The main story is followed by six appendices that provide a wealth of historical and linguistic background material, as well as an index listing every character, place, song, and sword.Īlong with Tolkien's other writings, The Lord of the Rings has been subjected to extensive analysis of its literary themes and origins. Starting from quiet beginnings in the Shire, the story ranges across Middle-earth and follows the courses of the War of the Ring. The story concerns peoples such as Hobbits, Elves, Men, Dwarves, Wizards, and Orcs (called goblins in The Hobbit), and centers on the Ring of Power made by the Dark Lord Sauron.
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. It has since been reprinted numerous times and translated into at least 38 different languages, becoming one of the most popular works of twentieth-century literature.
Written in stages between 19, with much of it during World War II, it was originally published in three volumes in 19. At publication, it was divided into The Fellowship of the Ring, The Two Towers, and The Return of the King.
The story began as a sequel to Tolkien's earlier fantasy book The Hobbit, and soon developed into a much larger story. Tolkien, which was later fitted as a trilogy. The Lord of the Rings is an epic high fantasy novel written by J.R.R. Cover of the 50th Anniversary One-Volume Edition