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{{Real}}{{DISPLAYTITLE: ''The Lord of the Rings''}}
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{{Infobox Book
|image       = The Lord of the Rings First Copies.jpg
|caption     = First edition copies of Tolkien's ''The Lord of the Rings''
|author      = [[J.R.R. Tolkien]]
|editor      = 
|language    = 
|translator  = 
|illustrator = 
|genre       = [[High fantasy]], Adventure
|series      = 
|publisher   = [[Allen & Unwin|George Allen & Unwin]]<br />([[United Kingdom]])
|released    = July 29, 1954 ({{LotRlink|media=book1}});<br/>November 11, 1954<br/>({{LotRlink|media=book2}});<br/>October 20, 1955 ({{LotRlink|media=book3}})<br/>October 27, 1966 (the 2nd edition)
|pages       = 
|preceded by = 
|followed by = 
|OCLC        = 1487587
|ISBN        = 
}}
[[File:51eq24cRtRL. SX331 BO1,204,203,200 .jpg|thumb|310x310px|Cover of the 50th Anniversary One-Volume Edition]]
'''''The Lord of the Rings''''' is an epic [[high fantasy]] novel written by [[J.R.R. Tolkien]], which was later fitted as a trilogy. The story began as a sequel to Tolkien's earlier fantasy book {{Hlink}}, and soon developed into a much larger story. At publication, it was divided into {{LotRlink|media=book1}} (1954), {{LotRlink|media=book2}} (1955), and {{LotRlink|media=book3}} (1966). Around 1968, one-volume editions started to be published in both hardcover and paperback, but both those editions are now exceedingly rare.

Written in stages between 1937 and 1949, with much of it during World War II,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.nationalgeographic.com/ngbeyond/rings/influences.html|title=World War I and World War II|accessdate=2006-06-16}}</ref> it was originally published in three volumes in 1954 and 1955. It has since been reprinted numerous times and translated into at least 38 different languages,<ref>[http://www.tolkien.co.uk/information/faq.asp Tolkien FAQ: How many languages have The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings been translated into?]</ref> becoming one of the most popular works of twentieth-century literature.

The action in ''The Lord of the Rings'' is set in what the author conceived to be the lands of the real Earth, inhabited by humanity but placed in a fictional past, before familiar history but after the fall of his version of Atlantis, [[Númenor]].<ref name="letters">{{cite book |last=Tolkien |first=J.R.R. |title={{CTlink|media=letters}}|isbn=0-618-05699-8 |year=1981 |publisher=Houghton Mifflin}}</ref> Tolkien gave this setting a modern English name, [[Middle-earth]], a rendering of the [[Old English]] ''[[wikipedia:Middangeard|Middangeard]]''.<ref>{{cite web|url= http://www.dummies.com/WileyCDA/DummiesArticle/id-2287.html | title=Exploring the Diverse Lands of Middle-earth | accessdate=2006-06-16}}</ref>

== Contents ==
:Note on the Text
:Preface to the ''&lt;Second Edition or other editions&gt;''
:[[Prologue to The Lord of the Rings|Prologue Concerning Hobbits, and Other Matters]]

:{{LotRlink|media=book1}}
::[[The_Fellowship_of_the_Ring_(novel)#Book_I:_The_First_Journey_/_The_Ring_Sets_Out|Book I: The First Journey / The Ring Sets Out]]
::[[The_Fellowship_of_the_Ring_(novel)#Book_II:_The_Journey_of_the_Nine_Companions_/_The_Ring_Goes_South|Book II: The Journey of the Nine Companions / The Ring Goes South]]
:{{LotRlink|media=book2}}
::[[The_Two_Towers#Book_III:_The_Treason_of_Isengard|Book III: The Treason of Isengard]]
::[[The_Two_Towers#Book_IV:_The_Journey_of_the_Ringbearers_/_The_Ring_Goes_East|Book IV: The Journey of the Ringbearers / The Ring Goes East]]
:{{LotRlink|media=book3}}
::[[The_Return_of_the_King#Book_V:_The_War_of_the_Ring|Book V: The War of the Ring]]
::[[The_Return_of_the_King#Book_VI:_The_End_of_the_Third_Age/The_Return_of_the_King|Book VI: The End of the Third Age/The Return of the King]]

:[[Appendices]]
::''Usually included at the end of the separate volume version of The Return of the King.''
:*[[Appendix A]]
:*[[Appendix B]]
:*[[Appendix C]]
:*[[Appendix D]]
:*[[Appendix E]]
:*[[Appendix F]]

:Index

:Maps
::NOTE ON THE MAPS
::Map of The West of Middle-earth
::Map of The Lost Realm of Arnor / Eriador
::Map of Rhovanion / Rhûn
::Map of the coastal area from [[Lond Daer Enedh|Lond Daer]] to the [[Ethir Anduin|Mouths of the Anduin]] and a portion of Rohan
::Map of Rohan / Gondor / Mordor / Rhûn / Khand / Near Harad
::Map of Rohan, Gondor, and Mordor

== Main conflict ==
The story concerns peoples such as [[Hobbits]], [[Elves]], [[Men]], [[Dwarves]], [[Wizards]], and [[Orcs]] (called [[goblins]] in ''The Hobbit''), and centers on the [[One Ring|Ring of Power]] made by the [[Dark Lord]] [[Sauron]]. Starting from quiet beginnings in the [[Shire]], the story ranges across Middle-earth and follows the courses of the [[War of the Ring]]. The main story is followed by six appendices that provide a wealth of historical and linguistic background material,<ref>{{cite web|url= http://www.cliffsnotes.com/WileyCDA/LitNote/id-172,pageNum-49.html| title=The Return of the King: Summaries and Commentaries: Appendices|accessdate=2006-06-16}}</ref> as well as an index listing every character, place, [[Songs and verses|song]], and sword.

Along with Tolkien's other writings, ''The Lord of the Rings'' has been subjected to extensive analysis of its literary themes and origins. Although a major work in itself, the story is merely the last movement of a larger [[mythology|mythological]] cycle, or legendarium, that Tolkien had worked on for many years since 1917.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.tolkiensociety.org/tolkien/biography.html| title =J. R. R. Tolkien: A Biographical Sketch|accessdate=2006-06-16}}</ref> Influences on this earlier work, and on the story of ''The Lord of the Rings'', include [[wikipedia:Philology|philology]], [[Legendarium|mythology]] and religion, as well as earlier fantasy works and Tolkien's experiences in [[World War I]]. ''The Lord of the Rings'' in its turn is considered to have had a great impact on modern fantasy, and the impact of Tolkien's works is such that the use of the words "Tolkienian" and "Tolkienesque" have been recorded in the Oxford English Dictionary.<ref>{{cite book |last= Gilliver |first=Peter |title=The Ring of Words: Tolkien and the Oxford English Dictionary |isbn=0-19-861069-6 |year= 2006 |publisher=Oxford University Press}}</ref>

The immense and enduring popularity of ''The Lord of the Rings'' has led to [[Middle-earth in popular culture|numerous references in popular culture]], the founding of many societies by [[Tolkien fandom|fans of Tolkien's works]], and a large number of books about Tolkien and his works being published. ''The Lord of the Rings'' has inspired (and continues to inspire) short stories, [[Middle-earth in video games|video games]], artworks and musical works (see [[Works inspired by J. R. R. Tolkien]]). Numerous adaptations of Tolkien's works have been made for a wide range of media. [[Adaptations of The Lord of the Rings|Adaptations of ''The Lord of the Rings'']] in particular have been made for the radio, for the theatre, and for film. The 2001–2003 release of {{LotRlink|media=films}} saw a surge of interest in ''The Lord of the Rings'' and Tolkien's other works.<ref name = "surge">{{cite web|author=Gilsdorf, Ethan|year = November 16, [[2003]]|url=http://www.boston.com/news/globe/magazine/articles/2003/11/16/lord_of_the_gold_ring/| title=Lord of the Gold Ring|work=The Boston Globe|accessdate=2006-06-16}}</ref>

== Backstory ==
The back story begins thousands of years before the action in the book, with the rise of the eponymous Lord of the Rings, the Dark Lord [[Sauron]], a malevolent reincarnated deity who possessed great supernatural powers and who later became the ruler of the dreaded realm of [[Mordor]]. At the end of the [[First Age]] of Middle-earth, Sauron survived the catastrophic defeat and chaining of his lord, the ultimate Dark Lord, [[Melkor|Morgoth]] (who was formerly counted as one of the [[Valar]], the angelic ''Powers'' of the [[Arda|world]]). During the [[Second Age]], Sauron schemed to gain dominion over Middle-earth. In the disguise as "Annatar" or ''Lord of Gifts'', he aided [[Celebrimbor]] and other [[Gwaith-i-Mírdain|Elven-smiths]] of [[Eregion]] in the forging of magical [[Rings of Power]] which conferred various powers and effects on their wearers. The most important of these were the Nine, the Seven and the Three (which he did not touch or know of the three.) called the ''Rings of Power'' or ''Great Rings''.

