J. R. R. Tolkien

The Hobbit is a tale of high adventure, undertaken by a company of dwarves in search of dragon-guarded gold. A reluctant partner in this perilous quest is Bilbo Baggins, a comfort-loving unambitious hobbit, who surprises even himself by his resourcefulness and skill as a burglar. Encounters with trolls, goblins, dwarves, elves and giant spiders, conversations with the dragon, Smaug, and a rather unwilling presence at the Battle of Five Armies are just some of the adventures that befall Bilbo. Bilbo Baggins has taken his place among the ranks of the immortals of children’s fiction. Written by Professor Tolkien for his own children, The Hobbit met with instant critical acclaim when published.

Originally published from 1954 through 1956, J.R.R. Tolkien's richly complex series ushered in a new age of epic adventure storytelling. A philologist and illustrator who took inspiration from his work, Tolkien invented the modern heroic quest novel from the ground up, creating not just a world, but a domain, not just a lexicon, but a language, that would spawn countless imitators and lead to the inception of the epic fantasy genre. Today, THE LORD OF THE RINGS is considered "the most influential fantasy novel ever written." (THE ENCYCLOPEDIA OF FANTASY) During his travels across Middle-earth, the hobbit Bilbo Baggins had found the Ring. But the simple band of gold was far from ordinary; it was in fact the One Ring - the greatest of the ancient Rings of Power. Sauron, the Dark Lord, had infused it with his own evil magic, and when it was lost, he was forced to flee into hiding. But now Sauron's exile has ended and his power is spreading anew, fueled by the knowledge that his treasure has been found. He has gathered all the Great Rings to him, and will stop at nothing to reclaim the One that will complete his dominion. The only way to stop him is to cast the Ruling Ring deep into the Fire-Mountain at the heart of the land of Mordor--Sauron's dark realm. Fate has placed the burden in the hands of Frodo Baggins, Bilbo's heir...and he is resolved to bear it to its end. Or his own. ---------- **Contains** - [The Fellowship of the Ring][1] - [The Two Towers][2] - [The Return of the King][3] [1]: https://openlibrary.org/works/OL14933414W/The_Fellowship_of_the_Ring [2]: https://openlibrary.org/works/OL27479W/The_Two_Towers [3]: https://openlibrary.org/works/OL27516W/The_Return_of_the_King

THE RETURN OF THE KING, which brings to a close the great epic of war and adventure begun in The Fellowship of the Ring and continued in The Two Towers, is the third and final part of J. R. R. Tolkien's masterpiece, "The Lord of the Rings." In these three books, which form one continuous narrative, Tolkien created the saga of the Hobbits of Middle-earth and the great War of the Rings. Praised by such writers and poets as W. H. Auden, Richard Hughes and C. S. Lewis, "The Lord of the Rings" - that special world of beauty and terror and meaning - holds a secure place among the books that will live. ---------- **Also contained in:** - [The Lord of the Rings][1] [1]: https://openlibrary.org/works/OL27448W/The_Lord_of_the_Rings

Frodo and the Companions of the Ring have been beset by danger during their quest to prevent the Ruling Ring from falling into the hands of the Dark Lord by destroying it in the Cracks of Doom. They have lost the wizard, Gandalf, in the battle with an evil spirit in the Mines of Moria; and at the Falls of Rauros, Boromir, seduced by the power of the Ring, tried to seize it by force. While Frodo and Sam made their escape the rest of the company were attacked by Orcs. Now they continue their journey alone down the great River Anduin – alone, that is, save for the mysterious creeping figure that follows wherever they go. J.R.R. Tolkien’s great work of imaginative fiction has been labelled both a heroic romance and a classic fantasy fiction. By turns comic and homely, epic and diabolic, the narrative moves through countless changes of scene and character in an imaginary world which is totally convincing in its detail. ---------- **Also contained in:** - [The Lord of the Rings][1] [1]: https://openlibrary.org/works/OL27448W/The_Lord_of_the_Rings

The first part of the Lord of the Rings trilogy, Tolkien’s classic epic of Good versus Evil, set in the fictional world of Middle Earth, this book introduces the main characters and sets Frodo the Hobbit and his companions on their quest to return the ring of the evil Sauron to the fires of Mordor. With the help of Gandalf the wizard, the mysterious Strider and his hobbit friends Frodo reaches the land of the elves where they are joined by Legolas the Elf and Gimli the dwarf. ---------- **Also contained in:** - [The Lord of the Rings][1] [1]: https://openlibrary.org/works/OL27448W/The_Lord_of_the_Rings