Which publishing house first released The Lord of the Rings in the United Kingdom?

George Allen & Unwin first released The Lord of the Rings in the United Kingdom.

The publisher issued Tolkien’s epic in 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. The three-volume format was partly connected with the practical realities of postwar paper shortages, rather than Tolkien’s original preference for a trilogy.

Sir Stanley Unwin, head of the firm, had earlier published The Hobbit and recognized Tolkien’s talent. His company therefore became closely linked with the creation of modern popular fantasy publishing.

The American edition was published by Houghton Mifflin, which is why readers sometimes name that company when asked about the first release. The question specifies the United Kingdom: George Allen & Unwin was the original British publisher of Tolkien’s three-volume epic.