However, he then secretly forged a Great Ring of his own, the [[One Ring]], by which he planned to enslave the wearers of the other Rings of Power. This plan failed when the Elves became aware of him and took off their Rings. Sauron then launched a [[War of the Elves and Sauron|war]] during which he captured sixteen and distributed them to lords and kings of Dwarves and Men; these Rings were known as the Seven and Nine respectively. The Dwarf-lords proved too tough to be enslaved, although their natural desire for wealth, especially gold, increased; this brought more conflict between them and other races, and fed a dangerous greed. The Men who received the Nine rings were slowly corrupted over time and eventually became the ''[[Nazgûl]]'', Sauron's most feared servants. The Three Rings Sauron failed to capture, and remained in the possession of the Elves (who forged these independently). The war ended as Men of the island-kingdom of [[Númenor]] helped the besieged Elves, and Sauron's forces were practically destroyed. At this time he still held most of Middle-earth, excluding the coasts, Imladris ([[Rivendell]]) and the [[Gulf of Lune]].

[[File:NumenorEN.jpg|230px|left|thumb|A map of [[Númenor]] (called ''Andor'' by the Elves)]]

Over 1500 years later, word reached the [[Kings of Númenor|King of Númenor]], [[Ar-Pharazôn]], that Sauron had claimed the title "King of Men". This provoked Ar-Pharazôn and gave him an opportunity to display the glory and strength of Númenor. He arrived in Middle-earth with such overwhelming force that Sauron's armies fled at the sight of the [[Númenóreans]]. Abandoned by his minions, Sauron surrendered to the Númenóreans, and was taken to Númenor as a "prisoner". Sauron then started to poison the minds of the Númenóreans against the Valar. Thus, Sauron set into motion events that brought about Númenor's destruction. He did this by corrupting the King's mind, telling him that the immortality of the Elves was his to take if he set foot upon the lands of [[Aman]], the ''Blessed Realm'', where [[Valinor]], the realm of the Valar, was located. Fearing death, Ar-Pharazôn led an invasion of Aman and Valinor with the greatest host seen since the [[War of Wrath|end of the First Age]]. However, upon reaching Aman, he and his army were buried by a landslide, and there they would remain until the [[Dagor Dagorath|Final Battle]] in Tolkien's [[wikipedia:Eschatology|eschatology]]. [[Manwë]], the King of Arda, called upon [[Eru Ilúvatar]] (God), who opened a great chasm in the sea, destroying Númenor, and removed the Undying Lands from the mortal world. The destruction of Númenor destroyed Sauron's physical body and his ability to take a fair and handsome shape, but his spirit returned to Mordor and assumed a new form: black, "burning hot", and terrible.

Over 100 years later, he launched an attack against the [[Faithful]] Númenórean exiles (those who did not join Ar-Pharazôn's expedition), who managed to escape to Middle-earth. However, the exiles (led by [[Elendil]] and his sons [[Isildur]] and [[Anárion]]) had time to prepare, and, after forming the [[Last Alliance of Elves and Men]] with the Elven-king [[Gil-galad]], they marched against Mordor, defeated Sauron on the plain of [[Dagorlad]], and besieged [[Barad-dûr]], at which time Anárion was slain. After seven years of siege, Sauron himself was ultimately forced to engage in single combat with the leaders. Gil-galad and Elendil perished in the struggle, and Elendil's sword, [[Narsil]], broke beneath him. However, Sauron's body was also overcome and slain,<ref name="letters" /> and Isildur cut the One Ring from Sauron's hand with the hilt-shard of Narsil, and at this Sauron's spirit fled and he did not reappear for a millenium. Isildur was advised to destroy the One Ring by the only way it could be — by casting it into the volcanic [[Mount Doom]] where it was forged — but he refused, attracted to its beauty and kept it as compensation for the deaths of his father and brother (weregild).

So began the [[Third Age]] of the Sun. Two years later, while journeying to [[Rivendell]], Isildur and his soldiers were ambushed by a band of Orcs at the [[Disaster of the Gladden Fields]]. While the latter were almost all killed, Isildur escaped by putting on the Ring — which made mortal wearers invisible. However, the Ring slipped from his finger while he was swimming in the great River [[Anduin]]; he was killed by Orc-arrows and the Ring was lost for two millennia. It was then found by chance by a [[Stoors|Stoor]] named [[Déagol]].  His relative and friend<ref name="letters" /> [[Gollum|Sméagol]] strangled him for the Ring and was banished from his home by his maternal grandmother. He fled to the [[Misty Mountains]] where he slowly withered and became a disgusting, slimy creature called Gollum.

In {{Hlink}}, set 60 years before the events in ''The Lord of the Rings,'' Tolkien relates the story of the seemingly accidental finding of the Ring by another hobbit, [[Bilbo Baggins]], who takes it to his home, [[Bag End]]. Story-externally, the tale related in ''The Hobbit'' was written before ''The Lord of the Rings'', and it was only later that the author developed Bilbo's magic ring into the "One Ring." Neither Bilbo nor the wizard, [[Gandalf]], are aware at this point that Bilbo's magic ring is the One Ring, forged by the Dark Lord Sauron.

== Synopsis ==
[[File:Middle-earth.jpg|250px|right|thumb|[[Middle-earth]] during the [[Third Age]]]]

''The Lord of the Rings'' takes up the story about 60 years after the end of ''The Hobbit''. The story begins in the first volume, {{LotRlink|media=book1}}, when [[Frodo Baggins]], Bilbo's adoptive heir, came into possession of Bilbo's magic ring. Bilbo's old friend, [[Gandalf|Gandalf the Grey]], who got Bilbo involved in the adventures in ''The Hobbit'' that led to the discovery of the Ring, discovered that it was in fact the [[One Ring]], the instrument of Sauron's power and the object for which the Dark Lord has been searching for most of the Third Age, and which corrupted others with desire for it and the power it held.

Sauron sent the sinister [[Nazgûl]], in the guise of riders in black, to the [[Shire]], Frodo's native land, in search of the Ring. Frodo escaped, with the help of his loyal gardener [[Samwise Gamgee]] and three close friends, [[Meriadoc Brandybuck]], [[Peregrin Took]], and [[Fredegar Bolger]]. While Fredegar acted as decoy for the Ringwraiths, Frodo and the others set off to take the Ring to the Elven haven of [[Rivendell]]. They were aided by the enigmatic [[Tom Bombadil]], who saved them from [[Old Man Willow]] and took them in for a few days of feasting, rest, and counsel. At the town of [[Bree]], Frodo's party was joined by a man called "Strider", who was revealed, in a letter left by Gandalf at the [[The Prancing Pony|local inn]] for Frodo, to be [[Aragorn II|Aragorn]], the heir to the thrones of [[Gondor]] and [[Arnor]], two great realms founded by the Númenórean exiles. Aragorn led the hobbits to Rivendell on Gandalf's request. However, Frodo was gravely wounded by the leader of the Ringwraiths, though he managed to recover under the care of lord [[Elrond]], the [[Half-elf]].

In Rivendell, the hobbits also learned that Sauron's forces could only be resisted if Aragorn took up his inheritance and fulfilled an ancient prophecy by wielding the sword [[Narsil|Andúril]], which had been forged anew from the shards of [[Narsil]], the sword that cut the Ring from Sauron's finger in the Second Age. The treachery of [[Saruman]], formerly head of the [[White Council]] and now in league with Sauron is also revealed. [[Council of Elrond|A high council]], attended by representatives of the major races of Middle-earth; Elves, Dwarves, and Men, and presided over by Elrond, decide that the only course of action that can save Middle-earth is to destroy the Ring by taking it to Mordor and casting it into [[Mount Doom]], where it was forged.

Frodo volunteered for the task, and a "[[Fellowship of the Ring (group)|Fellowship of the Ring]]" was formed to aid him — consisting of Frodo, his three Hobbit companions, Gandalf, Aragorn, [[Boromir]] of Gondor, [[Gimli]] the Dwarf, and [[Legolas]] the Elf. Their journey took them through the Mines of [[Khazad-dûm|Moria]], where they began to be followed by the creature [[Gollum]], whom Bilbo had met in the Goblin-caves of the Misty Mountains years before. (The full tale of their meeting is told in ''The Hobbit.'') Gollum long possessed the Ring before it passed to Bilbo. Gandalf explained that Gollum belonged to a people "of hobbit-kind" before he came upon the Ring, which corrupted him. A slave to the Ring's evil power, Gollum desperately sought to regain his "Precious." As they proceeded through the Mines, Pippin unintentionally betrayed their presence and the party was attacked by creatures of Sauron. Gandalf battled an ancient demon, a [[Balrogs|Balrog]], and fell into a deep chasm, apparently to his death. Escaping from Moria, the Fellowship, now led by Aragorn, go to the Elven realm of [[Lothlórien]]. Here, the Lady [[Galadriel]] showed Frodo and Sam visions of the past, present, and future. Frodo also saw the [[Eye of Sauron]], a metaphysical expression of Sauron himself, and Galadriel was tempted by the Ring. By the end of the first volume, after the Fellowship has travelled along the great River [[Anduin]], Frodo decided to continue the trek to Mordor on his own, largely due to the Ring's growing influence on Boromir; however, the faithful Sam insisted on going with him.

