Cover of The Lord of the Rings

The Lord of the Rings

  • 1954 first published
  • 1,193 pages
  • ★ 4.5 (118 ratings)
  • 253 editions

J.R.R. Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings (1954) is an epic fantasy novel. The story is set in Mordor and Hornburg, in the The end of the third age. Characters include Frodo Baggins, Samwise Gamgee and Meriadoc Brandybuck. Key subjects include the Lord of the Rings, ficción fantástica inglesa, Gandalf and frodo Baggins.

Open Library readers give it an average of 4.5 out of 5 from 118 ratings, and 2,341 more have it on their want-to-read list. It has been published in 253 editions across 18 languages.

It runs to roughly 1,193 pages — 21–22 hours of reading at an average pace.

About The Lord of the Rings

Originally published from 1954 through 1956, J.R.R. Tolkien's richly complex series ushered in a new age of epic adventure storytelling. A philologist and illustrator who took inspiration from his work, Tolkien invented the modern heroic quest novel from the ground up, creating not just a world, but a domain, not just a lexicon, but a language, that would spawn countless imitators and lead to the inception of the epic fantasy genre. Today, THE LORD OF THE RINGS is considered "the most influential fantasy novel ever written." (THE ENCYCLOPEDIA OF FANTASY) During his travels across Middle-earth, the hobbit Bilbo Baggins had found the Ring. But the simple band of gold was far from ordinary; it was in fact the One Ring - the greatest of the ancient Rings of Power. Sauron, the Dark Lord, had infused it with his own evil magic, and when it was lost, he was forced to flee into hiding. But now Sauron's exile has ended and his power is spreading anew, fueled by the knowledge that his treasure has been found. He has gathered all the Great Rings to him, and will stop at nothing to reclaim the One that will complete his dominion. The only way to stop him is to cast the Ruling Ring deep into the Fire-Mountain at the heart of the land of Mordor--Sauron's dark realm. Fate has placed the burden in the hands of Frodo Baggins, Bilbo's heir...and he is resolved to bear it to its end. Or his own.
Description from Open Library

Awards & lists

Themes, setting & tropes

Genres

Setting

  • Middle Earth
  • Mordor
  • Hornburg
  • Isengard
  • Cracks of Doom
  • Fangorn Forest
  • Tierra Media

Era

  • The end of the third age

Characters

  • Frodo Baggins
  • Samwise Gamgee
  • Meriadoc Brandybuck
  • Peregrin Took
  • Gandalf the Grey
  • Aragorn
  • Legolas Greenleaf
  • Gimli
  • Boromir
  • Denethor

Subjects

  • The Lord of the Rings
  • English Fantasy fiction
  • Ficción fantástica inglesa
  • Fantasy fiction
  • Middle Earth, Imaginary place
  • Epic fantasy
  • Middle earth, Imaginary place
  • Baggins, frodo
  • Gandalf
  • British and irish fiction, Fictional works by one author
  • Frodo Baggins
  • Baggins, bilbo
  • Fantasy
  • English language
  • Media tie-in
  • Gift books

Quick answers

Who wrote The Lord of the Rings?

The Lord of the Rings was written by J.R.R. Tolkien and first published in 1954.

What genre is The Lord of the Rings?

It is usually shelved as Epic Fantasy.

How long is The Lord of the Rings?

The median edition has 1,193 pages, about 21–22 hours of reading at 250 words per minute.

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