do you want to reread the lord of the rings? Or maybe you’ve seen the movies dozens of times but never read the books. Either way, we’re going to show you two different ways you can read the Lord of the Rings books in order.
The Lord of the Rings is a popular household name among J.R.R. tolkien fans both in bookstores and theaters. these best-selling books have been turned into award-winning films that have been met with great acclaim by fans and critics alike.
You are reading: Jrr tolkien books in chronological order
Following the fame of the original series, The Hobbit was adapted to the big screen with three more films from Tolkien’s beloved world.
but did you know that there are more books besides the three main books associated with the three movies that almost everyone has heard of?
summary of the lord of the rings series
However, if you choose to read the Lord of the Rings books in publication order, which we recommend you do, then your entry into Middle-earth will begin with The Hobbit.
j.r.r. Tolkien first wrote the story of Bilbo Baggins and his adventures through Middle-earth after creating it as a bedtime story for his own children. But the story of how Bilbo meets Gollum and discovers the One Ring fascinated readers and was an immediate hit. since its initial publication in 1937, it has slowly evolved from a children’s story to a fantasy classic.
The Lord of the Rings followed soon after in the 1950s. Although Tolkien wrote this addition to his world as a novel, it was divided and published in three books to create a trilogy. these books are the communion of the ring, the return of the king and the two towers.
These three books and the hobbit have been made into award-winning films.
The Lord of the Rings books follow Bilbo’s younger cousin, Frodo Baggins, and his perilous journey through Middle-earth after Bilbo entrusts him with the One Ring. Alongside him are a handful of peers who have endeared themselves to fans for decades. In the midst of the adventure and action of the plot there are also stories about friendship, loyalty and love.
After a merger of publishers, HarperCollins released updated sales figures for Tolkien’s books in 2021. This is after decades of uncertainty surrounding the accuracy of how many books Tolkien has sold. Collectively, Tolkien has sold over 600 million books, making him one of the best-selling authors of all time.
2 ways to read the lord of the rings books in order
There are two recommended ways to read the series to understand this fantasy world.
1. the lord of the rings books in publication order
The best way to read the Lord of the Rings books in order is by publication date:
- the hobbit (1937)
- the fellowship of the ring (1954)
- the two towers (1954)
- the return of the king ( 1955)
- the silmarillion (1977)
- unfinished tales of numenor and middle earth (1980)
- the sons of hurin (2007)
- beren and luthien (2017)
- the fall of gondolin (2018)
2. the lord of the rings books in chronological order
For those rereading the series, you may prefer a different experience. For that, I recommend reading the Lord of the Rings books in chronological order. however, this method is not recommended for new readers or those unfamiliar with Middle-earth lore.
- the silmarillion
- beren and luthien
- the sons of hurin
- the fall of gondolin
- unfinished tales of numenor and middle earth
- the hobbit
- the fellowship of the ring
- the two towers
- the return of the king
- li>
more than j.r.r. tolkien’s books and how to read them
There are other books that j.r.r. Tolkien, along with Christopher Tolkien, published on the stories and ideas of Middle-earth. these books do not fit into any specific time in the series; however, they are excellent reads for anyone who needs to know as much as he can about middle-earth. here are the books in their recommended reading order.
- the book of lost tales, part |
- the book of lost tales, part ii
- the ballads of beleriand
- la formation of middle-earth
- the lost road and other writings
- the return of the shadow
- the betrayal of isengard
- the war of the ring
- sauron defeated
- ring of morgoth
- the war of the jewels
- the peoples of middle earth
- the middle earth index story
These books cover everything about the series, from the days before the War for the Ring to the beginning of The Lord of the Rings itself.
the lord of the rings movies in order
In addition to the Lord of the Rings books, there are also two ways to watch the Lord of the Rings movies in order. Whether it is the first time he sees them or he is rewatching them, he will surely fall in love with these movies.
1. the lord of the rings series in release date order
This is the obvious way to watch movies and it’s still a nice way to watch them. movies in release order include:
- the fellowship of the ring (2001)
- the two towers (2003)
- the return of the king (2005)
- an unexpected journey (2012)
- the desolation of smaug (2013)
- the battle of the five armies (2014)
2. lord of the rings series order – chronologically
In addition to watching the Lord of the Rings movies in order of release date, you can watch the movies in chronological order. You’ll get a lot more insight into the mythology of Middle Earth that makes it a little easier to keep track of when Frodo’s journey begins.
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This is the order you should follow when viewing these The Lord of the Rings in chronological order.
