The hobbits spend the night with them, then take an evasive short cut the next day, and arrive at the farm of Farmer Maggot, who takes them to Bucklebury Ferry, where they meet their friend Merry Brandybuck. They are pursued by mysterious Black Riders, but meet a passing group of Elves led by Gildor Inglorion, whose chants to Elbereth ward off the Riders. Gandalf leaves, promising to return by Frodo's birthday and accompany him on his journey, but fails to do so.įrodo sets out on foot, offering a cover story of moving to Crickhollow, accompanied by his gardener Sam Gamgee and his cousin Pippin Took. Seventeen years later, Gandalf tells Frodo that he has confirmed that the Ring is the one lost by the Dark Lord Sauron long ago and counsels him to take it away from the Shire. Neither hobbit is aware of the Ring's origin, but the wizard Gandalf suspects it is a Ring of Power. Gandalf proves that Frodo's Ring is the One Ring by throwing it into Frodo's fireplace, revealing the hidden text of the Rhyme of the Rings.īilbo celebrates his eleventy-first birthday and leaves the Shire suddenly, passing the Ring to Frodo Baggins, his cousin and heir. It has been named Britain's best novel of all time in the BBC's 2003 poll The Big Read.

It has helped to create and shape the modern fantasy genre, within which it is considered one of the greatest books of all time.Īward-winning adaptations of The Lord of the Rings have been made for radio, theatre, and film. It has inspired many derivative works, including paintings, music, films, television, video games, and board games. Its enduring popularity has led to numerous references in popular culture, the founding of many societies by fans of Tolkien's works, and the publication of many books about Tolkien and his works. The Lord of the Rings has since been reprinted many times and translated into at least 38 languages. Influences on this earlier work, and on the story of The Lord of the Rings, include philology, mythology, Christianity, earlier fantasy works, and his own experiences in the First World War. Tolkien's work, after an initially mixed reception by the literary establishment, has been the subject of extensive analysis of its themes and origins. Some later editions print the entire work in a single volume, following the author's original intent. The work is divided internally into six books, two per volume, with several appendices of background material. For economic reasons, The Lord of the Rings was published over the course of a year from 29 July 1954 to 20 October 1955 in three volumes titled The Fellowship of the Ring, The Two Towers, and The Return of the King.

From homely beginnings in the Shire, a hobbit land reminiscent of the English countryside, the story ranges across Middle-earth, following the quest to destroy the One Ring mainly through the eyes of the hobbits Frodo, Sam, Merry and Pippin.Īlthough often called a trilogy, the work was intended by Tolkien to be one volume of a two-volume set along with The Silmarillion. The title refers to the story's main antagonist, the Dark Lord Sauron, who in an earlier age created the One Ring to rule the other Rings of Power given to Men, Dwarves, and Elves, in his campaign to conquer all of Middle-earth. Written in stages between 19, The Lord of the Rings is one of the best-selling books ever written, with over 150 million copies sold. Set in Middle-earth, intended to be Earth at some time in the distant past, the story began as a sequel to Tolkien's 1937 children's book The Hobbit, but eventually developed into a much larger work. The Lord of the Rings is an epic high-fantasy novel by English author and scholar J.

20 October 1955 ( The Return of the King).

29 July 1954 ( The Fellowship of the Ring).

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