The Lord of the Rings

by J. R. R. Tolkien

Overview

Immerse yourself in Middle-earth with J.R.R. Tolkien’s classic masterpieces behind the films...

This special 50th anniversary edition includes three volumes of The Lord of the Rings (The Fellowship of the Ring, The Two Towers, and The Return of the King), along with an extensive new index—a must-own tome for old and new Tolkien readers alike.

One Ring to rule them all, One Ring to find them, One Ring to bring them all and in the darkness bind them.

In ancient times the Rings of Power were crafted by the Elven-smiths, and Sauron, the Dark Lord, forged the One Ring, filling it with his own power so that he could rule all others. But the One Ring was taken from him, and though he sought it throughout Middle-earth, it remained lost to him. After many ages it fell by chance into the hands of the hobbit Bilbo Baggins.

From Sauron's fastness in the Dark Tower of Mordor, his power spread far and wide. Sauron gathered all the Great Rings to him, but always he searched for the One Ring that would complete his dominion.

When Bilbo reached his eleventy-first birthday he disappeared, bequeathing to his young cousin Frodo the Ruling Ring and a perilous quest: to journey across Middle-earth, deep into the shadow of the Dark Lord, and destroy the Ring by casting it into the Cracks of Doom.

The Lord of the Rings tells of the great quest undertaken by Frodo and the Fellowship of the Ring: Gandalf the Wizard; the hobbits Merry, Pippin, and Sam; Gimli the Dwarf; Legolas the Elf; Boromir of Gondor; and a tall, mysterious stranger called Strider.

J.R.R. Tolkien (1892-1973), beloved throughout the world as the creator of The Hobbit, The Lord of the Rings, and The Silmarillion, was a professor of Anglo-Saxon at Oxford, a fellow of Pembroke College, and a fellow of Merton College until his retirement in 1959. His chief interest was the linguistic aspects of the early English written tradition, but while he studied classic works of the past, he was creating a set of his own.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780618640157
Publisher:	HarperCollins
Publication date:	10/12/2005
Series:	Lord of the Rings Series
Edition description:	50th Anniversary ed.
Pages:	1216
Sales rank:	22,627
Product dimensions:	5.34(w) x 8.16(h) x 1.87(d)
Age Range:	14 - 18 Years

About the Author

J.R.R. Tolkien (1892–1973) was a distinguished academic, though he is best known for writing The Hobbit, The Lord of the Rings, and The Silmarillion, plus other stories and essays. His books have been translated into over sixty languages and have sold many millions of copies worldwide.

Date of Birth:

January 3, 1892

Date of Death:

September 2, 1973

Place of Birth:

Bloemfontein, Orange Free State (South Africa)

Place of Death:

Oxford, England

Education:

B.A., Exeter College, Oxford University, 1915; M.A., 1919

Read an Excerpt

My Morning Jacket frontman Jim James released the completely self-produced Regions of Light and Sound of God in 2013, a wildly optimistic, even giddy record filled with all manner of song forms, tempos, and production styles. Three years later, he delivers the other side of the coin. Eternally Even couldn't be more different -- at least musically. It lacks the reckless randomness of its predecessor, and by contrast, it is measured, focused, even subdued in places. James co-produced this set with Blake Mills. Between them, they cover a lot of instruments, but also enlist a fine cast of studio players who include drummers Chris "Daddy" Dave and Brian Reitzell, string master Rob Moose, and vocalist Shungudzo Kuyimba. Drummer Jim Keltner makes a guest appearance, as does New Orleans jazz legend, saxophonist Charlie Gabriel. The music here emerges from spacy psychedelia, jazzy, multi-textured, 21st century soul, and moody nocturnal funk infused with measured indie pop cool. The brooding opener, "Hide in Plain Sight," offers an instrumental intro with a jagged solo guitar and a harmonic, funky bassline. James' lyrics juxtapose the tensions of the times as spiritual optimism meets the grittiness of physical reality. Kuyimba's harmony vocals function as counterweights to James' weary delivery; the drummers maintain a limber groove as spectral synths litter the margins. "Same Old Lie" seemingly follows suit; its lyric, initially, is an indictment of the myths offered by religious leaders and politicians. All three drummers deliver alternate shuffling hip-hop vamps tempered by layers of cinematic strings and synths. But James shifts his words and they become a paean to resistance, a commitment to lived truth. An organ explores Middle Eastern modes as hand drums emerge to cap it. Almost throughout, James offers darkly tinged music using minimal melodies to frame lyrics that refuse to surrender. The emotion in his words -- and his vocals -- almost breaks through on "Here in Spirit." Despite the tune's lithe, shimmering R&B, it has more than a little in common with the Talk Talk of Spirit of Eden. The two-part "We Ain't Getting' Any Younger" offers a long, proggy instrumental intro that gives way to a funky exhortation to "â?¦forget this ever happened/And let a new world start again/Peace ripped into pieces/We gotta put it back together again." "True Nature" offers a respite from the shadows with a swinging {|Nelson Riddle|}-esque horn chart, which gives way to spiky, nocturnal funk. "In the Moment" is a dubby, funky pop tune, with {|Gabriel|}'s multi-tracked saxophones and a trumpet adding earthy jazz to the drifting strings and synths sonic. The title-track closer is an airy, almost pastoral ballad about emerging from lost love without regret or recrimination. Those seeking the wacky thrills of {|Regions of Light and Sound of God|} might be surprised -- or even put off at first -- but closer listening reveals the poignant and provocative {|Eternally Even|} as a stronger, deeper album. ~ Thom Jurek

Table of Contents

TOC not available

What People are Saying About This

From the Publisher

"A unique, wholly realized other world, evoked from deep in the well of Time, massively detailed, absorbingly entertaining, profound in meaning." The New York Times

"Among the greatest works of imaginative fiction of the twentieth century."—- Sunday Telegraph

Editorial Reviews

A remarkable book.

Newsweek

A work of immense narrative power that can sweep the reader up and hold him enthralled for days and weeks.

Nation

Among the greatest works of imaginative fiction of the twentieth century.

Sunday Telegraph

One of the great fairy-tale quests in modern literature.

Time Magazine

One of the great fairy-tale quests in modern literature.

Magazine Time

An extraordinary work — pure excitement.

New York Times

"Among the greatest works of imaginative fiction of the twentieth century." --- Sunday Telegraph

One of the very few works of genius in recent literature.

New Republic

A masterful story — an epic in its own way — with elements of high adventure, suspense, mystery, poetry and fantasy.

Boston Herald

New Line Cinema will be releasing "The Lord of the Rings" trilogy in three separate installments, and Houghton Mifflin Tolkien's U.S. publisher since the release of The Hobbit in 1938 will be re-releasing each volume of the trilogy separately and in a boxed set (ISBN 0-618-15397-7. $22; pap. ISBN 0-618-15396-9. $12). Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information.

Library Journal

"A unique, wholly realized other world, evoked from deep in the well of Time, massively detailed, absorbingly entertaining, profound in meaning." The New York Times —

From the Publisher

“This collection . . . is a masterpiece.”
—The Courier

The Courier

“ . . . spirited productions . . . stirring music . . .”
—The Washington Post

The Washington Post