There and back again: Rare set of first editions of J.R.R Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings worth £25,000 are stolen from hospice charity shop… only to be secretly returned after public outcry

  • St Richard’s Hospice Worcester reported stolen books on December 19.
  • Trio of first editions were on sale for £1,495 and taken from a locked cabinet  
  • They were found on a shelf at the store by shocked staff 10 days later  










After a public backlash, a very rare copy of J.R.R Tolkien’s legendary Lord of the Rings trilogy has been returned to its rightful owner.

After the December collection had been taken from a locked cupboard, St Richard’s Hospice Worcester reported it to police.

This set includes three volumes. The Fellowship of the Ring, Two TowersPlease see the following: The Return of the King had been on sale for £1,495.

The charity admitted that it had been’saddened” by the acts of the thieves who had stopped the hospice from raising large amounts of money for its charitable activities.

However, St Richard’s managers revealed that three of the books had been returned ten days after they were received. This was in an ebullient message which was shared on social media. 

Dan Corns is the commercial director of the hospice. He believes that the victim’s guilt ensured safe return to the valuable books.  

He explained to The Times: ‘Obviously someone has thought about it and through their conscience has decided perhaps they didn’t do the right thing.’  

A rare set of J.R.R Tolkien's epic Lord of the Rings trilogy that had been stolen from a hospice charity shop has been secretly returned after a huge public backlash

After a public backlash, a very rare copy of J.R.R Tolkien’s legendary Lord of the Rings trilogy has been returned secretly to its rightful owners.

Tolkien's epic trilogy follows the Fellowship's quest to destroy the ring of power. Pictured from left to right: Viggo Mortensen as Aragorn, Orlando Bloom as Legolas Greenleaf and SIr Ian Mckellen, Gandalf in The Two Towers (2002)

Tolkien’s epic trilogy focuses on the Fellowship’s pursuit to defeat the ring that is power. From left to right, Viggo Mortensen is Aragorn and Orlando Bloom as LegolasGreenleaf. SIr Ian Mckellen as Gandalf, in The Two Towers.

Although the hardbacks were first printed in 1957 they did not contain Tolkien’s original-edition text. If they were, the collection would have been valued at more than £25,000. 

This collection was taken on December 19th, leaving charity bosses furious just before the holiday period.

But the books were safe returned ten more days later. A surprised manager found them inconspicuously placed on a shelf as part of a routine clean-up. 

Corns stated that while the theft of the books was a sad event, it has encouraged us to share our stories and to ask for their return.

‘Now – in the most wonderful of plot twists – the books were returned to a shelf in the store on Wednesday 29 December. 

‘On sale for £1,495, the trilogy will raise a substantial amount towards our hospice care here in Worcestershire.

St Richard's Hospice in Worcester (pictured above) reported the incident to police after the collection was taken from a locked cabinet in December

St Richard’s Hospice, Worcester (pictured above), reported the matter to police following the December theft of a lock cabinet.

The hardbacks, first published in 1957, contained Tolkien's first-edition text from three years prior, but were not first printings. If they were, the collection would have been valued at more than £25,000. Pictured: J.R.R Tolkien in 1961

Although the hardbacks were first printed in 1957 they did not contain Tolkien’s original-edition text. If they were, the collection would have been valued at more than £25,000. Pictured: J.R.R Tolkien in 1961

“We believe this was only possible because of the strength of community. Thank you to all of our supporters who raised awareness and brought the books back to our attention.

In October, a sought-after copy of Tolkien’s The Hobbit that features spelling mistakes on the cover sold for a whopping £59,000 at auction.

Rare 1937 First Impressions were among the first to be printed. They include original maps and illustrations from the author. 

It was only around 1500 copies that were first printed in the year. Therefore, those items which go up for auction are highly sought-after. 

St Richard’s Hospice supports more than 2,900 patients, family members and bereaved people.

With a staff exceeding 250, it reports annual costs of more than £8 million. 

JRR Tolkien, who was he? Oxford Professor who wrote and fought at the Somme. 

John Ronald Reuel Tolkien, born 1892 in South Africa and moved to England at the age of four. 

He grew up in Sarehole, in Birmingham, and went on to became a Professor at Oxford University where he studied Old and Middle English.

Tolkien, while working for the university invents his own languages. He enlisted in the Lancashire Fusiliers as second lieutenant and participated in the Battle of the Somme when World War I began.

He was later discharged from service due to illness.

After the war, he wrote a poem about an Oxford ‘hobbit’ who was grading papers. 

The Hobbit novel became his best-known work. Later, he wrote The Lord of the Rings.

These books featured stories about a fictional land partly inspired by myths from ancient Europe. Every country had their own maps, legends and language.    

It was called Middle-earth by him and it was home to men, women, elves and trolls.

The Hobbit, published before the famous Trilogy in 1937. 

Part one of the series, The Fellowship of the Ring was published in 1954, while The Two Towers and The Return of the King followed in 1955.  

Tolkien’s four children were three daughters, two sons, and a girl. All carried on the legacy of his father after his death in 1973. 

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