Changes

=== Writing ===

=== Writing ===

After the success of his earlier book ''[[The Hobbit]]'', Tolkien's publishers persuaded him to write a sequel. He began writing in December of 1937, but the first drafts were still far away from the finished version. After writing and re-writing the beginning several times, Tolkien realized the role of the [[One Ring (Middle-earth)|One Ring]] and the quest it entailed in the spring of 1938, while writing the discussion between Gildor Inglorion and the later [[Frodo Baggins]]. This was the point upon which the back story and central quest that would be ''The Lord of the Rings'' came together in his mind. It was also the point that he firmly set the book's plot into his already existing [[Middle-earth]] legendarium. Whereas the ''The Hobbit'' had before been separate from his Middle-earth mythology, while still borrowing ideas, names, and persons from it, Tolkien now consciously moved it and its sequel into the Middle-earth setting. This resulted in the changes in tone, and in the meaning of formerly unimportant things as the 'magic ring' and the Necromancer, who both gained literary importance in the sequel. While the ''The Hobbit'' was written as a story intended for his children, ''The Lord of the Rings'' due to the realization of the later plot, soon became an epic tale of much greater proportions, both in plot and in length.  

After the success of his earlier book ''[[The Hobbit]]'', Tolkien's publishers persuaded him to write a sequel. He began writing in December 1937, but the first drafts were still far away from the finished version. After writing and re-writing the beginning several times, Tolkien realized the role of the [[One Ring (Middle-earth)|One Ring]] and the quest it entailed in the spring of 1938, while writing the discussion between Gildor Inglorion and the later [[Frodo Baggins]]. This was the point upon which the back story and central quest that would be ''The Lord of the Rings'' came together in his mind. It was also the point that he firmly set the book's plot into his already existing [[Middle-earth]] legendarium. Whereas the ''The Hobbit'' had before been separate from his Middle-earth mythology, while still borrowing ideas, names, and persons from it, Tolkien now consciously moved it and its sequel into the Middle-earth setting. This resulted in the changes in tone, and in the meaning of formerly unimportant things as the 'magic ring' and the Necromancer, who both gained literary importance in the sequel. While the ''The Hobbit'' was written as a story intended for his children, ''The Lord of the Rings'' due to the realization of the later plot, soon became an epic tale of much greater proportions, both in plot and in length.  

The earlier drafts and versions of ''The Lord of the Rings'' were published posthumously by his son Christopher Tolkien in ''The History of The Lord of the Rings'' (1988-1992), which are volumes VI–IX of ''The History of Middle-earth''.

The earlier drafts and versions of ''The Lord of the Rings'' were published posthumously by his son Christopher Tolkien in ''The History of The Lord of the Rings'' (1988-1992), which are volumes VI–IX of ''The History of Middle-earth''.

=== Publication ===

=== Publication ===

Although often wrongly thought to be a [[trilogy]], ''The Lord of the Rings'' was conceived by the author as a single work. Its internal structure divides it into six 'books', named Book I-VI, according to the plot, with several appendices and an index. Because of paper shortages, the amount of paper needed and to reduce financial risk, it was released by the publisher [[Allen & Unwin]] in three volumes, each containing two Books:  

Although often wrongly thought to be a [[trilogy]], ''The Lord of the Rings'' was conceived by the author as a single work. Its internal structure divides it into six 'books', named Book I-VI, according to the plot, with several appendices and an index. Because of paper shortages, the amount of paper needed and to reduce financial risk, it was released by the publisher [[Allen & Unwin]] in three volumes, each containing two Books:  

#''[[The Fellowship of the Ring]]''<br>

#''[[The Fellowship of the Ring]]''

#''[[The Two Towers]]''<br>

#''[[The Two Towers]]''

#''[[The Return of the King]]''<br>

#''[[The Return of the King]]''

This resulted in the common error of calling ''The Lord of the Rings'' a [[trilogy]], a term which Tolkien rejected, just as he disliked the book being published in separate volumes. The first two volumes were published in 1954, and the third in 1955. It was initially published in hardbound.

This resulted in the common error of calling ''The Lord of the Rings'' a [[trilogy]], a term which Tolkien rejected, just as he disliked the book being published in separate volumes. The first two volumes were published in 1954, and the third in 1955. It was initially published in hardbound.

In 1965, a US-American pirated paperback edition and the surrounding trouble spread awareness of ''The Lord of the Rings'' in the United States, where it soon gained a strong following.  

In 1965, a US-American pirated paperback edition and the surrounding trouble spread awareness of ''The Lord of the Rings'' in the United States, where it soon gained a strong following.  

