The Third Age: the Lord of the Rings [Alan Lee]

– Alan Lee –

More to come…
My chief concern in illustrating The Lord of the Rings was in attempting to provide a visual accompaniment for the story without interfering with, or dislodge the pictures the author is carefully building up in the readers mind. I felt that my task lay in shadowing the heroes on their epic quest, often at a distance, closing in on them at times of heightened emotion but avoiding trying to re-create the dramatic high points of the text. One of the strongest images, for me, is that of Gollum dancing on the edge of the Crack of Doom with Frodo’s severed finger in his hand, but it was the very vividness of that scene which deterred me from with wishing to depict it. (I preferred to try to capture the looming presence of Mount Doom itself, a few pages earlier, with Gollum watching the travellers from behind a rock; believing that if, as hoped, the reader’s impression of the volcano was strengthened then the subsequent events inside could be even more powerful.) Such considerations were made simpler by technical ones. Printed separately on a coated art paper, the pictures had to be positioned at intervals of sixteen or thirty-two pages throughout the book. This limitation was received gratefully and probably saved weeks of fruitless agonizing over which moments to illustrate. It was important that every picture should be relevant to the text on the opposite page. It also suited my inclination towards finding subjects in some of the less obvious places. It is such a rich work though that there are few, if any, pages in which something dramatic, wonderful or terrifying is not happening somewhere – and passages so beautiful and elegaic that any attempts to make them visible seem clumsy by comparison. Tolkien succeeded in creating a world which exists beyond the scope of his own narrative. By establishing such a powerfully imagined landscape, and firm foundations of history and myth, he has made Middle-earth available to all of us for our own imaginative wanderings. I feel immensely privileged to have been allowed to illustrate The Lord of the Rings, a book which has a profound impact on first reading and which has probably influenced the direction of my career over the following twenty-five years. It steered me, not towards fantasy, but to an invigorated interest in myth and legend, and a lifelong appreciation of the wonderful skills of the storyteller.

– Alan Lee,

“Tolkien’s World”

The Third Age: the Lord of the Rings [Book List, pg 1]

“All I remember about the start of The Hobbit is sitting correcting School Certificate papers in the everlasting weariness of that annual task forced on impecunious academics with children. On a blank leaf I scrawled: ‘In a hole in the ground there lived a hobbit.’ I did not and do not know why.”

– J.R.R. Tolkien

  • -Principal Works – The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings:

The Hobbit: or There and Back Again.
Originally published by Allen & Unwin in 1937 (2nd ed. 1951, 3rd ed. 1966, 4th ed. 1978) and by HM in 1938 (2nd Amer. ed. 1951 [cloth] and 1965 [paper], 3rd Amer. ed. 1966); many editions are currently available, including special 50th anniversary editions; standard ones are: HM, 1966 (ISBN 0-395-28265-9) (paper); Ballantine, 1966 (ISBN 0-345-33968-1) (paper). -Buy at Amazon.com

The Lord of the Rings: compleat version.
Originally published by Allen & Unwin in 1954-55 and by HM in 1955-56; revised edition in 1965; sometimes published as one volume but generally as three; the 1987 HM editions referred to below are the most recent attempt to correct the many textual errors that have crept in over the years. [See the Note on the Text, by Douglas A. Anderson, at the beginning of FR of that edition.] -Buy at Amazon.com

The Fellowship of the Ring: first part to The Lord of the Rings.
HM, 1987 (ISBN 0-395-48931-8); HM, 1987 (ISBN 0-395-27223-8) (paper); Ballantine, 1965 (ISBN 0-345-33970-3)(paper). -Buy at Amazon.com

The Two Towers: second part to The Lord of the Rings.
HM, 1987 (ISBN 0-395-48933-4); HM, 1987 (ISBN 0-395-27222-X) (paper); Ballantine, 1965 (ISBN 0-345-33971-1)(paper). -Buy at Amazon.com

