An annotated early draft of The Lord of the Rings
Fantasy Films, 1978, screenplay of The Lord of the Rings: Part One, 194 pages, dated "As Edited May 24, 1977" signed in black ink on title page "John Whitman" and alphabetically tabbed. The script is heavily annotated throughout with suggestions for deleted dialogue and scenes by Whitman, who went on to author a number of serial genre novels for films including The Empire Strikes Back, Mask of Zorro, Planet of the Apes and a number of other Star Wars titles. This screenplay was written by Chris Conklin and Peter S. Beagle, the first film adaptation of J.R.R. Tolkein's masterwork, and was produced as an animated film directed by Ralph Bakshi. 11 x 8 1/2in