Lord of the Rings All Books: Discover the History, Themes, and Characters of Tolkien's Masterpiece

The Tolkien machine keeps on trucking with this new volume of Second Age tales, due out in November. Is it any coincidence that this book should hit shelves right as Amazon brings this era of Middle-earth to the small screen? Surely it's not, but there's no such thing as too much Tolkien. The author famously described the Second Age as "a dark age, and not very much of its history is (or need be) told," but clearly, there was more story than first met the eye. Stitched into one comprehensive volume by editor Brian Sibley, along with new illustrations by frequent Tolkien flyer Alan Lee, this book will be an invaluable resource for fans eager to dig deep on Rings of Power.

The Lord of the Rings is an epic[1] high-fantasy novel[a] by English author and scholar J. R. R. Tolkien. Set in Middle-earth, the story began as a sequel to Tolkien's 1937 children's book The Hobbit, but eventually developed into a much larger work. Written in stages between 1937 and 1949, The Lord of the Rings is one of the best-selling books ever written, with over 150 million copies sold.[2]

lord of the rings all books

Download File: https://tinourl.com/2vHcMq

Although often called a trilogy, the work was intended by Tolkien to be one volume of a two-volume set along with The Silmarillion.[3][T 3] 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[3][4] titled The Fellowship of the Ring, The Two Towers, and The Return of the King. The work is divided internally into six books, two per volume, with several appendices of background material. Some later editions print the entire work in a single volume, following the author's original intent.

The Lord of the Rings is considered one of the greatest fantasy books ever written and it has helped to create and shape the modern fantasy genre. Since release, it has since been reprinted many times and translated into at least 38 languages.[c] Its enduring popularity has led to numerous references in popular culture, the founding of many societies by fans of Tolkien's works,[5] and the publication of many books about Tolkien and his works. It has inspired many derivative works, including paintings, music, films, television, video games, and board games.

Meanwhile, the Ents, roused by Merry and Pippin from their peaceful ways, attack and destroy Isengard, Saruman's stronghold, and flood it, trapping the wizard in the tower of Orthanc. Gandalf convinces Treebeard to send an army of Huorns to Théoden's aid. He brings an army of Rohirrim to Helm's Deep, and they defeat the Orcs, who flee into the forest of Huorns, never to be seen again. Gandalf, Théoden, Legolas, and Gimli ride to Isengard, and are surprised to find Merry and Pippin relaxing amidst the ruins. Gandalf offers Saruman a chance to turn away from evil. When Saruman refuses to listen, Gandalf strips him of his rank and most of his powers. After Saruman leaves, Wormtongue throws down a hard round object to try to kill Gandalf. Pippin picks it up; Gandalf swiftly takes it, but Pippin steals it in the night. It is revealed to be a palantír, a seeing-stone that Saruman used to speak with Sauron, and that Sauron used to ensnare him. Sauron sees Pippin, but misunderstands the circumstances. Gandalf immediately rides for Minas Tirith, chief city of Gondor, taking Pippin with him.

Unusually for 20th century novels, the prose narrative is supplemented throughout by over 60 pieces of poetry. These include verse and songs of many genres: for wandering, marching to war, drinking, and having a bath; narrating ancient myths, riddles, prophecies, and magical incantations; and of praise and lament (elegy).[14] Some, such as riddles, charms, elegies, and narrating heroic actions are found in Old English poetry.[14] Scholars have stated that the poetry is essential for the fiction to work aesthetically and thematically, as it adds information not given in the prose, and it brings out characters and their backgrounds.[15][16] The poetry has been judged to be of high technical skill, reflected in Tolkien's prose; for instance, he wrote much of Tom Bombadil's speech in metre.[17]

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.[58] It has ultimately become one of the best-selling novels ever written, with 50 million copies sold by 2003[59] and over 150 million copies sold by 2007.[2] The work was published in the UK by Allen & Unwin until 1990, when the publisher and its assets were acquired by HarperCollins.[60][61]