- an unexpected journey
- the desolation of smaug
- the battle of the five armies
- the fellowship of the ring
- the two towers
- the return of the king
the lord of the rings tv show
In addition to the movies and books, there is an upcoming TV show adaptation based on Tolkien’s world. While the Amazon Prime adaptation has been in the works for years, the release date is finally imminent with an anticipated release date of September 2, 2022.
The Lord of the Rings: Rings of Power takes place thousands of years before the Hobbit. showrunners j.d. Payne and Patrick McKay said that in addition to the Forging of the Rings, the show will include all the main stories from the Second Age of Middle-earth. this will include the rise of the dark lord sauron, the history of númenor, and the last alliance of elves and men.
The show will follow 22 characters over the course of this period, including some very familiar names like Galadriel, Elrond, and Isildur. But the show will also include some lesser known characters from Tolkien’s books, mainly the Silmarillion. Furthermore, Amazon has confirmed that it will be creating new characters for the show.
payne confirmed that changes will be made to the tolkien lore to allow them to tell a united story rather than a documentary about middle earth. notably, the television show will include a harfoot. this is despite the fact that hobbits are not very present in tolkien’s canon until the third age.
While the first season has yet to air, Amazon Prime and Tolkien Estate have agreed to a five-year deal. Filming for the second season should begin in mid-2022. Also, following in the footsteps of the previous films, the series is currently being filmed in New Zealand.
summary of the lord of the rings series
Now that you know the two different ways you can approach both the Lord of the Rings books and movies, let’s dive into the summaries of the books in this series. But beware, if this is your first time reading the books, the summaries may contain spoilers for events from previous installments.
We have listed the books here in order of publication, which puts the hobbit before the fellowship of the ring. While many modern fans start with the Lord of the Rings trilogy and then return to read The Hobbit, reading the books in publication order will allow you to experience Middle-earth as Tolkien intended.
1. the hobbit
Like any other hobbit, bilbo baggins loves nothing more than to spend a quiet night in his comfortable hole in the ground, enjoying a sumptuous dinner in front of the fire. But when a wandering wizard captivates him with tales of the unknown, Bilbo becomes restless.
He soon joins the wizard’s band of dwarves in search of giant spiders, wild wolves, and other dangers. But soon Bilbo tires of seeking adventure and longs for the safety of his family home. Unfortunately, before he can return to his life of comfort, he must face the greatest threat of all: a treasure-seeking dragon named Smaug.
In this fantasy classic, master storyteller j.r.r. Tolkien creates a fascinating world filled with delightful creatures and exciting dangers.
2. the fellowship of the ring
one ring to rule them all, one ring to find them, one ring to bring them all and bind them in the dark.
In ancient times, rings of power were made by elven smiths, and sauron, the dark lord, forged the one ring and filled it with his own power so that he could rule all others. but the one ring was taken from him, and though he searched for it throughout middle-earth, it remained lost to him. After many ages he fell into the hands of Bilbo Baggins, as told in The Hobbit.
In a sleepy shire town, young Frodo Baggins faces a daunting task as his elderly cousin Bilbo entrusts him with the ring. Frodo must leave his home and embark on a perilous journey through Middle-earth to the cracks of doom. It is there that he must destroy the ring and thwart the dark lord in his evil purpose.
3. the two towers
Frodo and his fellow ringmates have been beset by danger during their quest to prevent the ruling ring from falling into the dark lord’s hands by destroying it in the cracks of doom. They have lost the wizard, Gandalf, in a battle in the Mines of Moria, and Boromir, seduced by the ring’s power, attempts to seize him by force.
while frodo and sam escaped, the rest of the company was attacked by orcs. now they continue the journey alone up the great river anduin, alone, that is, except for the mysterious figure that creeps and follows them wherever they go.
4. the return of the king
the return of the king is the towering climax of j. r. r. Tolkien’s trilogy that narrates the saga of the hobbits of middle earth and the great war of the rings. the ringmates have been drawn into separate adventures as the search continues.
aragorn, revealed as the hidden heir to the ancient kings of the west, joined the horsemen of rohan against the forces of isengard, and participated in the desperate victory of hornburg. while merry and pippin, captured by the orcs, escaped to the fangorn forest and there they met the ents. Then Gandalf miraculously returned and defeated the evil wizard, Saruman.
meanwhile, sam and frodo advanced towards mordor to destroy the ring, accompanied by sméagol-gollum, still obsessed with his ‘precious’. After a battle with the giant spider, Shelob, Sam left his master for dead; but frodo is still alive, in the hands of the orcs.
