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Nordor
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Post The original LOTR
on: January 21, 2015 12:00
When Tolkien completed LOTR in 1948 it was a single volume book. His publisher made him change it into a trilogy. My question: do any manuscripts of the "untrilogized" LOTR still exist? Perhaps with his estate? If it does, wouldn't it be interesting if that could be published also.
Dolwen
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on: January 22, 2015 06:21
It is still considered a single book, the publishers didn't make him change anything in the book to make it into a trilogy. The book was finished and sent to the publisher and it was split into three installments simply because there were paper shortages at the time and splitting it allowed them to keep prices a bit lower. There were no changes and no "untrilogized" version exists.
If your interested in the earliest writings on LOTR from creation to the final form, you can get that info in The History of The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the Shadow, The Treason of Isengard, The War of the Ring, and Sauron Defeated.
Gandolorin
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on: January 22, 2015 11:49
There was a bit (no idea how much) of rewriting for the 1966 second edition because Ace Books in the US had published an unauthorized (from the point of view of JRRT an both his English and US publishers) paperback version. Some byzantine copyright matter involving too many books shipped from England to the US or so. So the original version published in 1954/55 should be slightly different. Possibly about as much as the 1937 Hobbit differs from the second edition of 1951 (changing the Bilbo / Gollum / Ring story to be more consistent with the LoTR - which had not even been published at the time!). Umm - TH also has a 1966 edition - called the third. Perhaps also because of the copyright garbage at the time.

[Edited on 01/22/2015 by Gandolorin]
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Dolwen
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on: January 23, 2015 06:08
Yes, because of the copyright problems the publisher told Tolkien that he needed to make some "hasty textual changes" so that it would be considered new for the copyright purposes. I haven't ever found anything that said exactly what those changes were other than correcting some inaccuracies and checking over the index as well as some cover art. The publisher did ask him to do the same to The Hobbit to avoid the same copyright problems that LotR had, so that is very likely why there was a 66 version of TH also.
cirdaneth
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on: January 23, 2015 09:57
Thank you Dolwen. You beat me to it. … and for information on how the plot developed etc see the central volumes of The History of Middle Earth. Kept me happy for hours.
Nordor
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on: January 24, 2015 05:46
Sorry, but I don't buy copyright issues or paper shortages as likely explanations. It took six years to resolve them? I've heard the publisher was unhappy that they had to wait ten years for a "Hobbit" sequel and got a massive adult fantasy instead. They told Tolkien to turn it into a trilogy and the success of the first volume would determine the press run of the other two. I also understand that Tolkien was none to happy about having to split it into trilogy. Six years would indicate there was more than copyright and paper issues involved.
cirdaneth
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on: January 25, 2015 01:12
We are not talking about 'likely explanations' Nordor. This is documented fact. The publication problems are complex and hinged around Tolkien's unrealistic desire to complete The Silmarillion and have both books published together. He offered it to Collins but they wanted LotR heavily cut, so he returned to Unwin. The intricacies of writing and publication are explained, with quotes from letters, in Scull and Hammond's 'The J. R. R. Tolkien Companion and Guide - Vol1: Reader's Guide'
Dolwen
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on: January 25, 2015 04:35
The copyright issues that Gandolorin and I were speaking about was a separate issue and had nothing to do with the delay in the first publishing. We were referring to a second edition and the changes in text that were made there. The delay in getting the story published from the first (when the publishers asked for a sequel) and when Fellowship was actually published was due to Tolkien wanting The Sil published along with it and offering it elsewhere and also by Tolkien not having the index, appendices and maps ready. Tolkien was not only a perfectionist but a bit slow. The reason for publishing it in 3 volumes was plain and simple caused by post-war paper shortages and the cost to the consumer to publish a huge book. Return of the King was further delayed because Tolkien didn't like the title and thought that it gave away too much of the story and the fact that the extras (appendices etc.) were still not completed. Of course Tolkien wasn't happy about having it split but you are mistaken on the reason for the split. There was never a stipulation in publishing the second and third volume based on the success of the first. As cirdaneth said, it is well documented not only in the source she quoted but also in the Authorized Tolkien biography by Humphrey Carpenter and I also believe The Letters of J.R.R. Tolkien by Carpenter touches on some of this as well.
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