What title did J.R.R. Tolkien give the first volume of The Lord of the Rings?

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 is divided into two books. The story follows Frodo Baggins after Bilbo leaves him the One Ring, then traces the formation and early journey of the Fellowship created to oppose Sauron.

The Fellowship includes Frodo, Samwise Gamgee, Merry, Pippin, Aragorn, Boromir, Legolas, Gimli, and Gandalf. They leave Rivendell together, but their journey is fractured after the events in Moria and at Amon Hen. The volume ends before the story reaches its final resolution.

The next volumes are The Two Towers and The Return of the King. Tolkien preferred to regard the work as one novel, but paper and publishing constraints led to its release in three volumes. The title therefore identifies both a narrative section and the first published installment.