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...
The Lord of the Rings
The Lord of the Rings
Synopsis
This one-volume edition collects the whole of J.R.R. Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring, The Two Towers, and The Return of the King, along with the appendices.
When the hobbit Frodo Baggins inherits a plain gold ring, the wizard Gandalf reveals it to be the One Ring, forged by the Dark Lord Sauron to rule Middle-earth. Frodo sets out to carry it to Mount Doom, the only place it can be destroyed, joined by a fellowship of men, elves, dwarves, and hobbits. As armies gather and the fellowship is scattered, the fate of the free peoples comes to rest on the endurance of ordinary people and small, unlooked-for acts of mercy.
Read as a single continuous story, Tolkien's epic moves from the pastoral quiet of the Shire to the full sweep of a world at war, and closes on victory shadowed by loss. Its invented languages, deep history, and moral seriousness reshaped modern fantasy.
Vibe
Genres
Characters
Frodo BagginsProtagonist
A hobbit tasked with destroying the One Ring at Mount Doom.
Samwise GamgeeProtagonist
Frodo's steadfast companion.
SauronAntagonist
The Dark Lord seeking to reclaim the One Ring.
AragornSupporting
Ranger and heir to Gondor's throne.
GandalfSupporting
A wizard who reveals the Ring's true nature and guides the fellowship.
Subjects
Places
Edition
Lord of the RingsUnknown, 2003
1246 pages
Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing CompanyLanguage: EnglishISBN: 97806184332235 editions available
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Frequently asked questions
Is The Lord of the Rings a single book or a series?
While often published as three volumes (The Fellowship of the Ring, The Two Towers, and The Return of the King), The Lord of the Rings was conceived by Tolkien as a single novel. The division into three parts was primarily due to publishing constraints.
Are there film adaptations of The Lord of the Rings?
Yes, a highly acclaimed live-action film trilogy directed by Peter Jackson was released in the early 2000s. These films are known for their extensive world-building and generally faithful adaptation of the source material, though they do take some creative liberties.
Does The Lord of the Rings connect to The Hobbit?
The Lord of the Rings is a direct sequel to The Hobbit, continuing the story of Bilbo Baggins's discovery and the wider implications of the Ring he found. While it can be read independently, reading The Hobbit first provides valuable context for the world and characters.