A piece of literary history is set to go under the hammer in London, as the desk used by JRR Tolkien during the creation of his masterpiece, The Lord of the Rings, is offered for sale.
The Desk That Helped Shape Middle-earth
The item for sale is a mid-Victorian roll-top desk, crafted from mahogany and satinwood. It holds a guide price of £50,000 to £80,000 and will be auctioned by Christie's on 11 December. This was Tolkien's primary workstation during his tenure as the Merton Professor of English Language and Literature at the University of Oxford, a post he held from 1945 to 1959.
Experts at the auction house believe this is the very desk where the celebrated author undertook the final revisions and proofing for The Lord of the Rings. After his time at Merton College, Tolkien took the desk with him to his home in Sandfield Road, Headington, Oxford.
A Provenance of Literary Giants
The desk's journey did not end with Tolkien. It was later passed to the renowned novelist and philosopher, Dame Iris Murdoch, adding another layer to its storied past. Thais Hitchins, a junior specialist at Christie's, described the piece as an "extraordinary material witness" to the most productive period of Tolkien's career.
"Situated in his study at Merton College, Oxford and later at his residence, it was one of Tolkien’s primary work stations," Hitchins stated. "This period saw the author add the important final touches to his magnum opus and draft significant academic works like his study of Middle English, Ancrene Wisse."
She emphasised the desk's rarity, noting it is the only desk belonging to Tolkien still in private hands and one of the most important artefacts of his career.
Highlights of the Groundbreakers Auction
The sale forms part of Christie's Groundbreakers: Icons Of Our Time auction, which features several other notable items. Key lots include:
- The only known annotated proof of Harry Beck's iconic London Underground map, estimated at £70,000–£100,000.
- The original "Harry the Hammer" cover artwork for the first edition of Warhammer, with a staggering estimate of £300,000–£400,000.
- The dye-transfer prints used to create the Eagles' legendary Hotel California album artwork, carrying a guide price of £40,000–£60,000.
The auction promises to attract collectors of literature, pop culture, and design, with Tolkien's desk standing as a unique bridge between academic scholarship and world-building fantasy.