In the second volume, {{LotRlink|media=book2}}, a parallel story, told in the first book of the volume, details the exploits of the remaining members of the Fellowship who aid the country of [[Rohan]] in its war against the emerging evil of [[Saruman]], leader of the Order of Wizards, who wanted the Ring for himself. At the start of the first book, the Fellowship was further scattered; Merry and Pippin were captured by Sauron and Saruman's Orcs, Boromir was mortally wounded defending them, and Aragorn and the others went off in pursuit of the Hobbits captors. The three meet Gandalf, who has returned to Middle-earth as "Gandalf the White": they found out that he slew the Balrog of Moria, and although the battle also proved fatal to Gandalf, he was then sent back and "reborn" as a more imposing figure. At the end of the first book, Gandalf, Aragorn, Legolas and Gimli help defeat Saruman's armies at the [[Battle of the Hornburg]] while Saruman himself was cornered by the tree-like [[Ents]] and [[Huorns]], accompanied by Merry and Pippin, who escaped from captivity, and the two groups are reunited.

The second book of the volume tells of Frodo and Sam's exploits on the way to Mount Doom. They managed to capture and "tame" Gollum, who then showed them a way to enter Mordor secretly (as opposed to the [[Black Gate]]), albeit through the dreaded realm of [[Minas Morgul]]. At the end of the volume, Gollum betrayed Frodo to the great spider, [[Shelob]], and though he survived, he was captured by Orcs. Meanwhile, Sauron launched an all-out military assault upon Middle-earth, with the [[Witch-king of Angmar|Witch-king]] (leader of the Ringwraiths) leading a fell host from [[Minas Morgul]] into battle against [[Gondor]], in the [[War of the Ring]].

In the third volume, {{LotRlink|media=book3}}, the further adventures of Gandalf, Aragorn and company are related in the first book of the volume, while Frodo and Sam's are related in the second, as with ''The Two Towers.'' As told in the first book, the Fellowship assisted in the final battles against the armies of Sauron, including the siege of the city of [[Minas Tirith]] in Gondor and the climactic life-or-death battle before the [[Black Gate]] of Mordor, where the alliance of Gondor and Rohan fought desperately against Sauron's armies in order to distract him from the Ring, hoping to gain time for Frodo to destroy it.

In the second book, Sam rescued Frodo from captivity. After much struggle, they finally reached Mount Doom itself, tailed by Gollum. However, the temptation of the Ring proved too great for Frodo and he claimed it for himself. However, Gollum struggled with him and managed to bite the Ring off. Crazed with triumph, Gollum slipped into the fires of the mountain, and the Ring was destroyed.

Finally, Sauron was defeated, and Aragorn was crowned king. However, all was not over, for Saruman managed to escape and [[Scouring of the Shire|scour the Shire]] before being overthrown. At the end, Frodo remained wounded in body and spirit and went west accompanied by Bilbo over the Sea to Valinor, where he could find peace.

According to Tolkien's [[Timeline of Arda|timeline]], the events depicted in the story occurred between Bilbo's announcement of his [[September 22]], [[TA 3001|3001]] [[Bilbo's Farewell Birthday Party|birthday party]], and Sam's return to [[Bag End]] on [[October 6]], [[TA 3021|3021]]. Most of the events portrayed in the story occur in [[TA 3018]] and [[TA 3019]], with Frodo heading out from Bag End on [[September 23]] 3018, and the destruction of the Ring six months later on [[March 25]], 3019.

== Chapters ==
=== {{LotRlink|media=book1}} chapters ===
[[A Long-expected Party]] • [[The Shadow of the Past]] • [[Three is Company]] • [[A Short Cut to Mushrooms]] • [[A Conspiracy Unmasked]] •  [[The Old Forest]] • [[In the House of Tom Bombadil]] • [[Fog on the Barrow-downs]] • [[At the Sign of the Prancing Pony]] • [[Strider (chapter)|Strider]] • [[A Knife in the Dark]] • [[Flight to the Ford]] • [[Many Meetings]] • [[The Council of Elrond (chapter)|The Council of Elrond]] • [[The Ring Goes South]] • [[A Journey in the Dark]] • [[The Bridge of Khazad-dûm]] • [[Lothlórien (chapter)|Lothlórien]] • [[The Mirror of Galadriel (chapter)|The Mirror of Galadriel]] • [[Farewell to Lórien]] • [[The Great River (chapter)|The Great River]] • [[The Breaking of the Fellowship]]

=== {{LotRlink|media=book2}} chapters ===
[[The Departure of Boromir]] • [[The Riders of Rohan (chapter)|The Riders of Rohan]] • [[The Uruk-hai]] • [[Treebeard (chapter)|Treebeard]] • [[The White Rider (chapter)|The White Rider]] •  [[The King of the Golden Hall (chapter)|The King of the Golden Hall]] • [[Helm's Deep (chapter)|Helm's Deep]] • [[The Road to Isengard]] • [[Flotsam and Jetsam]] • [[The Voice of Saruman]] • [[The Palantír (chapter)|The Palantír]] • [[The Taming of Sméagol]] • [[The Passage of the Marshes]] • [[The Black Gate is Closed]] • [[Of Herbs and Stewed Rabbit]] • [[The Window on the West]] • [[The Forbidden Pool]] • [[Journey to the Cross-roads]] • [[The Stairs of Cirith Ungol]] • [[Shelob's Lair (chapter)|Shelob's Lair]] • [[The Choices of Master Samwise]]

=== {{LotRlink|media=book3}} chapters ===
[[Minas Tirith (chapter)|Minas Tirith]] • [[The Passing of the Grey Company]] • [[The Muster of Rohan]] • [[The Siege of Gondor]] • [[The Ride of the Rohirrim]] •  [[The Battle of the Pelennor Fields]] • [[The Pyre of Denethor]] • [[The Houses of Healing]] • [[The Last Debate]] • [[The Black Gate Opens (chapter)|The Black Gate Opens]] • [[The Tower of Cirith Ungol]] • [[The Land of Shadow]] • [[Mount Doom (chapter)|Mount Doom]] • [[The Field of Cormallen]] • [[The Steward and the King]] • [[Many Partings]] • [[Homeward Bound]] • [[The Scouring of the Shire (chapter)|The Scouring of the Shire]] • [[The Grey Havens]]

== Characters ==
:''For character information see: [[List of characters]]''
<div style="float:left; width:45%;">
=== Good (excluding most minor characters) ===
*[[Aragorn II]]
*[[Gimli]]
*[[Legolas]]
*[[Gandalf]]
*[[Boromir]]
*[[Frodo Baggins]]
*[[Samwise Gamgee]]
*[[Peregrin Took]]
*[[Meriadoc Brandybuck]]
*[[Bilbo Baggins]]
*[[Elrond]]
*[[Glorfindel]]
*[[Arwen]]
*[[Elladan and Elrohir|Elladan]]
*[[Elladan and Elrohir|Elrohir]]
*[[Thranduil]]
*[[Haldir of Lothlórien|Haldir]]
*[[Celeborn]]
*[[Galadriel]]
*[[Gwaihir]]
*[[Balin]] (mentioned)
*[[Glóin]]
*[[Dáin II]] (mentioned)
*[[Faramir]]
*[[Denethor II]]
*[[Beregond]]
*[[Treebeard]]
*[[Théoden]]
*[[Éomer]]
*[[Éowyn]]
*[[Háma]]
*[[Gamling]]
*[[Théodred]]
</div><div style="float:left; width:45%;">
=== Evil ===
*[[Sauron]]
*[[Mouth of Sauron]]
*[[Nazgûl]]
**[[Witch-king of Angmar]]<br/>(Lord of the Nazgûl)
*[[Gorbag]]
*[[Shagrat]]
*[[Snaga]]
*[[Durin's Bane]], a [[Balrog]]
*[[Saruman]]
*[[Gríma Wormtongue]]
*[[Uglúk]]
*[[Lugdush]]
*[[Grishnákh]]
*[[Shelob]]
*[[Gollum]]
</div>{{clr}}

== Background ==
=== Writing ===
{{LotR navbox}}

''The Lord of the Rings'' in conception was meant as a sequel {{Hlink}}, his tale for children published in 1937.<ref name="genesis">{{cite web|url=http://www.uni-klu.ac.at/~jkoeberl/Courses/Tolkien/l_04_genesis.pdf| title=The Lord of the Rings: Genesis|accessdate=2006-06-14|archiveurl=http://web.archive.org/web/20030817081254/http://www.uni-klu.ac.at/~jkoeberl/Courses/Tolkien/l_04_genesis.pdf|archivedate=2003-08-17}}</ref> The popularity of ''The Hobbit'' led to demands from his publishers for more stories about Hobbits and [[Orcs|goblins]], and so that same year Tolkien began writing what would become ''The Lord of the Rings'' - not to be finished until 12 years later in 1949, not be fully published until 1955, by which time Tolkien would be 63 years old.