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as the dark lord’s armies mass.
5. the silmarillion
The Silmarillion is designed to immerse fans of the Hobbit and Lord of the Rings in the myths and legends of Middle-earth. It is a tale of the ancient days, of the first age of Tolkien’s world.
It is the ancient drama to which the characters of the Lord of the Rings are reminiscent, and in whose events some of them participated, such as Elrond and Galadriel. The tales of the Silmarillion are set in a time when Morgoth, the first dark lord, dwelt in Middle-earth, and the high elves declared war on him for the retrieval of the Silmarils, the jewels that contain the pure light of Valinor.
6. unfinished tales of númenor and middle earth
This installment is a fascinating collection of stories that continue the stories of the hobbit, the lord of the rings and the silmarillion. also contains an alternate version of the sons of hurin.
Unfinished Tales is a collection of narratives ranging from the ancient days of Middle Earth to the end of the War of the Ring.
The book focuses on the Middle-earth realm and includes elements such as Gandalf’s lively account of how he came to send the dwarves to the celebrated feast at the end of the bag, the appearance of the sea god Ulmo Ante the eyes of tuor on the coast of beleriand, and an exact description of the military organization of the horsemen of rohan.
Unfinished Tales also contains the only story about the long ages of Númenor before its fall, and all that is known about such matters as the Five Wizards, the Palantiri, and the Legend of Amroth. the stories were collected and edited by j.r.r. Tolkien’s son and literary heir, Christopher Tolkien, who provides a brief commentary on each story, helping the reader fill in the blanks and put each story in the context of the rest of his father’s writings.
7. the sons of húrin
This story from the first age of middle-earth first appeared in incomplete forms in the posthumously published Silmarillion and in the Unfinished Tales. It is also edited by Tolkien’s son Christopher.
previously it only hinted at the depth and power of the tragic story of túrin and niënor, the sons of húrin, the lord of dor-lómin, who achieved renown for having stood against morgoth, who was the master of sauron, the manifestation of evil in the lord of the rings.
Six thousand years before the One Ring is destroyed, Middle Earth is under the shadow of the dark lord Morgoth. the best warriors among elves and men have perished, and all is plunged into darkness and despair. But a deadly new leader arises, Túrin, son of Húrin, and with his shadowy band of outlaws he begins to turn the tide of war across Middle-earth, awaiting the day he faces his fate and the deadly curse that rests upon him. him.
8. beren and luthien
the story of beren and lúthien was, or became, an essential element in the evolution of the silmarillion, the myths and legends of the first age of the world conceived by j.r.r. Tolkien returning from France and the Battle of the Somme in late 1916, he wrote the tale the following year.
Essential to the story, and never changed, is the fate that overshadowed Beren and Lúthien’s love: for Beren was a mortal man, but Lúthien was an immortal elf. her father, a great elven lord, in deep opposition to beren, set her an impossible task that she must perform before marrying lúthien. this is the core of the legend; and leads to the supremely heroic attempt of beren and luthien together to steal the greatest of all evil beings, melkor, called morgoth, the black enemy, from a silmaril.
in this book, christopher tolkien has tried to extract the history of beren and lúthien from the extensive work in which it was included; but that story itself was changing as it developed new associations within the larger story. To show something of the process by which this middle-earth legend evolved over the years, he has told the story in his father’s own words, giving first its original form and then passages in prose and verse from later texts. that illustrate the story. narrative as it changed. Presented together for the first time, they reveal aspects of the story, both in event and narrative immediacy, that were later lost.
9. gondolin fall
Gondolin, beautiful but undiscoverable, is central to the feud between two of the world’s greatest powers.
morgoth of ultimate evil seeks in vain to uncover the wonderfully hidden city from his elven enemies, while the gods of valinor refuse to support the designs of ulmo, lord of the waters, to protect it.
into this world comes tuor, cousin of túrin, and led unseen by ulmo, he sets out on the fearsome journey to gondolin to warn them of their impending doom. Then, through an act of ultimate betrayal, Morgoth discovers everything he needs to launch a devastating attack on the city, with balrogs, dragons, and countless orcs.
First presented as a standalone work, the epic tale of the fall of gondolin reunites fans of the hobbit and the lord of the rings with elves and men, balrogs, dragons and orcs and the richness of the landscape and creatures. . exclusive to tolkien’s middle earth.
conclusion
Whether you have been a fan of the Lord of the Rings books for decades or are a new fan looking for which books to read, this article will prepare you for your next trip to Middle Earth.
Looking for more books in order?
see my list of game of thrones books in order.
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