Early reviews of the work were mixed. The initial review in the Sunday Telegraph described it as "among the greatest works of imaginative fiction of the twentieth century".[76] The Sunday Times echoed this sentiment, stating 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."[76] The New York Herald Tribune appeared to predict the books' popularity, writing in its review that they were "destined to outlast our time".[77] W. H. Auden, a former pupil of Tolkien's and an admirer of his writings, regarded The Lord of the Rings as a "masterpiece", further stating that in some cases it outdid the achievement of John Milton's Paradise Lost.[78] Kenneth F. Slater wrote in Nebula Science Fiction, April 1955, "... if you don't read it, you have missed one of the finest books of its type ever to appear".[79][80] On the other hand, in 1955, the Scottish poet Edwin Muir attacked The Return of the King, writing that "All the characters are boys masquerading as adult heroes ... and will never come to puberty ... Hardly one of them knows anything about women", causing Tolkien to complain angrily to his publisher.[81] In 1956, the literary critic Edmund Wilson wrote a review entitled "Oo, Those Awful Orcs!", calling Tolkien's work "juvenile trash", and saying "Dr. Tolkien has little skill at narrative and no instinct for literary form."[82]

The enormous popularity of Tolkien's work expanded the demand for fantasy. Largely thanks to The Lord of the Rings, the genre flowered throughout the 1960s and enjoys popularity to the present day.[129] The opus has spawned many imitations, such as The Sword of Shannara, which Lin Carter called "the single most cold-blooded, complete rip-off of another book that I have ever read,"[130] as well as alternate interpretations of the story, such as The Last Ringbearer.The Legend of Zelda, which popularized the action-adventure game genre in the 1980s, was inspired by The Lord of the Rings among other fantasy books.[131][132] Dungeons & Dragons, which popularized the role-playing game genre in the 1970s, features several races from The Lord of the Rings, including halflings (hobbits), elves, dwarves, half-elves, orcs, and dragons. However, Gary Gygax, lead designer of the game, maintained 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 popularity the work enjoyed at the time he was developing the game.[133]Because Dungeons & Dragons has gone on to influence many popular games, especially role-playing video games, the influence of The Lord of the Rings extends to many of them, with titles such as Dragon Quest,[134][135] EverQuest, the Warcraft series, and The Elder Scrolls series of games[136] as well as video games set in Middle-earth itself.

Milking this 300-page book into a movie trilogy was arguably a terrible idea, but don't let that put you off going back to the original text, which is a delight. The first of Tolkien's books to be published, The Hobbit centers on Bilbo Baggins, an ordinary hobbit sent on an extraordinary mission to help a group of dwarves recover their stolen treasure from a dragon. But along the way, Bilbo happens upon a mysterious ring, and decides to take it home. Because what's the worst that could happen...?

The first novel in the Lord of the Rings trilogy has echoes of The Hobbit: Gandalf enlists Bilbo's nephew, Frodo Baggins, to take on the unenviable task of destroying the cursed ring that his uncle brought home, before the dark lord Sauron can use it to enslave Middle-earth. A fellowship of heroes gradually assembles around Frodo, including three of his faithful hobbit friends, an elf, a dwarf, and two men whose fates are tied to the crumbling kingdom of Gondor.

The Lord of the Rings is an epic fantasy novel written by English author J.R.R. Tolkien. It was first written as a sequel to Tolkien's fantasy novel The Hobbit, published in 1937, but it developed into its own three book series. The Lord of the Ring series consists of The Fellowship of the Ring, The Two Towers, and The Return of the King. All three books in the series have been made into award-winning movies. The Lord of the Rings is considered by many critics and readers alike to be one of the greatest fantasy novels to have been ever written. The novel's popularity and influence in popular culture is evident through many adaptations of the books, including films, plays, musicals, games, and the fantasy genre. Many books and games, like Dungeons & Dragons which feature races and terms from the Lord of the Rings. If you're already a fan of the Lord of the Rings then browse a wide selection of books by J.R.R. Tolkien including History of Middle-Earth, The History of The Lord of the Rings, and Great Tales of Middle-Earth.

Here, we meet Frodo Baggins, younger cousin of Bilbo, who is bequeathed Bilbo's ring. Gandalf reveals the ring isn't just a cool party trick, but one of nine rings wanted by the Dark Lord Sauron. Frodo, along with his friends (now called the Fellowship of the Ring), leaves his home with the Ring. 2ff7e9595c