J.R.R. Tolkien by J. R. R. Tolkien (1990, Paperback, Reissue)

The influence of JRR Tolkien to the works of English Literature is only be rivaled by William Shakespeare. Note that Tolkien, unlike Bill, has no cloud of controversy as to whether he wrote all his works or not. The concept of creating a real language for other races (popularly used in Star Trek) was started when he wrote the language of the elves. He created the Ents, commonly called Treefolk in Dungeons and Dragons and Magic: The Gathering. Finally, although brutal beasts have existed for centuries in fantasy and legend, he was the first to call the most powerful ones Orcs.
But The Lord of the Rings (LOR) would not have had the influence it does if all he did was invent monsters or fantastic words. LOR is a true work of literature. There are many different layers to the story and something in their depth is bound to appeal to anybody.
LOR is first of all a Fantasy Adventure story, filled with mighty heroes, strange monsters, fantastic cultures and powerful magic. It is a series filled with a rich history of unpublished works he had been working on. It is an allegorical history of the fall of the feudal society, the rise of industry and the struggle for human rights. It is a reflection of both world wars. Finally, it is a story of Christianity in general and Catholicism in particular.
The series was not originally what Tolkien wanted to write. He had been working on the histories and stories of Middle Earth for decades and wanted to use them as the background for what would be the final, and greatest, story of that mythos. The Hobbit, however, was too popular and he was forced to write "another halfling story". In the end, he compromised and adjusted his own ideas to accept the hobbits as major characters. It is for this reason that The Hobbit, even after being substantially re-written, does not fit as smoothly with LOR as one would expect for a "prequel". His original world can be found in "The Simerillian" and other works published after his death by his son Christopher.
The Industrial Revolution destroyed a 1000 year culture. The nobility fell from power (Elves leaving Middle Earth), the influence of the guilds was minimized (Dwarves hiding in their caves) and the Church came under siege (Galadriel refusing to leave Lothlorien). At this time, the industrialists (Sauroman) and dictators (Saron) enslaved the people (Orcs) and threatened to destroy human rights (the Free Peoples Gondor and Rohan). When Aragorn is crowned King, Tolkien was prophesizing the ultimate victory over oppression that happened in the 1980s with the fall of communism. Marx, Steinbeck, HG Wells and other great authors all wrote about certain aspects of this time, but only Tolkien covered the entire 150+ year period.
The series was written during WW II, so it is easy to understand why the fears of the Free Peoples come so alive. Tolkien and the people he worked and lived with were experiencing the very same threat themselves.
The Christian references in the story are too numerous to list in the limited space of this forum, but it is easy to point out how Jesus (Gandalf), papal authority (Galadriel), Judas (Boramir) and sin (the ring) are portrayed in the series.
The LOR is more than just another fantasy adventure story. It presents nearly 200 years of human struggle for rights in a changing world and emphasizes the importance of spirituality in order to win.

John Holland-author of The Necklace of Terrersylvanous

The Lord of the Rings in my opinion is the best fantasy series ever written. J. R. R. Tolkien elaborately created a world with such detailed history, complexity and consistency that you are completely drawn into the story. There is no detail that is forgotten in these stories and the descriptions of characters, places, battles and situations are extremely rich and vivid.

The story starts off with an unusually eccentric hobbit (Bilbo Baggins) preparing to celebrate his "eleventy-first" birthday.

"Bilbo was very rich and very peculiar, and had been the wonder of the shire for sixty years, ever since his remarkable disappearance and unexpected return. Thhe riches he had brought back from his travels had now become local legend, and it was popularly believed, whatever the old folk might say, that the Hill at Bag End was full of tunnels stuffed with treasure........."

The story grows and builds and weaves the characters and amazing land of Middle-Earth together into an inspiring adventure that never stops until the last page. Hobbits, Wizards, Humans, Elves, Dwarves, Orcs, Uruk-hai and many more wondrous creatures await you. You will not be disappointed in this book (these books). If you have seen the movies I encourage you to read the books, as there is so much detail missing from the movies; (even as detailed and grand a the movies are). These books allow you to see the story, the characters, the places and battles in your mind as vividly as if you were watching a movie.

(A small factoid for you; these stories which are now usually a trilogy and sometimes a single compilation were originally six books which were intended by the author to be published as a single novel. The publisher broke it up and printed it as a trilogy(1954) because it was thought to be too long as a single novel)

* I would also recomend reading: The Hobbit by: J.R.R. Tolkien. The Hobbit is actually the story about Bilbo and how he gains possession of "The Ring" and how he meets many of the main character in the Lord of the Rings. The Hobbit also gives you amazing history and background to lead up to the Lord of the Rings.

ENJOY THE BOOKS! AND PLEASE RATE MY REVIEW.

Great set of books! My daughter asked for this collection, as she couldn't find it anywhere! And as they say "You can find anything on EBAY"! As it turned out, it is a very true statement! Bought this as a Birthday gift, and my daughter was thrilled! Boxed set was just as stated on the auction site! The books are great, as it gives you the trilogy all in one, especially since they are paperbacks, this makes it very easy to take anywhere! And of course the Hobbit is a must book for any JRR Tolkien feind!!! It is a classic, as are the Lord of the Rings becoming! Excellent purchase...great set and highly recommended reading!

I already had the 1st lord of the rings book but I wanted the other two and they were already checked out at the library. I was going to buy them separately but then I found this set. All of the books, plus The Hobbit, they all matched, for less than I paid for the first book alone. So I happily bought the set and was very pleased. I didn't care if the books were new because I plan on reading them over and over and wearing them out myself.

Tolkien is one of the greatest fiction authors of the 20th century.
This book set was a Christmas Present, so we did not open the books to assess the quality of the printing and binding.
If I recall correctly, the writeup seemed to imply that a 4th book was part of set.