What is the first published volume of J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings?
Answer
The Fellowship of the Ring
The first published volume of J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings is The Fellowship of the Ring.
George Allen & Unwin published The Fellowship of the Ring in 1954, beginning the three-volume publication of Tolkien’s epic. It contains the prologue, the opening books of the novel, and the formation and journey of the Fellowship after Bilbo gives the One Ring to Frodo.
The next volumes are The Two Towers and The Return of the King. Tolkien regarded the work as a single novel, but paper shortages and publishing arrangements led it to appear in separate volumes. The first volume introduces major locations including Hobbiton, Rivendell, Moria, and Lothlórien.
The title refers to the company formed to help Frodo carry the Ring toward Mordor. The Fellowship’s members come from several peoples of Middle-earth, not only the hobbits.