Which three-volume work by J.R.R. Tolkien begins with The Fellowship of the Ring?

The Lord of the Rings is Tolkien’s three-volume work that begins with The Fellowship of the Ring. Its other volumes are The Two Towers and The Return of the King.

Although commonly described as a trilogy, Tolkien regarded the work as one continuous novel divided into six internal books, with appendices. The publisher issued it in three physical volumes partly because of paper shortages and production costs after the Second World War.

The story follows Frodo Baggins and his companions as they attempt to destroy the One Ring in Mount Doom. It was published between 1954 and 1955, and its success transformed Tolkien from a respected philologist and children’s author into a globally influential fantasy writer. The three film adaptations directed by Peter Jackson were released much later, from 2001 to 2003.