Middle-earth Books Codexery

The Fellowship of the Ring

First volume of Tolkien's epic The Lord of the Rings.

It was published in 1954 as part one of a three-part work.[1] The initial volume of J. R. R. Tolkien's three-part epic The Lord of the Rings is titled The Fellowship of the Ring, with The Two Towers and The Return of the King completing the set.[2] Bilbo Baggins's nephew Frodo comes into possession of the Ring of Power and is thereby compelled to undertake a perilous eastward voyage to destroy it.[1]

Quick Facts

Author
J. R. R. Tolkien
Country
United Kingdom
Language
English
Genre
Fantasy
Series
The Lord of the Rings
Set in
Middle-earth
Publisher
George Allen & Unwin
Released
29 July 1954

Facts from the source article.

Making and release

Tolkien had proposed titles for the six books, including "The First Journey" or "The Ring Sets Out" for the first book of this volume.[3] A sketch of the crucial chapter "The Shadow of the Past" was among the first parts written, early in 1938.[4] Tolkien called "The Shadow of the Past" "the crucial chapter" of the entire novel.[4] The chapter "The Council of Elrond" is the longest in Book 2 at some 15,000 words.[5]

The poet W. H. Auden praised the book's excitement in a positive review for The New York Times.[6] The work was separated into three volumes by the original publisher.[3]

What the cited sources add

Nepveu noted that the chapter moves from the past into the present through Gandalf's stories and then looks to the future.[7] Turner referenced Shippey's observation that the hobbits must be rescued from "no fewer than five 'Homely Houses'", noting that the quest's pattern repeats, with chases concluding in comfort at locations such as Farmer Maggot's and Tom Bombadil's.[8]

References

  1. Turner, "Reasons for Liking Tolkien", London Review of Books, 15 November 2001. facts only, no text reused. lrb.co.uk
  2. Wikipedia, "The Fellowship of the Ring" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Jane Chance [Nitzsche], "Tolkien's Art: 'A Mythology for England'", Macmillan, 1980, p. 97–127 (we also read that source) en.wikipedia.org
  3. Wikipedia, "The Fellowship of the Ring" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Tolkien, "The Lord of the Rings", Houghton Mifflin, 1994 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
  4. Wikipedia, "The Fellowship of the Ring" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: The Lord of the Rings, 2nd edition (1965), "Foreword".; Shippey 2005, p. 118–119; Nepveu, "LotR re-read: FotR I.2 revisited", LiveJournal, 11 June 2006; Hammond Scull 2005, p. 80; The Lord of the Rings, 2nd edition (1965), "Foreword".; St. Clair 1995, p. 145-150; St. Clair 1995, p. 145-150 (we also read that source) en.wikipedia.org
  5. Wikipedia, "The Fellowship of the Ring" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Shippey 2001, p. 59–68; Rutledge 2004, p. 91–114 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
  6. Wikipedia, "The Fellowship of the Ring" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Auden, "The Hero Is a Hobbit", The New York Times, 31 October 1954; Auden, "At the end of the Quest, Victory", The New York Times, 22 January 1956; Eiseley, "The Elvish Art of Enchantment", Book Week, Children's Spring Book Festival, New York Herald Tribune, 9 May 1965, p. 3, 27; Eiseley, "The Elvish Art of Enchantment", Book Week, Children's Spring Book Festival, New York Herald Tribune, 9 May 1965, p. 3, 27; Wilson, "Oo, Those Awful Orcs!", 14 April 1956 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
  7. Nepveu, "LotR re-read: Fellowship II.2, 'The Council of Elrond'", Reactor, 27 March 2009. facts only, no text reused. reactormag.com
  8. Wikipedia, "The Fellowship of the Ring" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Turner, "Reasons for Liking Tolkien", London Review of Books, 15 November 2001; Shippey 2001, p. 59–68; Turner, "Reasons for Liking Tolkien", London Review of Books, 15 November 2001 (we also read that source) en.wikipedia.org

Each numbered sentence above was checked against the source it cites before publication. Sentences citing Wikipedia adapt text from the English Wikipedia article The Fellowship of the Ring (contributors), used under CC BY-SA 4.0; this entry is available under the same licence. Other sources were used for facts only; no text or images are copied from them.

More in Middle-earth Books

The History of Middle-earthThe History of The HobbitThe History of The Lord of the RingsThe Lays of BeleriandThe Letters of J. R. R. TolkienThe Lost Road and Other WritingsMiddle-earth canonMorgoth's RingThe Nature of Middle-earthThe Peoples of Middle-earthThe Return of the KingThe Road Goes Ever On

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