When were The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings first released as a four-book boxed set?

[Anonymous]

Thanks!

[Anonymous]

The Hobbitt was first published in 1937.
The third book in the Lord of the Rings trilogy was first published in 1955 in the U.K. and in 1956 in the U.S.

As to what date they were first released as a 4 book box set, I don't know. I do know that when I bought the books in 1997, the Hobbitt was sold separately, and the other three books were sold as a box set.