A first edition of J.R.R. Tolkien's iconic novel The Hobbit sold for nearly $58,000 at auction - more than quadrupling initial estimates. The rare volume, one of only 1,500 printed in 1937, was discovered during a routine estate clearance in Bristol, UK by Auctioneum's rare books specialist, Caitlin Riley. While scanning an unremarkable bookcase, Riley was stunned to recognize the significance of the find. "I literally couldn't believe my eyes," she tells the New York Times, recounting the emotional moment she realized what she had uncovered from amid the "rubbish." The book, bound in light green cloth and containing Tolkien's own black-and-white illustrations, lacked its original dust jacket but still attracted fervent international bidding. While this sale set a notable benchmark, it fell short of the $183,000 fetched in 2015 for a copy that included a handwritten Elvish note from the author himself. (Newser)
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