Tolkien did not originally intend to write a sequel to ''The Hobbit,'' and instead wrote several other children's tales such as ''[[Roverandom]].'' As his main work, Tolkien began to outline the history of [[Arda]], telling tales of the [[Silmarils]], and many other stories forming the vast background to ''The Lord of the Rings'' and the [[Third Age]]. Tolkien died before he could complete and put together all of this work cohesively, but his son [[Christopher Tolkien]] edited his father's work, filled in gaps, and published it in 1977 as {{CTlink|media=s}}.<ref>[[Tom Shippey]], {{Melink|media=roadshort}} Revised and Expanded Edition</ref> Some Tolkien biographers regard ''The Silmarillion'' as the true "work of his heart",<ref>[[Tom Shippey]], {{Tlink|type=author}}</ref> as it provides the historical and linguistic context for the more popular work and for [[Languages of Middle-earth|his constructed languages]], and had occupied most of Tolkien's adult life. As a result ''The Lord of the Rings'' ended up as the last movement of Tolkien's [[legendarium]] and, to him, the "much larger, and I hope also in proportion the best, of the entire cycle".<ref name="letters" />

Persuaded by his publishers, he started 'a new Hobbit' in the third week of December 1937.<ref>[[Tom Shippey]], {{Tlink|type=author}}, Ch. 2, pg. 54</ref> After several false starts, the story of the One Ring soon emerged, and the book mutated from being a sequel to ''The Hobbit,'' to being, in theme, more a sequel to the unpublished ''Silmarillion.'' The idea of the first chapter ([[A Long-expected Party (chapter)|''A Long-expected Party'']]) arrived fully-formed, although the reasons behind Bilbo's disappearance, the significance of the Ring, and the title ''The Lord of the Rings'' did not arrive until the spring of 1938.<ref name="genesis" /> Originally, he planned to write another story in which Bilbo had used up all his treasure and was looking for another adventure to gain more; however, he remembered the ring and its powers and decided to write about it instead.<ref name="genesis" /> He began with Bilbo as the main character but decided that the story was too serious to use the fun-loving hobbit and so Tolkien looked to use a member of Bilbo's family.<ref name="genesis" /> He thought about using Bilbo's son, but this generated some difficult questions, such as the whereabouts of his wife and whether he would let his son go into danger. Thus he looked for an alternate character to carry the ring. In Greek legend, it was a hero's nephew that gained the item of power, and so the hobbit Frodo came into existence.<ref name="genesis" />{{Quote|As the high Legends of the beginning are supposed to look at things through Elvish minds, so the middle tale of the Hobbit takes a virtually human point of view - and the last tale ''&#91;The Lord of the Rings&#93;'' blends them.|Tolkien on ''The Silmarillion'', ''The Hobbit'', and ''The Lord of the Rings'' respectively<ref>{{CTlink|media=letters}}, [[Letter 131]], pg. 145</ref>}}

Writing was slow due to Tolkien's perfectionism and a wartime shortage of paper. It was frequently interrupted by his obligations as an examiner, and other academic duties.

The first sentence of {{Hlink}} was in fact written on a blank page which a student had left on an exam paper which Tolkien was marking — "In a hole in the ground there lived a hobbit."<ref>{{cite web|author =Socher, Abe|year=April 19, [[2005]]|url=http://chronicle.com/jobs/2005/04/2005041901c.htm| title=Grading Blues|work =Chronicle Careers|accessdate=2006-04-22}}</ref> He seems to have abandoned ''The Lord of the Rings'' during most of 1943 and only restarted it in April 1944.<ref name="genesis" /> This effort was written as a serial for [[Christopher Tolkien]] and [[C.S. Lewis]] — the former would be sent copies of chapters as they were written while he was serving in Africa in the Royal Air Force. He made another push in 1946, and showed a copy of the manuscript to his publishers in 1947.<ref name="genesis" /> The story was effectively finished the next year, but Tolkien did not finish revising earlier parts of the work until 1949.<ref name="genesis" />

A dispute with his publishers, [[Allen & Unwin]], led to the book being offered to [[wikipedia:HarperCollins|HarperCollins]] in 1950. He intended ''The Silmarillion'' (itself largely unrevised at this point) to be published along with ''The Lord of the Rings,'' but A&U were unwilling to do this. After his contact at Collins, Milton Waldman, expressed the belief that ''The Lord of the Rings'' itself "urgently needed cutting", he eventually demanded that they publish the book in 1952. They did not do so, and so Tolkien wrote to Allen and Unwin, saying "I would gladly consider the publication of any part of the stuff."<ref name="genesis" />

=== Publication ===
For publication, due largely to post-war paper shortages, but also to keep the price of the first volume down, the book was divided into three volumes: {{LotRlink|media=book1}}: Books I and II, {{LotRlink|media=book2}}: Books III and IV, and {{LotRlink|media=book3}}: Books V and VI plus 6 [[appendices]]. Delays in producing appendices, maps and especially indices led to these being published later than originally hoped — on 21 July 1954, 11 November 1954 and 20 October 1955 respectively in the [[United Kingdom]], slightly later in the United States. ''The Return of the King'' was especially delayed. Tolkien, moreover, did not especially like the title ''The Return of the King'', believing it gave away too much of the storyline. He had originally suggested ''War of the Ring'', which was dismissed by his publishers.<ref>{{cite book |last=Tolkien |first=J.R.R. |title={{CTlink|media=warring}}: {{LotRlink|media=history}}, Part Three''|isbn=0-618-08359-6 |year=1990 |publisher=Houghton Mifflin}}</ref>

[[File:LotR book1968.png|thumb|300px|Dust jacket of the 1968 UK edition]]

The books were published under a 'profit-sharing' arrangement, whereby Tolkien would not receive an advance or royalties until the books had broken even, after which he would take a large share of the profits. An index to the entire 3-volume set at the end of third volume was promised in the first volume. However, this proved impractical to compile in a reasonable timescale. Later, in 1966, four indices, not compiled by Tolkien, were added to ''The Return of the King.'' Because the three-volume binding was so widely distributed, the work is often referred to as the ''Lord of the Rings'' "trilogy." In a letter to W. H. Auden, Tolkien himself made use of the term "trilogy" for the work ({{CTlink|media=letters}}, #163) though he did at other times consider this incorrect, as it was written and conceived as a single book (''Letters,'' #149). It is also often called a [[novel]]; however, Tolkien also objected to this term as he viewed it as a romance (''Letters,'' #329; "romance" in this sense refers to a heroic tale).

A 1999 (Millennium Edition) British (ISBN 0-261-10387-3) 7-volume box set followed the six-book division authored by Tolkien, with the Appendices from the end of ''The Return of the King'' bound as a separate volume. The letters of ''Tolkien'' appeared on the spines of the boxed set which included a CD. To coincide with the film release, a new version of this popular edition was released featuring images from the films, such as:

*I - Frodo climbing the steps to Bag End
*II - Aragorn and Arwen in Rivendell
*III - Gandalf in Moria
*IV - A swan boat from Lothlórien
*V - A Black Rider from the 'Flight to the Ford' sequence
*VI - The tower of [[Cirith Ungol]] (although this image featured in many of the promotional books (e.g. the 'FotR Photo Guide') from the first film, it did not feature in the films until ''Return of the King'')
*App. - Frodo's hand holding the One Ring

This new imprint (ISBN 0-00-763555-9) also omitted the CD.
The individual names for books in this series were decided posthumously, based on a combination of suggestions Tolkien had made during his lifetime and the titles of the existing volumes — [[wikipedia:Viz.|viz]]:

*T Book I: ''The Return of the Shadow''
*O Book II: ''The Fellowship of the Ring''
*L Book III: ''The Treason of Isengard''
*K Book IV: ''The Journey to Mordor''
*I Book V: ''The War of the Ring''
*E Book VI: ''The Return of the King''
*N Appendices

The name of the complete work is often abbreviated to '<nowiki/>'''LotR'<nowiki/>''', ''''LOTR'<nowiki/>''', or simply ''''LR'''' (Tolkien himself used '''L.R.'''), and the three volumes as FR, FOTR, or FotR (The '''F'''ellowship '''o'''f '''t'''he '''R'''ing), TT or TTT ('''T'''he '''T'''wo '''T'''owers), and RK, ROTK, or RotK (The '''R'''eturn '''o'''f '''t'''he '''K'''ing).

Note that the titles {{CTlink|media=return}}, {{CTlink|media=treason}} and {{CTlink|media=warring}} were used by [[Christopher Tolkien]] in {{LotRlink|media=history}}.