The Return of the King: third part to The Lord of the Rings.
HM, 1987 (ISBN 0-395-48930-X); HM, 1987 (ISBN 0-395-27221-I) (paper); Ballantine, 1965 (ISBN 0-345-33973-8)(paper). -Buy at Amazon.com

  • -Other Related Middle-earth Works:

  • Any writing by J.R.R. Tolkien which extends our knowledge of Middle-earth (excluding the History of M-e series). The Letters are included because of the many strange and wonderful insights into M-e that they contain, which indeed is why most people read them. A Tolkien Compass is included because it contains “The Guide to Names in LotR”, a fascinating but far too little known compilation, also by JRRT himself.

The Silmarillion: story of events prier to The Lord of the Rings.
Edited by Christopher Tolkien. HM, 1977 (ISBN 0-395-25730-I); HM, 1983 (ISBN 0-395-34646-0) (paper); Ballantine, 1985 (ISBN 0-345-32581-8) (paper). -Buy at Amazon.com

The Letters of J.R.R. Tolkien.
Selected and Edited by Humphrey Carpenter with the assistance of Christopher Tolkien. HM, 1981 (ISBN 0-395-31555-7). -Buy at Amazon.com

The Road Goes Ever On: A Song Cycle.
Poems by J.R.R. Tolkien set to music by Donald Swann. HM, 1967, 1978 (ISBN 0-395-24758-6) [op]. Allen & Unwin, 1968, 1978 (ISBN 0-04-784011-0) (British edition).

A Tolkien Compass.
Including J.R.R. Tolkien’s “Guide to the Names in The Lord of the Rings” (prepared for publication by Christopher Tolkien). Edited by Jared Lobdell. Open Court Publishing Company, 1975 (ISBN 0-87548-316-X); Open Court Publishing Company, 1975 (ISBN 0-87548-303-8) (paper); Ballantine, 1980 (ISBN 0-345-28855-6) (paper).

Unfinished Tales.
Edited by Christopher Tolkien. HM, 1980 (ISBN 0-395-29917-9) [op]; HM, 1982 (ISBN 0-395-32441-6) (paper); Ballantine, 1988 (ISBN 0-345-35711-6)(paper). -Buy at Amazon.com

Pictures by J.R.R. Tolkien.
HM, 1979 (ISBN 0-395-28523-2) [op].

  • -The History of Middle-earth Series:
  • Since 1984 Christopher Tolkien has been presenting his father’s unpublished writings: his editing is both very careful and extremely detailed. These books are admittedly not for everyone, but being as they are rather a mixed bag, neither should they be dismissed without consideration. Brief descriptions have therefore been provided to aid individual decisions. It must be said up front that, rumors to the contary notwithstanding, these are not new stories (though they arguably approach being new stories in several cases).

The History of Middle-earth: Volumes I-VII

The Book of Lost Tales, Part One.
(HoM-e Vol I). HM, 1984 (ISBN 0-395-35439-0) [op]; HM, 1986 (ISBN 0-395-40927-6) (paper); Del Rey (Ballantine), 1992 (ISBN 0-345-37521-1) (paper). -Buy at Amazon.com

The Book of Lost Tales, Part Two.
(HoM-e Vol II). HM, 1984 (ISBN 0-395-36614-3) [op]; HM, 1986 (ISBN 0-395-42640-5) (paper); Del Rey (Ballantine), 1992 (ISBN 0-345-37522-X) (paper). -Buy at Amazon.com

The Lays of Beleriand.
(HoM-e Vol III). HM, 1985 (ISBN 0-395-39429-5); HM, 1988 (ISBN 0-395-48683-1) (paper). -Buy at Amazon.com

The Shaping of Middle-earth: The Quenta, The Ambarkanta, and The Annals.
(HoM-e Vol IV). HM, 1986 (ISBN 0-395-42501-8). -Buy at Amazon.com

The Lost Road and Other Writings: Language and Legend Before ‘The Lord of the Rings’.
(HoM-e Vol V). HM, 1987 (ISBN 0-395-45519-7). -Buy at Amazon.com

The Return of the Shadow: The History of The Lord of the Rings, Part One.
(HoM-e Vol VI). HM, 1988 (ISBN 0-395-49863-5).

