Which publisher first released J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings?

George Allen & Unwin first released J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings. The British publisher issued the three volumes between 1954 and 1955.

The Fellowship of the Ring appeared in 1954, followed by The Two Towers and The Return of the King in 1955. Tolkien worked closely with the publisher, including on the book’s presentation, maps, appendices, and illustrations.

The publishing history is sometimes confused with the American edition. Houghton Mifflin published the first American edition, while George Allen & Unwin was Tolkien’s original British publisher. The firm later became Allen & Unwin and eventually part of other publishing groups, but its association with Tolkien’s major Middle-earth books began with The Hobbit and continued through The Lord of the Rings.