=== Publication history ===
The three parts were first published by [[Allen & Unwin]] in 1954–1955, several months apart. They have since been reissued many times by multiple publishers, as one, three, six or seven volume sets. The two most common current printings are ISBN 0-618-34399-7 (one-volume) and ISBN 0-618-34624-4 (three volume set). In the early 1960s, Donald A. Wollheim, [[wikipedia:Science fiction|science fiction]] editor of the paperback publisher Ace Books, realized that ''The Lord of the Rings'' was not protected in the United States under American copyright law because the US hardcover edition had been bound from pages printed in the United Kingdom, with the original intention being for them to be printed in the British edition. Ace Books proceeded to publish an edition, unauthorized by Tolkien and without royalties to him. Tolkien took issue with this and quickly notified his fans of this objection. Grass-roots pressure from these fans became so great that Ace books withdrew their edition and made a nominal payment to Tolkien, well below what he might have been due in an appropriate publication. However, this poor beginning was overshadowed when an authorized edition followed from Ballantine Books to tremendous commercial success. By the mid-1960s the books, due to their wide exposure on the American public stage, had become a true cultural phenomenon. Also at this time Tolkien undertook various textual revisions to produce a version of the book that would have a valid US copyright. This would later become known as the Second Edition of ''The Lord of the Rings.''

The books have been translated, with various degrees of success, into dozens of other languages.<ref>{{cite web|url= http://www.tolkien.co.uk/information/faq.asp#12|title=How many languages have The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings been translated into?| accessdate=3 June 2006 }}</ref> Tolkien, an expert in philology, examined many of these translations, and had comments on each that reflect both the translation process and his work. To aid translators, Tolkien wrote his ''Guide to the Names in The Lord of the Rings.'' Because ''The Lord of the Rings'' is said to be a translation of the ''[[Red Book of Westmarch]]'', translators have an unusual degree of freedom when translating ''The Lord of the Rings.'' This allows for such translations as [[Elves|Elf]] becoming ''Elb'' in German — Elb does not carry the connotations of mischief that its English counterpart does and therefore is more true to the work that Tolkien created. In contrast to the usual modern practice, names intended to have a particular meaning in the English version are translated to provide a similar meaning in the target language: in German, for example, the name "Baggins" becomes "Beutlin," containing the word ''Beutel'' meaning "bag."

In 1990 Recorded Books published an unabridged audio version of the books, and hired British actor [[Rob Inglis]], who had starred in a one-man production of ''The Hobbit'', to read. Inglis performs the books verbatim, using distinct voices for each character, and sings all of the songs. Tolkien had written music for some of the songs in the book. For the rest, Inglis, along with director Claudia Howard wrote additional music. The current ISBN is 1402516274.
[[File:Amazon-com-The_Lord_of_the_Rings_(One-Volume)-TRoP_tie-in.jpg|thumb|180px|Cover of the {{TRoPlink}} tie-in One-Volume Edition]]
=== Influences ===
''The Lord of the Rings'' began as a personal exploration by Tolkien of his interests in philology, religion (particularly Roman Catholicism), fairy tales, as well as [[Norse mythology|Norse]] and Celtic [[mythology]], but it was also crucially influenced by the effects of his military service during [[World War I]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.nationalgeographic.com/ngbeyond/rings/influences.html|title=Influences of Lord of the Ring|accessdate=16 April 2006 }}</ref> Tolkien detailed his creation to an astounding extent; he created a complete mythology for his realm of Middle-earth, including genealogies of characters, languages, writing systems, calendars and histories. Some of this supplementary material is detailed in the appendices to ''The Lord of the Rings,'' and the mythological history woven into a large, biblically-styled volume entitled ''[[The Silmarillion]].'' However many parts of the world he crafted, as he freely admitted, are influenced by other sources.

Tolkien's largest influences in the creation of his world were his Catholic faith and the Bible.<ref>{{cite web|author= Steven D. Greydanus| url=http://www.decentfilms.com/sections/articles/2559|title=Faith and Fantasy: Tolkien the Catholic, The Lord of the Rings, and Peter Jackson’s Film Trilogy|accessdate=4 June 2006 }}</ref> Tolkien once described ''The Lord of the Rings'' to his friend, the English Jesuit Father Robert Murray, as "''a fundamentally religious and Catholic work, unconsciously so at first, but consciously in the revision.''"<ref name="letters" /> There are many theological themes underlying the narrative including the battle of good versus evil, the triumph of humility over pride, and the activity of grace. In addition the saga includes themes which incorporate death and immortality, mercy and pity, resurrection, salvation, repentance, self-sacrifice, free will, justice, fellowship, authority and healing. In addition the Lord's Prayer "And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil" was reportedly present in Tolkien's mind as he described Frodo's struggles against the power of the One Ring.<ref name="letters" />

Non-Christian religious motifs also had strong influences in Tolkien's Middle-earth. His [[Ainur]], a race of angelic beings who are responsible for [[Ainulindalë|conceptualising the world]], includes the [[Vala]]r, the pantheon of "gods" who are responsible for the maintenance of everything from skies and seas to dreams and doom, and their servants, the [[Maiar]]. The concept of the Valar echoes Greek and Norse mythologies, although the Ainur and [[Arda|the world]] itself are all creations of a monotheistic deity — [[Eru Ilúvatar|Ilúvatar or Eru, "The One"]]. As the external practice of Middle-earth religion is downplayed in ''The Lord of the Rings,'' explicit information about them is only given in the different versions of ''Silmarillion'' material. However, there remain allusions to this aspect of Tolkien's mythos, including "the Great Enemy" who was Sauron's master and "Elbereth, Queen of Stars" ([[Melkor|Morgoth]] and [[Varda]] respectively, two of the Valar) in the main text, the "Authorities" (referring to the Valar, literally ''Powers'') in the Prologue, and "the One" in Appendix A. Other non-Christian mythological elements can be seen, including other sentient non-humans (Dwarves, Elves, Hobbits and Ents), a "Green Man" ([[Tom Bombadil]]), and spirits or ghosts ([[Barrow-wights]], [[Dead Men of Dunharrow|Oathbreakers]]).

[[File:Cover lotr green gandalf.jpg|thumb|left|190px|Gandalf the "[[wikipedia:Odin|Odinic]] wanderer", from a book cover by [[John Howe]]]]

The mythologies from northern Europe are perhaps the best known non-Christian influences on Tolkien. His Elves and Dwarves are by and large based on [[Norse mythology|Norse]] and related Germanic mythologies.{{ME-fact}} The figure of Gandalf is particularly influenced by the Germanic deity Odin in his incarnation as "the Wanderer", an old man with one eye, a long white beard, a wide brimmed hat, and a staff; Tolkien states that he thinks of Gandalf as an ''"Odinic wanderer"'' in a letter of 1946.<ref name="letters" /> Finnish mythology and more specifically the Finnish national epic ''Kalevala'' were also acknowledged by Tolkien as an influence on Middle-earth and a story he wrote called ''[[The Story of Kullervo]]''.{{ME-fact}} In a similar manner to ''The Lord of the Rings'', the ''Kalevala'' centers around a magical item of great power, the [[wikipedia:Sampo|Sampo]], which bestows great fortune on its owner but never makes its exact nature clear. Like the One Ring, the Sampo is fought over by forces of good and evil, and is ultimately lost to the world as it is destroyed towards the end of the story. In another parallel, the latter work's wizard character [[wikipedia:Väinämöinen|Väinämöinen]] also has many similarities to Gandalf in his immortal origins and wise nature, and both works end with their respective wizard departing on a ship to lands beyond the mortal world. Tolkien also based his [[Elvish languages|Elvish language]] [[Quenya]] on Finnish.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.nationalgeographic.com/ngbeyond/rings/language.html|title=Cultural and Linguistic Conservation|accessdate=16 April 2006 }}</ref>

In addition ''The Lord of the Rings'' was crucially influenced by Tolkien's experiences during World War I and his son's during World War II. The central action of the books — a climactic, age-ending war between good and evil — is the central event of many world mythologies, notably Norse, but it is also a clear reference to the well-known description of World War I, which was commonly referred to as "the war to end all wars."
After the publication of ''The Lord of the Rings'' these influences led to speculation that the One Ring was an allegory for the nuclear bomb.<ref name="la Hood">{{cite web| url=http://www.theonering.net/perl/newsview/8/1054032089|title=The LOTR Props Exhibition: Steve la Hood Speaks|accessdate=14 June 2006 }}</ref> Tolkien, however, repeatedly insisted that his works were not an allegory of any kind. However there is a strong theme of despair in the face of new mechanized warfare that Tolkien himself had experienced in the trenches of World War I. The development of a specially bred Orc army, and the destruction of the environment to aid this, also have modern resonances; and the effects of the Ring on its users evoke the modern literature of drug addiction as much as any historic quest literature.

Nevertheless, Tolkien states in the introduction to the books that he disliked allegories and that the story was not one,<ref>{{cite book |last=Tolkien |first=J.R.R. |title=The Lord of the Rings |isbn=0-261-10238-9|year=1991|publisher=HarperCollins}}</ref> and it would be irresponsible to dismiss such direct statements on these matters lightly. Tolkien had already completed most of the book, including the ending in its entirety, before the first nuclear bombs were made known to the world at Hiroshima and Nagasaki in August 1945.

