'The Hobbit' first edition copy sells for $210,000London, June 5 (AZINS) A first edition copy of British author J.R.R. Tolkien's novel "The Hobbit" was sold at Sotheby's auction house in London for 137,000 sterling pounds (about $210,000), Efe news agency reported.

The copy, printed in 1937, was gifted by the author in the 1920s to one of his first students at the University of Leeds, Katherine "Kitty" Kilbride, who safeguarded the novel her whole life.

The first pages are adorned with a dedication written by Tolkien in "Elvish", the fictional language invented by the author of the wildly popular fantasy series, "The Lord of the Rings".

The sale on Thursday marks a record-high for a first edition copy of "The Hobbit", which previously auctioned for 50,000 pounds in 2008.

The novel was written by Tolkien in the 1920s but was not released until September 21, 1937.