The second published volume of J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings is The Two Towers.
The book was published in 1954 as the second part of a three-volume edition. It follows the first volume, The Fellowship of the Ring, and precedes The Return of the King. Although Tolkien conceived the work as one continuous novel, paper shortages and publishing arrangements led to its appearance in separate volumes.
The title refers primarily to two powerful strongholds in the story. Tolkien’s cover design and later notes identify Orthanc and Minas Morgul as the intended pair, although readers and commentators have sometimes debated how the title relates to other towers mentioned in the narrative.
The Two Towers contains major storylines involving Aragorn, Legolas, Gimli, Merry, Pippin, Frodo, and Sam. It is not the name of the complete trilogy, and it was not published as a standalone sequel unrelated to the first volume.