While Tolkien plausibly denied any specific 'nuclear' reference, it is clear that the Ring has broad applicability to the concept of Absolute Power and its effects, and that the plot hinges on the view that anyone who seeks to gain absolute worldly power will inevitably be corrupted by it. Some also say there is also clear evidence that one of the main subtexts of the story — the passing of a mythical "Golden Age" — was influenced not only by Arthurian legend but also by Tolkien's contemporary anxieties about the growing encroachment of urbanisation and industrialisation into the "traditional" English lifestyle and countryside. The concept of the "ring of power" itself is also present in Plato's Republic and in the story of Gyges' ring (a story often compared to the Book of Job). Many, however, believe Tolkien's most likely source was the Norse tale of [[wikipedia:Sigurd the Volsung|Sigurd the Volsung]]. Some locations and characters were inspired by Tolkien's childhood in [[Sarehole]] (then a [[wikipedia:Worcestershire|Worcestershire]] village, now part of [[wikipedia:Birmingham|Birmingham]]) and Birmingham.

=== Critical response ===
Tolkien's work has received mixed reviews since its inception, ranging from terrible to excellent. Recent reviews in various media have been, in a majority, highly positive. On its initial review the ''Sunday Telegraph'' felt it was "among the greatest works of imaginative fiction of the twentieth century". The ''Sunday Times'' seemed to echo these sentiments when in their review it was stated that "the English-speaking world is divided into those who have read ''The Lord of the Rings'' and ''The Hobbit'' and those who are going to read them." The New York Herald Tribune also seemed to have an idea of how popular the books would become, writing in its review that they were "destined to outlast our time."<ref>{{cite web|url= http://search.barnesandnoble.com/booksearch/isbninquiry.asp?z=y&ean=9780345339706&displayonly=REV| title=From the Critics|accessdate=May 30, 2006}}</ref>

Not all original reviews, however, were so kind. ''New York Times'' reviewer Judith Shulevitz criticized the "pedantry" of Tolkien's literary style, saying that he "formulated a high-minded belief in the importance of his mission as a literary preservationist, which turns out to be death to literature itself." <ref>{{cite web|url= http://www.theonering.com/docs/2437.html|title=Hobbits in Hollywood|accessdate=May 13, 2006}}</ref> Critic Richard Jenkyns, writing in ''The New Republic'', criticized a perceived lack of psychological depth. Both the characters and the work itself are, according to Jenkyns, "anemic, and lacking in fiber."<ref>Richard Jenkyns. "Bored of the Rings." ''The New Republic.'' January 28, 2002. [http://www.tnr.com/doc.mhtml?i=20020128&s=jenkyns20020128&c=1]</ref> Even within Tolkien's social group, [[The Inklings]], reviews were mixed. [[Hugo Dyson]] was famously recorded as saying, during one of Tolkien's readings to the group, "Oh no! Not another fucking elf!"<ref>{{cite web| last=Wilson | first=A.N.|date=2001-11-24 | accessdate=2013-11-30 | url=http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/4726760/Tolkien-was-not-a-writer.html | title= Tolkien was not a writer | work=[http://telegraph.co.uk telegraph.co.uk] | publisher=Telegraph Group Limited}}</ref> However, another Inkling, [[C.S. Lewis]], had very different feelings, writing, "here are beauties which pierce like swords or burn like cold iron. Here is a book which will break your heart."

Several other authors in the genre, however, seemed to agree more with Dyson than Lewis. Science-fiction author David Brin criticized the books for what he perceived to be their unquestioning devotion to a traditional elitist social structure, their positive depiction of the slaughter of the opposing forces, and their romantic backward-looking worldview.<ref>{{cite web|url= http://www.davidbrin.com/tolkienarticle1.html |title=We Hobbits are a Merry Folk: an incautious and heretical re-appraisal of J.R.R. Tolkien|accessdate=9 January 2006 }}</ref> Michael Moorcock, another famous science fiction and fantasy author, is also a fervent detractor of ''The Lord of the Rings.'' In his essay, "Epic Pooh," he equates Tolkien's work to ''Winnie-the-Pooh'' and criticizes it and similar works for their perceived Merry England point of view.<ref>{{cite web|last=Moorcock|first=Michael|url= http://www.revolutionsf.com/article.html?id=953|title=Epic Pooh|accessdate=27 January 2006 }}</ref> Incidentally, Moorcock met both Tolkien and Lewis in his teens and claims to have liked them personally, even though he does not admire them on artistic grounds.

More recently, critical analysis has focused on Tolkien's experiences in the [[World War I|First World War]]; writers such as John Garth in 'Tolkien and the Great War', Janet Brennan Croft and [[Tom Shippey]] all look in detail at this aspect and compare the imagery, mental landscape and traumas in Lord of the Rings with those experienced by soldiers in the trenches and the history of the Great War. John Carey, formerly Merton Professor of English Literature at Oxford University, speaking in April 2003 on the BBC "Big Read" programme which voted Lord of the Rings "Britain's best-loved book", said that "Tolkien's writing is essentially a species of war literature; not as direct perhaps as Wilfred Owen, or as solid as some, but very, very interesting as that — the most solid reflection on war experiences written up as fantasy."

''The Lord of the Rings'', despite not being published in paperback until the 1960s, sold well in hardback.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.lordotrings.com/biography.asp| title=J. R. R. Tolkien: A Biographical Sketch|accessdate=June 14, 2006}}</ref>
In 1957 it was awarded the [[wikipedia:International Fantasy Award|International Fantasy Award]]. Despite its numerous detractors, the publication of the Ace Books and Ballantine paperbacks helped ''The Lord of the Rings'' become immensely popular in the 1960s. The book has remained so ever since, ranking as one of the most popular works of fiction of the twentieth century, judged by both sales and reader surveys.<ref>{{cite web|author= Seiler, Andy |year= December 16, [[2003]]|url= http://www.usatoday.com/life/movies/news/2003-12-12-lotr-main_x.htm | title='Rings' comes full circle|work = USA Today |accessdate=2006-03-12}}</ref> In the 2003 "Big Read" survey conducted by the [[BBC]], ''The Lord of the Rings'' was found to be the "Nation's Best-loved Book". Australians voted ''The Lord of the Rings'' "My Favourite Book" in a 2004 survey conducted by the Australian ABC.<ref>{{cite web| author= Cooper, Callista |year= December 5, [[2005]]|url= http://www.abc.net.au/news/newsitems/200512/s1523327.htm| title= Epic trilogy tops favourite film poll|work = ABC News Online|accessdate=2006-03-12}}</ref> In a 1999 poll of Amazon.com customers, ''The Lord of the Rings'' was judged to be their favourite "book of the millennium".<ref>{{cite web|author= O'Hehir, Andrew |year= June 4, [[2001]] |url= http://www.salon.com/books/feature/2001/06/04/tolkien/| title=The book of the century|work = Salon.com | accessdate=2006-03-12}}</ref> In 2002 Tolkien was voted the ninety-second "greatest Briton" in a poll conducted by the BBC, and in 2004 he was voted thirty-fifth in the SABC3's Great South Africans, the only person to appear in both lists. His popularity is not limited just to the English-speaking world: in a 2004 poll inspired by the UK’s "Big Read" survey, about 250,000 Germans found ''The Lord of the Rings'' to be their favourite work of literature.<ref>{{cite web|author =Diver, Krysia|year=October 5, [[2004]]|url= http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2004/10/04/1096871805007.html?from=storyrhs | title=A lord for Germany|work =The Sydney Morning Herald|accessdate=2006-03-12}}</ref>

== Adaptations ==
{{main|Adaptations of The Lord of the Rings}}

[[File:LOTRFOTRmovie.jpg|thumb|right|200px|[[Peter Jackson]]'s {{LotRlink|media=film1}}]]

''The Lord of the Rings'' has been adapted for film, radio and stage multiple times.

The book has been adapted for radio three times. In 1955 and 1956, the British Broadcasting Company ([[BBC]]) broadcast {{LotRlink|media=radio1955}}, a 12-part radio adaptation of the story, of which no recording has survived. A 1979 dramatization of {{LotRlink|media=radio1979}} was broadcast in the United States and subsequently issued on tape and CD. In 1981 the BBC broadcast, {{LotRlink|media=radio1981}}, a new dramatization in 26 half-hour installments.

Three film adaptations have been made. The first was ''J. R. R. Tolkien&apos;s'' {{LotRlink|media=film}} (1978), by animator [[Ralph Bakshi]], the first part of what was originally intended to be a two-part adaptation of the story (hence its original title, ''The Lord of the Rings Part 1''). It covers ''The Fellowship of the Ring'' and part of ''The Two Towers''. The second, {{LotRlink|media=film1980}} (1980), was an animated television special by [[Rankin-Bass]], who had produced a similar version of {{Hlink|media=film}} (1977). The third was director [[Peter Jackson]]'s live action {{LotRlink|media=films}}, produced by [[New Line Cinema]] and released in three installments as {{LotRlink|media=film1}} (2001), {{LotRlink|media=film2}} (2002), and {{LotRlink|media=film3}} (2003). The live-action film trilogy has done much in particular to bring the book into the public consciousness.<ref name="surge" />

There have been four stage productions based on the book. Three original full-length stage adaptations of ''The Fellowship of the Ring'' (2001), ''The Two Towers'' (2002), and ''The Return of the King'' (2003) were staged in [[wikipedia:Cincinnati, Ohio|Cincinnati, Ohio]]. A stage musical adaptation of ''The Lord of the Rings'' (2006) was staged in Toronto, Canada.