The Treason of Isengard: The History of The Lord of the Rings, Part Two.
(HoM-e Vol VII). HM, 1989 (ISBN 0-395-51562-9).

The War of the Ring: The History of The Lord of the Rings, Part Three.
(HoM-e Vol VIII). HM, 1990 (ISBN 0-395-56008-X).

Sauron Defeated: The History of The Lord of the Rings, Part Four.
(HoM-e Vol IX). HM, 1992 (ISBN 0-395-60649-7).

  • -The Rest:
     There are still many books in relation to The Lord of the Rings and it would take me forever to go through them all. So click here to see a list of most of the other books. I am trying to get them all linked to online bookstores that have them. From there you may want to check them out.

The Third Age: the Lord of the Rings [Books-The Two Towers]

     
  The Two Towers recounts the futher adventures of the band of campanions introduced in the The Fellowship of the Ring. Frodo ( unwilling heir to the One Ring) has decided that it is his task and his alone to carry the Ring back to the Fire that will consume its power for evil. Accompanied only by his servent, Sam Gamgee, he is making his way eastward to the ghastly borders of Mordor, the Land of the Enemy. Meanwhile, his companions in the fellowship of the Ring are caught in the strategy of the traitor Saruman and pass on to battle and peril in the West. Secure in his immense power the Enemy marshalls his forces.

As the second volume of The Lord of the Rings begins, the fellowship of the Ring has been sundered by the treachery of Boromir. Under the Ring’s baleful influence, he attempted to attack Frodo. When he realized what he was doing, he gave his life to give the Ringbearer a chance to win free.
Now the former members of the fellowship make their separate ways toward Mordor. Merry and Pippin, Frodo’s young hobbit friends fall into the hands of orcs. When the orcs fight among themselves, the hobbits seize the opportunity to escape. Into the mysterious depths of Fangorn Forest they flee. Within it lies a secret that may enable them to defeat the master of the orcs of the White Hand, but only if they can befriend a forgotten race from the dawn of time.
Meanwhile, Frodo and his faithful squire Samwise continue the journey to Mount Doom alone. Although it may seem like a hopeless task without their more powerful companions, Frodo has come to see it as a sort of sacred obligation. Onward the Ringbearer forges, through steadily grimmer terrain. One day they encounter Gollum, who claims to be willing to help them on their quest. But even an oath sworn upon the Ring may not be enough to restrain his treacherous nature. The book ends with the coming of the great Darkness which open the terrible War of the Rings. How that war was fought, and what became of Frodo and his companions is told in the third and final part, The Return of the King.
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The Return of the King.
The Hobbit.

The Third Age: the Lord of the Rings [Books-The Silmarillion]

Now that there was a clear and definite market for the stories of the First Age, Tolkien had to take them up once again and put them into some kind of publishable order. However, the perfection which he sought continued to elude him. He could not find any overarching structure to unite the disparate manuscripts. Worse, there was nothing comparable to the hobbits to mediate the story to present-day readers. When Tolkien died, the manuscripts of the First Age narratives remained in a chaotic tangle. It fell upon his son Christopher to impose some kind of order upon them and bring them to print. This was no easy task, for a lifetime of working and re-working had left multiple layers of story, rather like an archeological dig at a long-inhabited site.

This volume is the result. In it Christopher Tolkien drew together a coherent storyline from the confusion of his father’s manuscripts. It is heavy reading, since there is no effort to make the narrative friendly and accessable to modern readers. The tone is remote, rather like the Old Testament or the Norse sagas. But for anyone who longed to read the whole story of Luthien Tinuvial, or of the other stories of the elves’ glory days, here it is.

