Lord of the Rings Action Figures
The Lord of the Rings is a classic high fantasy novel written by philologist and Oxford university professor J. R. R. Tolkien. The tale began as a follow up to Tolkien's earlier, less complicated youngsters's fantasy novel The Hobbit ( 1937 ), but ultimately developed into a much bigger work. It was written in stages between 1937 and 1949, much of it during WW2. Although sometimes known to readers as a trilogy, Tolkien initially intended it as one volume of a two-volume set along with The Silmarillion ; however, the publisher made a decision to omit the second volume and instead released The Lord of the Rings in 1954-55 as 3 books rather than one, for commercial reasons. It has since been reprinted numerous times and translated into many languages, becoming one of the most popular and influential works in 20th-century literature.
The title of the book refers back to the story's main opponent, the Dark Lord Sauron, who had in an earlier age made the One Ring to rule the other Rings of Power, as the ultimate weapon in his campaign to defeat and rule all of Middle-earth. From quiet beginnings in the Shire, a hobbit land not unlike the English countryside, the tale ranges across Middle-earth following the course of the War of the Ring through the eyes of its characters, most particularly the hobbits, Frodo Baggins, Samwise Gamgee ( Sam ), Meriadoc Brandybuck ( Merry ) and Peregrin Took ( Pippin ).
With Tolkien's other works, The Lord of the Rings has been put through intensive research of its themes and origins. Though a major work in itself, the story was only the last movement of a larger work Tolkien had worked on since 1917, in a technique he described as mythopoeia. Influences on this earlier work, and on the tale of The Lord of the Rings, include philology, mythology, religion and the author's distaste for the effects of industrialization, as well as earlier fantasy works and Tolkien's experiences in World War I. The Lord of the Rings in its turn is regarded to have had a great effect on modern fantasy ; the impact of Tolkien's works is such that the employment of the words "Tolkienian" and "Tolkienesque" has been recorded in the Oxford English dictionary.
The enduring popularity of The Lord of the Rings has led on to countless 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 galvanized, and continues to induce, design, music, films and television, Playstation games, and subsequent literature. Award-winning adaptations of The Lord of the Rings have been made for radio, theatre, and film.
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