== Influences on the fantasy genre ==
Following the massive success of ''The Lord of the Rings'', Tolkien considered a sequel entitled ''[[The New Shadow]]'', in which the [[Men of Gondor]] turn to dark cults and consider an uprising against Aragorn's son, [[Eldarion]]. Tolkien decided not to do it, and the incomplete story can be found in {{Melink|media=peoples}}. Tolkien returned to finish his mythology, which was published in novel form posthumously by [[Christopher Tolkien]] in 1977, and the remaining information of his legendarium was published through {{CTlink|media=ushort}} (1980) and {{Melink|media=history}}, a twelve volume series published from 1983 to 1996, of which ''The Peoples of Middle-earth'' is part.

Nonetheless, the enormous popularity of Tolkien's epic saga greatly expanded the demand for fantasy fiction. Largely thanks to ''The Lord of the Rings,'' the genre flowered throughout the 1960s. Many other books in a broadly similar vein were published (including the ''Earthsea'' books of Ursula K. Le Guin, the ''Thomas Covenant'' [[novel]]s of Stephen R. Donaldson), and in the case of the ''Gormenghast'' books by Mervyn Peake, and ''The Worm Ouroboros'' by E. R. Eddison, rediscovered.{{fact}}

It also strongly influenced the [[wikipedia:Role-playing game|role playing game]] industry which achieved popularity in the 1970s with ''[[wikipedia:Dungeons & Dragons|Dungeons & Dragons]]''. ''Dungeons & Dragons'' features many races found in ''The Lord of the Rings'' most notably the presence of [[halfling]]s, Elves, Dwarves, [[Half-elven|Half-elves]], [[Orcs]], and dragons. However, Gary Gygax, lead designer of the game, maintains that he was influenced very little by ''The Lord of the Rings'', stating that he included these elements as a marketing move to draw on the then-popularity of the work.<ref>{{cite web| url=http://www.theonering.net/features/interviews/gary_gygax.html| title=Gary Gygax - Creator of Dungeons & Dragons|accessdate=2006-05-28}}</ref> ''The Lord of the Rings'' also has influenced ''Magic: The Gathering''. ''The Lord of the Rings'' has also influenced the creation of various video games, including ''The Legend of Zelda'',<ref>{{Cite book|title=Club Nintendo (Germany) |publisher=Nintendo of Europe |date=1996 |page=72 |quote=Takashi Tezuka, a great lover of fantasy novels such as Tolkien's Lord of the Rings, wrote the script for the first two games in the Zelda series.}}</ref> ''Baldur's Gate'', ''Everquest'', ''The Elder Scrolls'', ''Neverwinter Nights'', and the ''Warcraft'' series,<ref>{{cite web|author =Douglass, Perry|year=May 17, [[2006]]|url=http://xbox.ign.com/articles/709/709122p1.html| title=The Influence of Literature and Myth in Videogames|work =IGN|accessdate=2006-05-29}}</ref> as well as [[Middle-earth in video games|video games set in Middle-earth]] itself.

As in all artistic fields, a great many lesser derivatives of the more prominent works appeared. The term "Tolkienesque" is used in the genre to refer to the oft-used and abused storyline of ''The Lord of the Rings'': a group of adventurers embarking on a quest to save a magical fantasy world from the armies of an evil "[[Dark Lord|dark lord]]," and is a testament to how much the popularity of these books has increased, since many critics initially decried it as being "Wagner for children" (a reference to the Ring Cycle) — an especially interesting commentary in light of a possible interpretation of the books as a Christian response to Wagner.<ref>{{cite web|year=May 29, [[2006]]|url=http://atimes.com./atimes/others/spengler.html| title=The Complete Spengler|work =Asian Times Online|accessdate=2006-05-29}}</ref>

The work has also had an influence upon such science fiction authors as Isaac Asimov and Arthur C. Clarke. In fact, Clarke (who compared it to Frank Herbert's ''Dune''<ref>[http://www.iblist.com/book.php?id=130 http://www.iblist.com/book.php?id=130]</ref>) makes a reference to [[Mount Doom]] in his work ''2061: Odyssey Three''.{{ME-fact}} Tolkien also influenced George Lucas' ''Star Wars'' films.<ref>{{cite web | work=Star Wars Origins | title=Star Wars Origins - The Lord of the Rings|url=http://www.jitterbug.com/origins/lotr.html| accessdate=2006-09-19}}</ref>

== Pop culture references ==
{{main|Middle-earth in popular culture}}

''The Lord of the Rings'' has had a profound and wide-ranging impact on popular culture, from its publication in the 1950s, but especially throughout the 1960s and 1970s, where young people embraced it as a countercultural saga. Its influence has been vastly extended in the present day, thanks to the Peter Jackson live-action films. Well known examples include "Frodo Lives!" and "Gandalf for President", two phrases popular among American [[Tolkien fandom|Tolkien fans]] during the 1960s and 1970s,<ref>{{cite book |last=Carpenter |first=Humphrey |title=J. R. R. Tolkien: A Biography |isbn=0-618-05702-1 |year=2000 |publisher=Houghton Mifflin}}</ref> "Ramble On", "[[The Battle of Evermore]]", and "[[Misty Mountain Hop]]", three compositions by the British rock band Led Zeppelin that contain explicit references to ''The Lord of the Rings'' (with others, such as "Stairway to Heaven", alleged by some to contain such), "Rivendell", a song about the joys of a stay at the Elven haven by the band Rush (found on their album ''Fly by Night'', 1975), "Lord of the Rings" and "Gandalf the Wizard" by the German power metal band [[Blind Guardian]] (who have also produced a ''Silmarillion''-inspired album, ''[[Nightfall in Middle-earth]]''), nearly the entire discography of Austrian black metal band Summoning (who have also looked to other Tolkien works for inspiration)<ref>''White Dwarf Magazine'', #304</ref> Rock band Marillion also take their name from Tolkien's Silmarillion. ''The Lord of the Rings''-themed editions of popular board games (e.g., [[Risk: Lord of the Rings Trilogy Edition]], chess and Monopoly),<ref>{{cite web|author =Drake, Matt|year=June 29, [[2005]]| url=http://www.rpg.net/reviews/archive/11/11348.phtml| title=Review of Lord of the Rings| work=RPGnet|accessdate=2006-05-29}}</ref> and parodies such as ''[[wikipedia:Bored of the Rings|Bored of the Rings]]'', produced for the Harvard Lampoon.

== Further reading ==
*Carpenter, Humphrey (2000). ''J. R. R. Tolkien: A Biography'', Houghton Mifflin. ISBN 0-618-05702-1
*Ready, William (1981). ''The Tolkien Relation'', New York: Warner Books. ISBN 0-446-30110-8
*O'Neil, Timothy (1979). ''The Individuated Hobbit'', Boston: Houghton Mifflin Company. ISBN 039528208X

== See also ==
*[[Adaptations of The Lord of the Rings|Adaptations of ''The Lord of the Rings'']]
*[[Chronology of the Lord of the Rings|Chronology of ''The Lord of the Rings'']]
*[[Illustrated editions#Illustrated editions of The Lord of the Rings|Illustrated editions of ''The Lord of the Rings'']]
*[[Themes in The Lord of the Rings|Themes in ''The Lord of the Rings'']]
*{{LotRlink|media=history}}
*{{Hlink}}
*{{CTlink|media=s}}
*[[Middle-earth in popular culture]]
*[[Middle-earth in video games]]
*[[Works inspired by J. R. R. Tolkien]]

=== Books ===
#{{LotRlink|media=book1}}
#{{LotRlink|media=book2}}
#{{LotRlink|media=book3}}

=== Films ===
*{{LotRlink|media=film}} (1978 film)
*{{LotRlink|media=film1980}} (1980 film)
*{{LotRlink|media=film1}} (2001 film)
*{{LotRlink|media=film2}} (2002 film)
*{{LotRlink|media=film3}} (2003 film)

== References ==
{{Scroll box
|content=
=== Text ===
<div class="references-small">
*{{cite book
|last = Tolkien
|first = J.R.R.
|year = 1954 [2005]
|title = ''The Lord of the Rings''
|publisher = Houghton Mifflin
}}
paperback: ISBN 0-618-64015-0
*{{cite book
|last = Tolkien
|first = J.R.R.
|year = 1937 [2002]
|title = ''The Hobbit''
|publisher = Houghton Mifflin
}}
paperback: ISBN 0-618-26030-7
*{{cite book
|last = Tolkien
|first = J.R.R.
|year = 1977 [2004]
|title = ''The Silmarillion''
|publisher = Houghton Mifflin
}}
paperback: ISBN 0-618-39111-8
</div>
<references />
}}

