What is the title of J.R.R. Tolkien’s three-part sequel to The Hobbit?

J.R.R. Tolkien’s three-part sequel to The Hobbit is titled The Lord of the Rings.

Tolkien wrote the work between 1937 and 1949, although publication took place later. George Allen & Unwin issued it in three volumes: The Fellowship of the Ring in 1954, The Two Towers in 1954, and The Return of the King in 1955.

The story follows the effort to destroy the One Ring before its maker, Sauron, can recover it and dominate Middle-earth. Frodo Baggins carries the Ring toward Mount Doom, while many other characters become involved in the military and political struggle against Sauron.

The work is often casually called a trilogy, but Tolkien conceived it as one long novel divided into six internal books plus appendices. The three-volume format reflected publishing and practical considerations rather than three unrelated stories. The title also does not refer to a single human monarch: “Lord of the Rings” points to Sauron, who created and controlled the One Ring.