Works

The Lord of the Rings

Citation Formats

General Reference

Literature Atlas. "The Lord of the Rings." Accessed August 30, 2026. https://literature.interactiveatlas.org/works/the-lord-of-the-rings.

APA Style

Literature Atlas. (n.d.). The Lord of the Rings. Retrieved August 30, 2026, from https://literature.interactiveatlas.org/works/the-lord-of-the-rings

BibTeX

@misc{literatureatlas-the-lord-of-the-rings,
  author = {Literature Atlas},
  title = {The Lord of the Rings},
  year = {2026},
  url = {https://literature.interactiveatlas.org/works/the-lord-of-the-rings},
  note = {Accessed August 30, 2026}
}

An epic high fantasy novel by the English author and scholar J. R. R. Tolkien, begun as a sequel to his 1937 children's book The Hobbit but growing into a much larger work set in Middle-earth. It was published in three volumes, The Fellowship of the Ring on 29 July 1954, The Two Towers on 11 November 1954 and The Return of the King on 20 October 1955, and follows the hobbit Frodo Baggins and his companions as they attempt to destroy the One Ring and defeat the Dark Lord Sauron. With over 150 million copies sold, it is one of the best-selling novels ever written and is considered one of the most influential fantasy books, helping to create and shape the modern fantasy genre. Tolkien's own scholarly work in philology and Old English shaped its invented languages, histories and geography, and later editions restored material his son Christopher assembled from his father's notes and drafts.

Facts

Composed, From (Year)

1954 to 1955 1

Publication span across the three volumes, 1954 to 1955, not a distinct composition window.

Cross-Tradition Connections

Authored By

J. R. R. Tolkien

Source The Lord of the Rings (Wikipedia)

In Genre

Fantasy

Source The Lord of the Rings (Wikipedia)

Sources

1. The Lord of the Rings (Wikipedia)

Wikimedia Foundation (Wikipedia)Lead, opening

Quote, Lead, opening

An epic high fantasy novel written by the 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.

View the Source

1. The Lord of the Rings (Wikipedia)

Wikimedia Foundation (Wikipedia)Infobox, publication dates

Quote, Infobox, publication dates