== External links ==
;Cover art
* ''Adāzing'' - [https://www.adazing.com/lord-of-the-rings-book-cover-designs/ Lord of the Rings Book Cover Designs] (1954 to 2002)

== Translations ==
<!--<div style="overflow:auto; height:200px;">-->
{|class="mw-collapsible mw-collapsed" data-expandtext="Show" data-collapsetext="Hide" style="border: 1px solid #a6a6a6; width:100%; margin: 1em auto 1em auto;"
| width="300" |'''Foreign Language'''
| width="300" |'''Translated name'''
|-
|Afrikaans
|Die Here van die Ringe
|-
|Albanian
|Kryezoti i Unazave
|-
|Alemannic German
|Der Herr der Ringe
|-
|Amharic 
|ቀለበቶች ጌታ
|-
|Angika
|द लॉर्ड ऑफ़ द रिंग्स
|-
|Aragonese
|O Sinyor d'os Aniellos
|-
|Armenian
|Մատանիների տիրակալը
|-
|Arabic
|سيد الخواتم
|-
|Assamese
|আঙঠিৰ প্ৰভু
|-
|Asturian
|El Señor de los Aniellos
|-
|Awadhi
|द लर्ड अफ द रिङ्ग्स
|-
|Azerbaijani
|Üzüklərin Hökmdarı
|-
|Basque
|Eraztunen Jauna
|-
|Belarusian Cyrillic
|Уладар Пярсцёнкаў
|-
|Bengali
|দ্য লর্ড অব দ্য রিংস
|-
|Bosnian
|Gospodar prstenova
|-
|Breton
|Aotrou ar Gwalennoù
|-
|Bulgarian Cyrillic
|Властелинът на пръстените
|-
|Burmese
|လက်စွပ်များ၏ အရှင်သခင်
|-
|Cambodian
|ព្រះអម្ចាស់នៃកងដែល 
|-
|Cantonese
|魔戒
|-
|Catalan
|El Senyor dels anells
|-
|Cebuano
|Ang Ginoo sa mga Singsing
|-
|Chinese (Min Nan)
|Chhiú-chí Ông
|-
|Chinese (Simplified)
|魔戒
|-
|Chinese (Wu)
|指环王
|-
|Colognian
|Dr Herr dr Ringe
|-
|Cornish
|An Arlodh a'n Bysowyer
|-
|Croatian
|Gospodar Prstenova
|-
|Czech
|Pán prstenů
|-
|Danish
|Ringenes Herre
|-
|Dutch
|In de Ban van de Ring
|-
|Esperanto
|La Sinjoro de la Ringoj
|-
|Estonian
|Sõrmuste Isand
|-
|Faroese
|Ringanna Harri 
|-
|Filipino
|Ang Panginoon ng Singsing
|-
|Finnish
|Taru Sormusten Herrasta
|-
|French
|Le Seigneur des Anneaux
|-
|Frisian
|A Her faan A Ringer (Northern) Master fan alle Ringen (Western)
|-
|Friulian
|Il Signôr dai Anei
|-
|Galician
|O Señor dos Aneis
|-
|Georgian
|ბეჭდების მბრძანებელი
|-
|German
|Der Herr der Ringe
|-
|Greek
|Ο άρχοντας των δαχτυλιδιών
|-
|Hebrew
|שר הטבעות (טרילוגיית ספרים)
|-
|Hindi
|द लार्ड ऑफ द रिंग्स
|-
|Hungarian
|A gyűrűk ura
|-
|Icelandic
|Hringadróttinssaga
|-
|Indonesian
|Raja Segala Cincin
|-
|Italian
|Il Signore degli Anelli
|-
|Irish Gaelic
|An Tiarna na bhFáinní
|-
|Japanese
|指輪物語
|-
|Javanese
|Pangeran saka cincin
|-
|Kannada
|ದಿ ಲಾರ್ಡ್ ಆಫ್ ದಿ ರಿಂಗ್ಸ್
|-
|Kazakh
|Сақиналар әміршісі (Cyrillic) Saqïnalar ämirşisi (Latin)
|-
|Korean
|반지의 제왕
|-
|Kurdish
|شای ئەنگوستیلەکان (Sorani) Begê Gustîlan (Kurmanji)
|-
|Kyrgyz Cyrillic
|Шакектер ээси
|-
|Laotian
|ພຣະຜູ້ເປັນເຈົ້າຂອງແຫວນໄດ້
|-
|Latin
|Dominus Anulorum 
|-
|Latvian
|Gredzenu pavēlnieks
|-
|Lithuanian 
|Žiedu Valdovas
|-
|Lombard 
|El Scior di Anei
|-
|Luxembourgish 
|Den Här vun de Réng
|-
|Macedonian Cyrillic
|Господарот на Прстените
|-
|Maithili 
|द लर्ड अफ द रिङ्ग्स
|-
|Malayalam
|ദ ലോർഡ് ഓഫ് ദ റിങ്സ്
|-
|Malaysian 
|Raja Segala Cincin
|-
|Maltese
|Il-Ħakkiem ta 'l-anelli
|-
|Maori 
|Te Ariki o nga Mowhiti
|-
|Marathi 
|द लॉर्ड ऑफ द रिंग्स
|-
|Mazanderani
|د لورد آو د رینگز
|-
|Mongolian Cyrillic
|Бөгжний эзэн 
|-
|Montenegrin
|Gospodar Prstenova
|-
|Nepalese
|द लर्ड अफ द रिङ्ग्स
|-
|Norwegian
|Ringenes Herre (Bokmål) 
Ringdrotten (Nynorsk)
|-
|Occitan
|Lo Senhor dels Anèls
|-
|Old English
|Se Hlāford þāra Hringa
|-
|Pashto
|د کړۍ_ګانې رب
|-
|Persian
|ارباب حلقه ها
|-
|Polish
|Władca Pierścieni
|-
|Portuguese
|O Senhor dos Anéis (Brazil)
A Irmandade do Anel (Portugal)
|-
|Punjabi
|لارڈ آف دا رنگز (Western Punjabi) ਦ ਲਾਰਡ ਆਫ਼ ਦ ਰਿੰਗਸ
|-
|Romanian
|Stăpânul Inelelor
|-
|Russian
|Властелин колец
|-
|Sardinian
|Su Sennore de sos Aneddos
|-
|Scots
|The Lord o the Rings
|-
|Scottish Gaelic 
|Tha Tighearna nam Fàinnean
|-
|Serbian
|Господар прстенова (Cyrillic) Gospodar Prstenova (Latin)
|-
|Sicilian
|Lu Signuri dî Anelli
|-
|Sinhalese
|මෙම මුදුවේ අධිපති
|-
|Slovak
|Pán Prsteňov
|-
|Slovenian
|Gospodar Prstanov
|-
|Spanish
|El Señor de los Anillos
|-
|Sundanese
|Gusti tina Cingcin
|-
|Swahili
|Bwana wa Mapete
|-
|Swedish (old)
<small>Swedish (new)</small>
|Härskarringen
<small>Ringarnas Herre</small>
|-
|Tajik Cyrillic
|Парвардигори Ҷанги ҳалқаҳо
|-
|Tatar
|Йөзекләр Хуҗасы
|-
|Telugu
|ఆ ఉంగరాల ప్రభువు 
|-
|Tamil
|தி மோதிரங்களின் இறைவன்
|-
|Thai
|เดอะลอร์ดออฟเดอะริงส์
|-
|Turkish 
|Yüzüklerin Efendisi
|-
|Turkmen
|Ýüzükleriň Padşasy
|-
|Ukrainian Cyrillic
|Володар перснів
|-
|Urdu
|دی لارڈ آف دی رنگز
|-
|Uzbek
|Узуклар Ҳукмдори (Cyrillic) Uzuklar Hukmdori (Latin)
|-
|Vietnamese
|Chúa tể những chiếc nhẫn
|-
|Welsh
|Yr Arglwydd y cylchoedd
|-
|Yiddish
|דער האר פון די פינגערלעך
|}

{{Clear}}

{{Lotr}}

{{Middle-earth}}

{{Featured}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Lord of the Rings}}
[[Category:Allen & Unwin publications]]
[[Category:The Lord of the Rings| ]]
[[Category:Middle-earth source literature]]
[[Category:Primary literature]]
[[Category:Primary lit. published by HarperCollins]]
[[Category:Secondary lit. published by Houghton Mifflin]]
[[Category:Works by J.R.R. Tolkien]]

[[de:Der Herr der Ringe (Buch)]]
[[es:El Señor de los Anillos]]
[[fi:Taru Sormusten Herrasta]]
[[fr:Le Seigneur des Anneaux]]
[[he:שר הטבעות (טרילוגיית ספרים)]]
[[it:Il Signore degli Anelli]]
[[ja:指輪物語]]
[[nl:In de ban van de ring]]
[[pl:Władca Pierścieni]]
[[pt-br:O Senhor dos Anéis (Livro)]]
[[ru:Властелин колец]]
[[tr:Yüzüklerin Efendisi]]