What is the name of the first volume of J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings?
Answer
The Fellowship of the Ring
The Fellowship of the Ring is the first volume of J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings.
It was published in 1954 and contains the prologue, the opening books of the epic, and the formation of the Fellowship. The story begins in the Shire, where Bilbo Baggins leaves the One Ring to Frodo. Frodo later learns from Gandalf that the Ring must be taken away from the Shire because its maker, Sauron, seeks it.
The volume follows the journey from Hobbiton through Rivendell and onward toward the dangers of Moria and Amon Hen. Its title refers to the group formed at the Council of Elrond: Frodo, Samwise Gamgee, Merry, Pippin, Aragorn, Boromir, Legolas, Gimli, and Gandalf.
The title is sometimes confused with the name of the entire trilogy. The Lord of the Rings is the complete work, while The Fellowship of the Ring is specifically its first published volume. Tolkien’s original structure also included internal book divisions.