The Lord of the Rings Books in Order
The Lord of the Rings follows Frodo Baggins, a hobbit from the quiet Shire, who inherits a magic ring that turns out to be the One Ring of the Dark Lord Sauron. The only way to stop Sauron is to destroy it in the fire where it was made, deep in his own land of Mordor, and Frodo sets out to do it with a small fellowship of hobbits, men, an elf, a dwarf and the wizard Gandalf.
Tolkien wrote it as one long novel, and it was split into three volumes by his publisher, so read The Fellowship of the Ring, The Two Towers and The Return of the King straight through. The Hobbit comes first. It is a shorter, lighter adventure written for children, and it tells how Bilbo Baggins found the Ring in the first place.
This is the book most modern fantasy grew out of, and it rewards patience: the opening chapters in the Shire are slow, but the world widens with every stage of the journey. Readers who want more of Middle-earth's history can go on to The Silmarillion afterwards.
The Hobbit
Bilbo Baggins likes his comfortable hobbit hole and has no interest in adventures, until the wizard Gandalf and thirteen dwarves turn up for tea. The dwarves, led by Thorin Oakenshield, want to win back their home and treasure from the dragon Smaug, and they have hired Bilbo as their burglar. On the road he meets trolls, goblins, giant spiders and a creature called Gollum, and picks up a small gold ring. Written for children and lighter in tone than what follows, it is the right place to start.
Published: 1937
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The Fellowship of the Ring
Years after Bilbo's adventure, Gandalf discovers that the ring Bilbo brought home is the One Ring of Sauron, and Sauron wants it back. Bilbo's heir Frodo has to take it out of the Shire, with his gardener Sam and his friends Merry and Pippin, while dark riders hunt them on the road. At Rivendell a council decides the Ring must be destroyed, and nine companions set out south. The first chapters are slow and homely, but the story grows steadily darker and bigger.
Published: 1954
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The Two Towers
The fellowship has broken apart. The first half follows Aragorn, Legolas and Gimli as they chase the orcs who carried off Merry and Pippin, and get drawn into the kingdom of Rohan's war with the wizard Saruman. The second half goes back to Frodo and Sam, who are making their way toward Mordor with Gollum as an untrustworthy guide. This is the middle of one continuous story rather than a sequel, so go straight on from The Fellowship of the Ring.
Published: 1954
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The Return of the King
Sauron's armies march on Gondor and the city of Minas Tirith, and Aragorn has to decide whether to claim the throne he was born to. Far to the east, Frodo and Sam struggle across Mordor toward Mount Doom with the Ring growing heavier every step. The story does not stop when the war does: the long journey home is one of the most moving parts of the book. The appendices at the back hold timelines, family trees and the tale of Aragorn and Arwen.
Published: 1955
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