Lord of the Rings

The Lord of the Rings is an epic high fantasy novel written by the English academic and philologist J. R. R Tolkien. The story began as a sequel to Tolkien's earlier work, The Hobbit, but developed into a much larger story. more...

Home
Action Figures
A-Team
Action Man
Alien/ Aliens
Austin Powers
Babylon 5
Batman
Battle Of The Planets
Bruce Lee
Buffy & Angel
Captain America
Collections/ Bulk Lots
Daredevil
Doctor Who
Dragon
Dragonball Z
Evangelion
Fantastic Four
Final Fantasy
Ghostbusters
GI Joe/ Action Force
Godzilla
Green Goblin
Green Lantern
Gundam
Halo
Hawkgirl
Hellboy
Hellraiser
Incredible Hulk
Incredibles
Iron Man
James Bond
Jurassic Park
Justice League of America
Kill Bill
Kubrick
Lord of the Rings
M.A.S.K.
Macross
Marvel Legends
Marx
Masters of the Universe
Matrix
McFarlane
Mego
Micronauts
Other Action Figures
Planet of the Apes
Power Rangers
Predator
Qee
Reservoir Dogs
Resident Evil
Robotech
Shrek
Six Million Dollar Man
Small Soldiers
Smurfs
Spawn
Spider-Man
Star Trek
Star Wars
Stargate
Street Fighter
Superman
Teen Titans
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles
Terminator
Thunderbirds
Thundercats
Tomb Raider
Toy Story
Transformers
Wonder Woman
Wrestling
X-Files
X-Men
Xena
Zoids
Beanies
Construction Toys & Kits
Diecast & Vehicles
Toys & Games
Wargames & Role-Playing

It was written in stages between 1937 and 1949, with much of it being created during World War II. Although intended as a single-volume work, it was originally published in three volumes in 1954 and 1955, and it is in this three-volume form that it is popularly known. It has since been reprinted numerous times and translated into many different languages, becoming one of the most popular and influential works in 20th-century literature.

The story of The Lord of the Rings takes place in an alternate pre-history, the Third Age of Middle-earth. The lands of Middle-earth are populated by Men (humans) and other humanoid races (Hobbits, Elves, Dwarves, and Orcs), as well as many other creatures, both real and fantastic (Ents, Wargs, Balrogs, Trolls, etc.). The story centres on the Ring of Power made by the Dark Lord Sauron in an earlier age. From quiet beginnings in the Shire the story ranges across Middle-earth following the course of the War of the Ring through the eyes of its characters, most notably the hobbits, Frodo Baggins, Samwise Gamgee, Meriadoc Brandybuck and Peregrin Took. The main story is followed in the book by six appendices that provide a wealth of historical and linguistic background material.

Taking over 12 years to write, edit and re-write, The Lord of the Rings was long regarded as 'mere fantasy', but has come to be seen as an extraordinarily well crafted work of literature. Tolkien's skill as a philologist, writer and dramatist, as well as his contacts with other writers (see Inklings'), produced a novel where every sentence, paragraph and chapter is not only grammatically perfect, but often has dramatic impact.

Along with Tolkien's other writings, The Lord of the Rings has been subjected to extensive analysis of its literary themes and origins. Although a major work in itself, the story is only the last movement of a mythology that Tolkien had worked on since 1917. Influences on this earlier work, and on the story of The Lord of the Rings, include philology, mythology, industrialization, and religion, as well as earlier fantasy works and Tolkien's experiences in World War I. The Lord of the Rings in its turn is considered to have had a great effect on modern fantasy, and the impact of Tolkien's works is such that the use of the words \"Tolkienian\" and \"Tolkienesque\" have been recorded in the Oxford English Dictionary.

The great and enduring popularity of The Lord of the Rings has led to numerous references in popular culture, the founding of many societies by fans of Tolkien's works, and the publication of many books about Tolkien and his works. The Lord of the Rings has inspired, and continues to inspire, artwork, music, films and television, video games, and subsequent literature. Adaptations of The Lord of the Rings have been made for radio, theatre, and film. The 2001–2003 release of the widely acclaimed Lord of the Rings film trilogy prompted a new surge of interest in The Lord of the Rings and Tolkien's other works.

Read more at Wikipedia.org