The Third Age: the Lord of the Rings [Books-The Return of the King]

The vast hosts of Sauron’s might were moving upon Gondor. Meanwhile, Gollum’s treachery had left Frodo stung by the loathsome spider Shelob and captured by orcs. His faithful squire Samwise then took on the seemingly hopeless task of carrying the Ring to Mount Doom. But hope has a way of arriving from unexpected quarters. As the forces of Sauron close upon Gondor and all appears lost, the Riders of Rohan arrive to add their strength to the Battle of Pelinor Fields. Victory on the field of battle is not sufficient to win the war against Sauron if the One Ring remains. Frodo must carry it to Mount Doom, the one place with fire hot enough to unmake it. But with every step Frodo takes in the heart of Sauron’s realm, the Ring weighs heavier upon his mind and soul. Even as the Ring grows a more hateful burden, Frodo finds himself less willing to part with it.

In the battle that follows, the Ring is destroyed and the power of evil is broken. But the triumph of good is never absolute. The Hobbits can return to their Shire, but a price is exacted and the Third Age of Middle-earth comes to a close. The Age of the Dominion of Man begins, and no one can yet say whether men will find the wisdom and courage to destroy their Ring of Power or whether they will be destroyed by it.

The Third Age: the Lord of the Rings [Books-The Hobbit]

     
  J.R.R.Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings is a chronicle of the great War of the Ring, which occurred in the Third Age of Middle-earth. At that time, the One Ring, The Master fo all the Rings of Power, had been held for many years by the hobbits, but was eagerly sought by the Enemy who made it. To its wearer, the One Ring gave mastery over every living creature, but since it was devised by an evil power, in the end it inevitably corrupted anyone who attempted to use it. Out of the struggle to possess and control the One Ring, with all its ominous power, there arose a war comparable both in magnitude and in the issues involved to the great wars of our own time. An in that war, the Third Age of Middle-earth came to an end…

The Lord of the Rings is often erroneously called a trilogy, when in fact a single novel, consisting of six books plus appendices, sometimes published in three volumes.
The first volume, The Fellowship of the Ring, was published in Great Britain by the London firm Gearge Allen & Unwin on 29 July 1954; an American edition followed in 21 October of the same year., published by Houghton Mifflin Company of Boston. In the production of the first volume, Tolkien experienced what became for him a continual problem: printer’s errors and compositor’s mistakes, including well intentioned ‘corrections’ of his sometimes idiosyncratic usage. These ‘corrections’ included the altering of dwarves to dwarfs, elvish to elfish, further to farther, nasturtians to nasturtiums, try and say to try to stay and (‘worst of all’ to Tolkien) elven to elfin. In a work such as The Lord of the Rings, containing invented languages and delicately constructed nomenclatures, errors and inconsistencies impede both the understanding and appreciation of serious readers – and Tolkien had many such readers from very early on. Even before the publication of the third volume , which contained much hitherto unrevealed information on the invented languages and writing systems, Tolkien received many letters from readers written in these systems, in addition to numerous enquiries on the finer pionts of their usage.
The second volume, The Two Towers, was published in England on 11 November 1954 and in the United States on 21 April 1955. Meanwhile Tolkien worked to keep a promise he had made in thr foreword to volume one: that ‘an index of names and strange words’ would appear in the third volume. As originaly planned, this index would contain much etymological information on the languages, particulary on the elven tongues, with a large vocabulary. It proved chief cause of the delay in publishing volume three, which in the end contained no index at all, only an apology from the publisher for it’s absence. For Tolkien had abandoned work on it after indexing the volumes one and two, believing it’s size and therefore its cost to be ruinous.
Volume three, The Return of the King, finally appeared in England on 20 October 1955 and in the United States on 5 January 1956. With the appearance of the third volume, The Lord of the Rings was published in its entirety, and its first edition text remained virtualy unchangedfor a decade. (Tolkien made a few smallcorrections, but further errors entered The Fellowship of the Ring in its second edition impression when the printer, having distributed the type after the first printing, reset the book without informing the author or publisher.)

