Ace Books can undoubtably be credited with the initial mass-market push that secured The Lord of the Rings place in youth culture followed quickly by the Ballantine authorized edition effort. These two paperback publication pushes combined for more than a million copies in print by the end of 1966. Where Tolkien and his publishers had hesitated (Tolkien had expressed previous concern over paperback publications as cheapening the status of the book), Ace Books took the intiative (albeit illegally, as it ended up) in securing a mass-market distribution of the trilogy and therefore placing it in the hands of a new market of college aged readers. (Ripp, 2005) "At the Harvard Coop, the Tolkien books occupy an honored place next to the cash registers, where, like cigarettes, they are readily available in large quantities." (Resnick, 1966) Paperbacks in general are cheaper, more portable, lighter in weight and easier to manipulate when compared to their hardback counterparts enabling students to purchase and tote the books along with them to classes, dormitories, etc. One anonymous interviewed youth stated, "A hardcover edition would never have attracted such a
following, since it would seem too 'Establishment,' resembling the much-feared
textbooks wielded by stodgy professors.” (Davis, 1984)
The rationale behind publishing the book as three separate entities was a financial decision of the publisher - quite simply it was cheaper to print in parts rather than in one single volume. The publishers had qualms about the heftiness of Tolkien's work, as well, being nearly 1300 pages with all of the appendices and indices included. "The Lord of the Rings is, quite simply, unique. And long. Allen & Unwin was forced to make a crucial assessment: would anyone read it, or, more to the point, would anyone pay to read it?" (Ripp, 2005) Tolkien states in a letter to Rayner Unwin, "The (unavoidable) disadvantage of issuing in three pans has been shown in the 'shapelessness' that several readers have found, since that is true if one volume is supposed to stand alone. 'Trilogy', which is not really accurate, is partly to blame. " (1954) Despite these thoughts, the sales that occurred during the 1960's speak otherwise.
References:
Carpenter, H. (1981). Letters of J. R. R. Tolkien: A Selection. London. Allen & Unwin - Letter to Rayner Unwin dated September 9, 1954.
Davis, K. (1984). Two-Bit Culture: The Paperbacking of America. Boston: Houghton Mifflin.
Resnick, H. (1966, July 2). The Hobbit-Forming World of J.R.R. Tolkien. Saturday Evening Post, pp. 90-94.
Joseph Ripp. "Middle America Meets Middle-Earth: American Discussion and Readership of J. R. R. Tolkien's Lord of The Rings, 1965-1969." Book History 8.1 (2005): 245-286. Project MUSE. Web. 16 Apr. 2015. <https://muse.jhu.edu/>.
Images - Top Left: http://www.tolkienlibrary.com/tolkien-book-store (Ace Book editions) Bottom Right: http://www.tolkienguide.com/modules/wiwimod/index.php?page=BallantineLOTR1 (Ballantine editions)
Carpenter, H. (1981). Letters of J. R. R. Tolkien: A Selection. London. Allen & Unwin - Letter to Rayner Unwin dated September 9, 1954.
Davis, K. (1984). Two-Bit Culture: The Paperbacking of America. Boston: Houghton Mifflin.
Resnick, H. (1966, July 2). The Hobbit-Forming World of J.R.R. Tolkien. Saturday Evening Post, pp. 90-94.
Joseph Ripp. "Middle America Meets Middle-Earth: American Discussion and Readership of J. R. R. Tolkien's Lord of The Rings, 1965-1969." Book History 8.1 (2005): 245-286. Project MUSE. Web. 16 Apr. 2015. <https://muse.jhu.edu/>.
Images - Top Left: http://www.tolkienlibrary.com/tolkien-book-store (Ace Book editions) Bottom Right: http://www.tolkienguide.com/modules/wiwimod/index.php?page=BallantineLOTR1 (Ballantine editions)