Synopsis
THE LORD OF THE RINGS is regarded by many to be the most important and influential work of fantasy of the 20th century. It generated the fantasy novel industry practically single-handedly, inspiring a multitude of novels concerning elves and dwarves on quests to conquer ultimate evil despite overwhelming odds. Although THE LORD OF THE RINGS was originally published as a trilogy, here it is presented in a single volume, as Tolkien always intended. The Dark Lord Sauron, an utterly evil and powerful being, is stirring again after a long period of dormancy. He will soon dominate all of Middle-earth if he is not stopped. The key to Sauron's defeat is Frodo, nephew and heir to Bilbo Baggins--the hero of THE HOBBIT. The magic ring that Bilbo picked up on his adventures is in fact the One Ring, into which Sauron deposited much of his power. If the Ring is destroyed in the volcano at the heart of Sauron's realm of Mordor, Sauron too will be destroyed. Unfortunately, the longer someone bears the Ring, the stronger grows its ability to corrupt the bearer and those around him. Will Frodo be able to resist the seductive call of the Ring and complete the perilous journey to Mordor?
| Details | | Publication Date: | 2001-04-01 | | Edition Description: | Illustrated |
| Size | | Length: | 1137 pages | | Height: | 8.3 in | | Width: | 5.8 in | | Thickness: | 2.0 in | | Weight: | 36.0 oz |
Publisher's Note
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 his fastness in the Dark Tower of Mordor, Sauron's power spread far and wide. He gathered all the Great Rings to him, but ever he searched far and wide for the One Ring that would complete his dominion.
On his eleventy-first birthday Bilbo 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, Merry, Pippin, and Sam, Gimli the Dwarf, Legolas the Elf, Boromir of Gondor, and a tall, mysterious stranger called Strider.
Industry Reviews
"The first thing that one asks of an adventure story is that the adventure should be various and exciting; in this respect Mr. Tolkien's invention is unflagging, and, on the primitive level of wanting to know what happens next, 'The Fellowship of the Ring' is a least as good as 'The Thirty-Nine Steps'....Mr. Tolkien is fortunate in possessing an amazing gift for naming and a wonderfully exact eye for description....Lastly, if one is to take a tale of this kind seriously, one must feel that, however superficially unlike the world we live in its characters and events may be, it nevertheless holds up the mirror to the only nature we know, our own; in this, too, Mr Tolkien has succeeded superbly....No fiction I have read in the last five years has given me more joy than 'The Fellowship of the Ring.'"
New York Times Book Review - W. H. Auden (10/31/1954)
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The Lord of the Rings by J.R.R.Tolkien
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