Which 1954 book by J.R.R. Tolkien begins The Lord of the Rings trilogy?

The Fellowship of the Ring is the 1954 book by J.R.R. Tolkien that begins The Lord of the Rings trilogy.

George Allen & Unwin published The Fellowship of the Ring on 29 July 1954. It introduces the One Ring, Bilbo and Frodo Baggins, the danger posed by Sauron, and the group formed to carry the Ring away from the Shire. The book ends after the Fellowship’s journey reaches a major crisis.

The trilogy’s other volumes are The Two Towers, published in 1954, and The Return of the King, published in 1955. Tolkien conceived the work as a single long novel, but publishing and production considerations led to its release in three volumes.

The title refers both to the company of travellers and to the larger mission surrounding the Ring. It is sometimes mistakenly treated as the title of the complete trilogy, but The Lord of the Rings is the overall work.