Finding a good book isn’t always easy. In fact, it isn’t simple at all but rather a task that takes a lot of time, especially after you read fascinating stories like The Lord of the Rings.
This novel is one of the best-selling books in history and also one of the most captivating stories you’ll ever read (no doubts about it).
A subjective opinion here and now is that the book is one of the best written, and the earnings achieved with it just show part of the success it had and continues to have.
If you’re someone who shares our love for it or a person who has yet to discover the fantastic adventures and the high fantasy world offered by the novel, you will find this review about earnings and details that will either make it love more or finally take your time to read it.
Who Was J. R. R. Tolkien?
If you want to know a book or piece of art overall, take your time to learn about its author. Otherwise, you will be diving into this world halfhearted and with no idea to what extent the book, in this case, is worth.
- R. R. Tolkien, or John Ronald Ruel Tolkien, was born on January 3, 1892, in Bloemfontein in the Orange Free State. He was an English writer and poet that has left an enormous mark in literature.
His father was Arthur Reuel Tolkien, an English bank clerk, while his mother was Mabel née Suffield.
When Ronald was only three years old, he visited England with his mother and younger brother, but his father died in South Africa of rheumatic fever during their stay. This left Mabel and his children without any source of income.
Tolkien’s childhood was split between two places as a result: Sarehole, a rural community just south of Birmingham, and Birmingham that was darkly urban.
He was then sent to King Edward’s School, and the family moved to King’s Heath by then, and the house was backed onto a railway track.
Ronald’s linguistic imagination was stimulated by the sight of coal trucks heading to South Wales with destinations such as Nantyglo, Penrhiwceiber, and Senghenydd.
After some time, they moved to Edgbaston, a more pleasant suburb of Birmingham.
Mabel and her family were separated by something of great significance: Mabel and her sister May were accepted into the Roman Catholic Church in 1900. As a result, Ronald and Hilary (his younger brother) were raised in the faith of Pio Nono and have remained faithful Catholics since then.
Despite a difficult childhood, Tolkien was very keen on literature and linguistics during his youth. During his teens, he encountered constructed language while he was also learning Latin and Anglo-Saxon.
His life involves studying at Exeter College in Oxford, where he first studied classics but changed midway to English language and literature. Then, he graduated from this major in 1915 with first-class honors.
He also served in the military between 1915 and 1920, when Britain entered the First World War.
J. R. R. Tolkien’s history is a very long one to tell, and we want to make sure that we’re going over the crucial details. This is why we will be able to focus on his career as a writer from here on.
When Did He Write The Lord of the Rings?
Despite what you might think, it wasn’t his first work but indeed the most famous so far.
The Lord of the Rings, although a significant work, was just one of many older narratives Tolkien had been working on since 1917. It included The Silmarillion and was a process he called mythopoeia.
The Lord of the Rings was originally a sequel to Tolkien’s 1937 work The Hobbit.
George Allen & Unwin were his publishers and who requested a sequel. Tolkien informed them that he was slow at writing and replied with several stories he had already written.
After rejecting his latest drafts of The Silmarillion and putting Roverandom on hold, and accepting Farmer Giles, Allen & Unwin asked for more stories about hobbits.
This is why Tolkien decided in 1937 to put some effort into writing more of these “hobbit” stories.
It wasn’t simple, nor an idea that came out of nowhere since many failures took place. But fortunately, the idea of the “One Ring” came up, and from there, Tolkien could keep the pace.
However, essential parts of the story, including the title, arrived in 1938 during spring, and he changed the original story he had in mind for Bilbo (the main character).
The book’s writing was a burn slow since he wasn’t into this career as a full-time writer. Instead, he had a full-time academic position and dedicated most of his time to it.
In 1946, he finally moved on with the manuscript to the extent of being able to show it to his publishers in 1947, and in 1948 is when the story was finally completed.
But it wasn’t until July 29, 1954, when the novel saw the light and was published.
It is crucial to notice that although the entire book was named The Lord of the Rings, its publication was done in three volumes: The Fellowship of the Rings, The Two Towers, and finally, The Return of the King.
While The Fellowship of the Rings was published on July 29, 1954, the second volume was published in November during the same year.
The Return of the King, on the other hand, saw its light on October 20, 1955.
But What Is the Novel About?
Although the book is divided into three volumes, the main plot remains the same since the original novel was written without a specific division.
Besides, The Lord of the Rings is the name of all the novel, not only book one, two, or three.
Therefore, we decided to focus on the plot that covers all three books instead of going over each specific one based on the complication in the story according to the volume.
The story begins in The Hobbit, in which Bilbo Baggins, a Hobbit—a member of a small, friendly race that is half the size of Men—stumbles across a ring while wandering through a cave.
He takes the ring with him to the Shire, the home of the Hobbits. The only thing Bilbo knows about his ring is its ability to make him invisible. It is not the One Ring. He doesn’t understand its significance, nor does Sauron.
After finishing The Hobbit, we start with The Fellowship of the Ring, which set us in a party held for Bilbo’s birthday.
Bilbo presents his ring to Frodo Baggins, his cousin. None of them understand the true power or meaning behind the ring. Only after Gandalf, his great Wizard friend, convinced him to give him the ring to confirm what it is, since he believes that the ring may be the One Ring of the legend.
It is seventeen years later that Gandalf confirms his suspicions and tells Frodo that the ring must be removed from the Shire because Sauron is increasing in power.
Frodo and three of his Hobbit buddies, Sam, Merry, & Pippin, set out from the journey of destroying the ring.
In the novel, we are set following this group of hobbits, but war is taking over other areas and regions in the story, which leads us to other prominent characters and “side stories” though they are part of the main plot.
Was It A Big Hit During Its Release?
You bet it was.
It is true that during the first months after being published, it had mixed reviews. However, most of them were in favor of the novel.
Its reception grew over the next few years leading us to 1957 when The Lord of the Rings was awarded the International Fantasy Award.
However, there aren’t specific details of how much Tolkien and his editors and publishers made in the early years, but it is fair to assume that it wasn’t a small sum of money.
On the other hand, The Lord of the Rings has sold over 150 million copies and has an average price of $15; the novel has made an estimate of $2.25 million.
As Engrossing as the Novel: The Lord of the Rings (Film Series)
If you never heard about the books, you MUST have heard about the movies.
The novel was so famous that it made it to the big screen, and we have to say: this isn’t one of the situations when the film disappoints.
Instead, The Lord of the Rings film series is quite popular to this date and considered one of the greatest trilogies ever made (if not the best).
Yes, all three volumes were adapted to the big screen, and you can expect a fantastic ride either if you read the books, watch the films, or do both.
The first movie, “The Fellowship of the Ring,” was released on December 19, 2001. It grossed $47.2 million in the USA, but it made over $898 million when it comes worldwide.
The next part, “The Two Towers,” was released the following year, but instead of December 19, it was on December 18. This time, the movie grossed $62 million in the U.S. and $947 million worldwide.
Its final part, “The Return of the King,” debuted on September 23, 2003; it grossed $72.6 million in North America and $1 billion worldwide.
The last part of the trilogy is known for being one of the most awarded movies in history after winning 11 Oscars.
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