elvish letters in gilt. Further we see the author and title gilt on the spine.

As we can see in this article many bookbinders try to use elements originally designed by Tolkien to decorate their fine bindings. All try to make a binding that is unique and stands out. I have seen several copies by book binders who make a very unique and original design and I hope some will sent over their pieces of art to add to this article.