The Fellowship of the Ring was first published in the United Kingdom on 29 July 1954. It was the first of the three volumes that make up J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings.
The volume introduces the One Ring, Frodo Baggins’s inheritance from Bilbo, and the initial Fellowship formed to carry the Ring away from danger. Its narrative includes the journey from the Shire, the Council of Elrond, and the Fellowship’s departure from Rivendell. The book ends after the company has been broken apart by danger and betrayal.
The publication date is sometimes confused with the dates of Tolkien’s other major books. The Hobbit came out in 1937, while The Two Towers and The Return of the King followed in 1954 and 1955. The first edition also contained Tolkien’s maps and later editions included revised text and additional front matter.