Which Tolkien work was first published in 1937?

The Hobbit was the Tolkien work first published in 1937. George Allen & Unwin released the book in London on 21 September 1937, with illustrations by Tolkien himself.

The novel follows Bilbo Baggins as he leaves the Shire with Thorin Oakenshield and a company of dwarves. The journey introduces readers to places and figures that later became central to Tolkien’s legendarium, including Gandalf, Gollum, and the One Ring.

The Hobbit began as a children’s fantasy story, but its success encouraged Tolkien to write a much larger sequel. That sequel became The Lord of the Rings. The Silmarillion was published posthumously in 1977, while The Two Towers and The Return of the King appeared in 1954 and 1955.