J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Return of the King was published in 1955.
It was the third and final published volume of The Lord of the Rings, following The Fellowship of the Ring in 1954 and The Two Towers later in 1954. The Return of the King appeared on 20 October 1955 in the United Kingdom.
The volume covers the final stages of the War of the Ring, including the siege of Gondor, the Battle of the Pelennor Fields, the destruction of the One Ring, and the return of Aragorn to the throne. It also includes the departure from Middle-earth and the events in the Shire known as the Scouring of the Shire.
The title refers chiefly to Aragorn, whose royal identity is revealed through the name Elessar and his accession as King of Gondor. Tolkien’s preferred title for the whole work was not a trilogy title but simply The Lord of the Rings.