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Oxford: np, 1953. First edition. custom folder. Very Good. EIGHT MONTHS BEFORE PUBLICATION, TOLKIEN ANXIOUSLY INTRODUCES HIS MASTERPIECE, THE LORD OF THE RINGS, TO A FAN OF THE HOBBIT. Tolkien had begun work on The Lord of the Rings in December of 1937 and by early 1950, after over twelve years of labor, the writing was essentially complete. The road to publication, however, was not an easy one, for Tolkien feared his book would have difficulty finding an audience. In February, 1950, he wrote about his concerns to his publisher (Allen & Unwin): "My work has escaped from my control and I have produced a monster: an immensely long, complex, rather bitter, and rather terrifying romance, quite unfit for children (if fit for anybody)." (Carpenter, 213). Tolkien's admission that he had produced a "monster" turned out to be prescient, for seeing the book through publication proved to be a challenge for both him and his publisher and three years after completion, the first volume (The…

Book One: The Fellowship of the Ring The story begins in the Shire, a peaceful region where Frodo Baggins inherits a mysterious ring from his uncle, Bilbo. Gandalf the wizard discovers the ring is the One Ring, forged by the dark lord Sauron to dominate Middle-earth. Frodo is tasked with taking the ring to Rivendell, where a council forms the Fellowship: Frodo, Gandalf, Aragorn, Legolas, Gimli, Boromir, Sam, Merry, and Pippin. Together, they set out to destroy the ring in Mount Doom, the only place it can be unmade. Their journey is fraught with peril, and the Fellowship eventually splinters when Boromir succumbs to the ring's temptation, and Frodo decides to continue the quest with Sam. Book Two: The Two Towers The narrative follows two main threads. Frodo and Sam traverse the dangerous lands toward Mordor, guided by Gollum, a former ring-bearer corrupted by the ring's power. Meanwhile, Aragorn, Legolas, and Gimli pursue the orcs who have kidnapped Merry and Pippin. The hobbits escape and find themselves in the ancient forest of Fangorn, where they encounter Treebeard the Ent. Gandalf, reborn as Gandalf the White, reunites with the group. The novel climaxes with battles at Helm's Deep and Isengard, and Frodo's capture by orcs after being betrayed by Gollum. Book Three: The Return of the King Aragorn claims his destiny as the true king of Gondor, leading forces against Sauron's armies. Frodo and Sam, enduring immense hardship, infiltrate Mordor and destroy the ring, aided unwittingly by Gollum. Sauron’s power collapses, peace returns, and Aragorn is crowned. Frodo, burdened by his trauma, sails to the Undying Lands with Bilbo, Gandalf, and the elves, leaving Sam to carry on in the Shire.