Many times people have tried to interpret ''The Lord of the Rings'' as an [[allegory]]. Tolkien himself renounced that claim, stating he disliked allegory and that the ''The Lord of the Rings'' was not an allegory, which he also explained in the foreword to the book's second edition. Instead of being allegorical, he said that the book had a quality he called "applicability": because it was a story about universal themes and struggles, it could be likened to almost any situation in real life.<ref>"As for any inner meaning or 'message', it has in the intention of the author none. It is neither allegorical nor topical. [...] The real war does not resemble the legendary war in its process or its conclusion. [...] Other arrangements could be devised according to the tastes or views of those who like allegory or topical reference. But I cordially dislike allegory in all its manifestations, and always have done so since I grew old and wary enough to detect its presence. I much prefer history, true or feigned, with its varied applicability to the thought and experience of readers. I think that many confuse 'applicability' with 'allegory'; but the one resides in the freedom of the reader, and the other in the purposed domination of the author.", J. R. R. Tolkien, ''The Lord of the Rings'', Foreword</ref> This universality would result in it often being interpreted as an allegory, sometimes ironically from opposing ideological sides. For instance, J. R. R. Tolkien was a [[Roman Catholic]], and despite his statements that ''The Lord of the Rings'' was not an allegory some readers have seen [[Christian]] undertones in ''The Lord of the Rings.'' <ref>"Much as it is possible to identify allegories of the Second World war into ''The Lord of the Rings'', it is possible to identify any number of Christian allegories as well" in Smith, J. and Matthews, J.C. ''The Lord of the Rings:the Films, the books, the radio series'' (Virgin Books 2004), p.116.</ref> Tolkien himself specifically discounted the belief that he wrote the book as a direct Christian allegory--or any other sort of allegory, which he went on record as "cordially disliking" and saw as besides the point of good storytelling in the medieval sense, and preferring "applicability"--in contrast with the overt and acknowledged allegories in the works of Tolkien's friend, [[C. S. Lewis]].<ref>''The Letters of J. R. R. Tolkien'', #129</ref>

Many times people have tried to interpret ''The Lord of the Rings'' as an [[allegory]]. Tolkien himself renounced that claim, stating he disliked allegory and that the ''The Lord of the Rings'' was not an allegory, which he also explained in the foreword to the book's second edition. Instead of being allegorical, he said that the book had a quality he called "applicability": because it was a story about universal themes and struggles, it could be likened to almost any situation in real life.<ref>"As for any inner meaning or 'message', it has in the intention of the author none. It is neither allegorical nor topical. [...] The real war does not resemble the legendary war in its process or its conclusion. [...] Other arrangements could be devised according to the tastes or views of those who like allegory or topical reference. But I cordially dislike allegory in all its manifestations, and always have done so since I grew old and wary enough to detect its presence. I much prefer history, true or feigned, with its varied applicability to the thought and experience of readers. I think that many confuse 'applicability' with 'allegory'; but the one resides in the freedom of the reader, and the other in the purposed domination of the author.", J. R. R. Tolkien, ''The Lord of the Rings'', Foreword</ref> This universality would result in it often being interpreted as an allegory, sometimes ironically from opposing ideological sides. For instance, J. R. R. Tolkien was a [[Roman Catholic]], and despite his statements that ''The Lord of the Rings'' was not an allegory some readers have seen [[Christian]] undertones in ''The Lord of the Rings.'' <ref>"Much as it is possible to identify allegories of the Second World war into ''The Lord of the Rings'', it is possible to identify any number of Christian allegories as well" in Smith, J. and Matthews, J.C. ''The Lord of the Rings:the Films, the books, the radio series'' (Virgin Books 2004), p.116.</ref> Tolkien himself specifically discounted the belief that he wrote the book as a direct Christian allegory—or any other sort of allegory, which he went on record as "cordially disliking" and saw as besides the point of good storytelling in the medieval sense, and preferring "applicability"—in contrast with the overt and acknowledged allegories in the works of Tolkien's friend, [[C. S. Lewis]].<ref>''The Letters of J. R. R. Tolkien'', #129</ref>

Tolkien's scarring experiences in [[World War I]] and his distaste for destructive industrialism - seen in the books in his characterization of [[Saruman]]'s armies - has been an influence on his works, as acknowledged by himself.<ref>"An author cannot of course remain wholly unaffected by his experience [...] One has indeed personally to come under the shadow of war to feel fully its oppression; but as the years go by it seems now often forgotten that to be caught in youth by 1914 was no less hideous an experience than to be involved in 1939 and the following years. [...] It has indeed some basis in experience, though slender (for the economic situation was entirely different), and much further back. The country in which I lived in childhood was being shabbily destroyed before I was ten, in days when motor-cars were rare objects (I had never seen one) and men were still building suburban railways. Recently I saw in a paper a picture of the last decrepitude of the once thriving corn-mill beside its pool that long ago seemed to me so important.", J. R. R. Tolkien, ''The Lord of the Rings'', Foreword</ref><ref>John Garth, "Tolkien and the Great War: the Threshold of Middle Earth," available at [http://www.amazon.com/Tolkien-Great-War-Threshold-Middle-earth/dp/0618331298 Amazon.com].</ref>

Tolkien's scarring experiences in [[World War I]] and his distaste for destructive industrialism - seen in the books in his characterization of [[Saruman]]'s armies - has been an influence on his works, as acknowledged by himself.<ref>"An author cannot of course remain wholly unaffected by his experience [...] One has indeed personally to come under the shadow of war to feel fully its oppression; but as the years go by it seems now often forgotten that to be caught in youth by 1914 was no less hideous an experience than to be involved in 1939 and the following years. [...] It has indeed some basis in experience, though slender (for the economic situation was entirely different), and much further back. The country in which I lived in childhood was being shabbily destroyed before I was ten, in days when motor-cars were rare objects (I had never seen one) and men were still building suburban railways. Recently I saw in a paper a picture of the last decrepitude of the once thriving corn-mill beside its pool that long ago seemed to me so important.", J. R. R. Tolkien, ''The Lord of the Rings'', Foreword</ref><ref>John Garth, "Tolkien and the Great War: the Threshold of Middle Earth," available at [http://www.amazon.com/Tolkien-Great-War-Threshold-Middle-earth/dp/0618331298 Amazon.com].</ref>