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The History of The Lord of the Rings

The History of The Lord of the Rings

FantasyLiterary Fiction
Published
1988

Synopsis

Volume Six of the History of Middle-earth -- subtitled The Return of the Shadow -- presents the first phase of drafts for The Lord of the Rings, covering the writing of what became the first volume. The manuscript history reveals Tolkien's creative process in striking detail: the story began as a direct sequel to The Hobbit with a character initially called Bingo (later to become Frodo), and the dark Lord was not yet Sauron but a figure whose nature changed substantially through revision. Christopher Tolkien presents each draft in sequence, with commentary tracing how the plot, characters, and geography of the Shire and the journey to Rivendell evolved across many revisions. Essential for readers who want to understand how The Lord of the Rings was written.

Prose complexity
7/10

Vibe

Thought-ProvokingIntellectualReflectiveNostalgic
QuestDual TimelineMentor Figure

Genres

Fantasy Literary Fiction

About the author

J
J.R.R. Tolkien

John Ronald Reuel Tolkien was born in Bloemfontein, South Africa in 1892 and raised in England after his mother brought him home at age three. Orphaned before he was thirteen — his mother died a devout Catholic convert — Tolkien went on to study Old and Middle English, Germanic languages, Welsh, and Finnish at Oxford. He graduated in 1915, married Edith Bratt before shipping out to the Western Front, and fought in the Battle of the Somme. Nearly all of his closest friends were killed. He contrac...

Characters

Frodo BagginsProtagonist

Appears in early drafts as Bingo, revealing the gradual evolution of the character who would become the central hero of The Lord of the Rings.

GandalfSupporting

Present from the earliest drafts, though his role and nature evolved considerably before reaching the form familiar from the published novel.

All characters in The History of The Lord of the Rings

Frequently asked questions

  • Is this book part of a series?

    This book is the first volume in Christopher Tolkien's twelve-volume series, The History of Middle-earth, which meticulously documents the evolution of his father J.R.R. Tolkien's fictional world.

  • Does this book contain previously unpublished material?

    Yes, it includes early drafts, notes, and discarded passages from J.R.R. Tolkien's writing process for The Lord of the Rings that were not published in the original novel.

  • What is The Return of the Shadow?

    The first of four volumes documenting the writing of The Lord of the Rings, comprising volume 6 of the twelve-volume History of Middle-earth. It covers the earliest drafts of the story from the Shire through to Rivendell.

  • Who is the primary editor of this work?

    J.R.R. Tolkien's son, Christopher Tolkien, meticulously compiled and edited the extensive archival material to create this detailed account of his father's creative journey.

  • What was Frodo originally called in the drafts?

    In the earliest drafts Tolkien called the protagonist Bingo, a name that was gradually revised through several intermediate stages before arriving at Frodo Baggins.

  • Is this volume part of a larger series?

    Yes -- it is volume 6 of the twelve-volume History of Middle-earth. The Lord of the Rings drafts continue across volumes 7, 8, and 9.

  • Do I need to read the earlier volumes first?

    Not for the LotR draft volumes. The Return of the Shadow is largely self-contained as a study of how The Lord of the Rings was written -- it presupposes familiarity with The Lord of the Rings itself, but not with the earlier Silmarillion-history volumes.