A first edition of JRR Tolkien's 1937 novel 'The Hobbit' has fetched 137,000 pounds at a London auction.
The book, which was a gift from the author to one of his first students at Leeds University in the 1920s, has an inscription in Elvish written by Tolkien, reports the BBC.
The four-line verse is an extract from Tolkien's 'The Lost Road,' part of his 12-volume History of Middle-earth. The author also added a personal dedication.
The sale broke previous sale record for the book, when another first edition had sold for 60,000 pounds in 2008.
The book had introduced Bilbo Baggins and the ring that is the central plot in his 'Lord of the Rings' trilogy.
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