Who wrote The Lord of the Rings?
Quick answer
The Lord of the Rings was written by J. R. R. Tolkien, an English writer and Oxford University professor of language. It was published in three volumes in 1954–1955: The Fellowship of the Ring, The Two Towers and The Return of the King. It grew out of his earlier children’s book The Hobbit (1937).
Key facts
- Author
- J. R. R. Tolkien (1892–1973)
- Published
- 1954–1955, in three volumes
- Earlier book
- The Hobbit (1937)
- Copies sold
- Estimated at more than 150 million
One book, three volumes
Tolkien saw The Lord of the Rings as one novel, not a trilogy. His publisher split it into three parts mainly because paper was scarce and expensive after World War II. It took Tolkien about 12 years to write.
The story
Hobbit Frodo Baggins inherits a powerful ring from his uncle Bilbo. It turns out to be the One Ring of the Dark Lord Sauron. Frodo and his friend Sam, with the Fellowship of hobbits, men, an elf, a dwarf and the wizard Gandalf, set out to destroy it in the fires of Mount Doom.
Who was Tolkien?
- Born in Bloemfontein, South Africa, in 1892; raised in England
- Fought in the Battle of the Somme in World War I
- Professor of Anglo-Saxon (Old English) at Oxford
- Member of the Inklings writing group, with his friend C. S. Lewis; see the series featuring Narnia
Built on languages
Tolkien, a language expert, invented Elvish languages such as Quenya and Sindarin, with grammar and vocabulary. He said he created Middle-earth partly so his languages would have a world to live in. He also drew on Norse mythology; see which Norse god wields Mjölnir.
On screen
| Adaptation | Year | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Peter Jackson’s trilogy | 2001–2003 | Filmed in New Zealand; The Return of the King won 11 Oscars, including Best Picture |
| The Hobbit trilogy | 2012–2014 | Also by Peter Jackson |
| The Rings of Power | 2022– | Amazon series set thousands of years earlier |
The films’ shooting locations boosted tourism to New Zealand; see the capital of New Zealand.
Legacy
The Lord of the Rings shaped modern fantasy: elves, dwarves, orcs and epic quests in countless books, games and films owe a debt to Tolkien. Fans read it alongside his history of Middle-earth, The Silmarillion (1977), published after his death.
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