J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings concluded its original publication in 1955.
The final volume, The Return of the King, was published on 20 October 1955. It followed The Fellowship of the Ring in July 1954 and The Two Towers in November 1954. The work was issued in three volumes even though Tolkien regarded it as a single large novel.
Publication was delayed by Tolkien’s extensive revisions, production issues, and the postwar shortage of paper. The title of the final volume was chosen by the publisher, and Tolkien had concerns that it revealed too much about the story. Later editions corrected errors and incorporated changes Tolkien made to the text, including revisions connected with the 1966 authorized edition. The 1955 date refers to the original English publication sequence, not later paperback or revised editions.