The title refers to the story's main antagonist, the Dark Lord Sauron, who in an earlier age created the One Ring to rule the other Rings of Power given to Men, Dwarves, and Elves, in his campaign to conquer all of Middle-earth. Written in stages between 19, The Lord of the Rings is one of the best-selling books ever written, with over 150 million copies sold. Set in Middle-earth, intended to be Earth at some distant time in the past, the story began as a sequel to Tolkien's 1937 children's book The Hobbit, but eventually developed into a much larger work. The Lord of the Rings is an epic high-fantasy novel by English author and scholar J. 20 October 1955 ( The Return of the King).29 July 1954 ( The Fellowship of the Ring).