Douglas A. Anderson Ithaca, New York

April 1993
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The Fellowship of the Ring.
The Two Towers.

Three Rings for the Elven-kings under sky, Seven for the Dwarf-lords in their halls of stone, Nine for Mortal Men doomed to die, One for the Dark lord on his dark throne In the land of Mordor where the Shadows lie. One Ring to rule them all, One Ring to find them, One Ring to bring them all and in the darkness bind them

In the land of Mordor where the Shadows lie.

The Third Age: the Lord of the Rings [Books-The Hobbit]

     
  In a hole there lived a hobbit.” Thus begins one of the most popular fantasy stories of history. It started almost by accident. Professor Tolkien was grading papers at the end of the term and discovered a blank sheet at the end of one student’s essay booklet. He idly scribbled the opening line of the story, and almost immeditely was captivated. He had to find out what a hobbit was and what would happen to this hobbit. The only way he could was to write the story, and so he did.

Bilbo Baggins was a quietly respectable hobbit, living in comfort in his hobbit-hole, enjoying five meals a day and never dreaming of having adventures.
All Bilbo wanted was to be left alone in quiet comfort. But the wizard Gandalf came along with a band of homeless dwarves. Soon Bilbo was drawn into their quest facing evil orcs, savage wolves, giant spiders, and worse unknown dangers. Finally it was Bilbo–alone and unaided–who had to confront the great dragon Smaug, the terror of an entire countryside! Life on the road is a lot different from his cozy hobbit-hole. Soon he is encountering trolls, elves, goblins, and the mysterious slimy Gollum who lives beneath the mountains. This is the absolute necessary beginning of the great story of the War of the Rings which J.R.R Tolkien completes in his epic trilogy The Lord of the Rings.
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–Amazons.com		 Want to write a short (no more than 300 words) review of this book. Feel free to send them in and I will add it to this page. Also see,
The Fellowship of the Ring.
The Silmarillion.

The Third Age: the Lord of the Rings [Books-The Fellowship of the Rings]

Like The Hobbit before, the story opens the imaginative world of Middle-Earth and all it’s glory. Contiuing some time after the events of The Hobbit Tolkien brings in some familiar charictors. Bilbo returns but this time to pass the mysteryss ring on to Frodo and so ball starts. But with the splender of this fantisy comes great evil and events to shape the Middle-Earth. The simple adventure story grew into an account of the end of the Third Age of Middle Earth. Bilbo’s magic ring turns out to be none less than the long-lost One Ring, which Sauron created to control all the other magic rings created by the Elvish master smiths. It was taken from him after his fall at the close of the Second Age, over three thousand years earlier. Now that Sauron’s power is growing again, the part of himself he placed in the One Ring is calling to him. His agents are about, seeking rumors of the Ring. If the One Ring should fall into Sauron’s hands, he will be able to return in all his former power and crush the free peoples who oppose him. But the One Ring cannot be used against Sauron, because its perfidious nature will inevitably corrupt any who use it, even the strongest of the Wise. The only solution is to put it beyond Sauron’s reach forever. However, there is no hiding place so obscure, no stronghold so impregnable, that the One Ring can be kept safe from the re-emergant Sauron. The only permanent solution is to destroy it. But there is only one place in all of Middle Earth in which it can be destroyed — the fires in which it was originally created. That is Mount Doom, the volcanic mountain in the heart of Sauron’s stronghold, the land of Mordor.

The task before Frodo and his young hobbit companions seems overwhelming. But they will have powerful companions on their journey. The mysterious Strider reveals himself to be none less than Aragorn, the long-lost heir to the kingdoms of Arnor and Gondor. The wizard Gandalf will lead their band, who include an elf and a dwarf, as well as the son of the Ruling Steward of Gondor. Together they form the fellowship of the Ring, the Nine Walkers to oppose Sauron’s Nine