Lord of the Rings author JRR Tolkien’s ‘extraordinary’ personal item to go to auction

• JRR Tolkien's desk, used during the final stages of writing The Lord of the Rings, is scheduled for auction at Christie's in London.
• The mid-Victorian roll-top mahogany and satinwood desk is estimated to sell for between £50,000 and £80,000.
• Tolkien used the desk from 1945 to 1959 while at Oxford University, where he completed crucial revisions and proofing of his magnum opus.
• Christie's specialists describe the desk as an "extraordinary material witness" to Tolkien's most productive and creative literary period.
• This desk is significant as it is the only one belonging to Tolkien that remains in private hands and will feature in the 'Groundbreakers: Icons Of Our Time' auction.

IN FULL

‘Extraordinary’ item JRR Tolkien used while writing The Lord of the Rings up for auction