Lord of the Rings Books
Last updated: November 20, 2024
The Lord of the Rings, British author JRR Tolkien's epic fantasy, has spawned an array of books since it was first published in the early 1950s. It's probably best to read the Lord of the Rings books in the order we've listed them here. These are books that children can start reading around age 11, starting with The Hobbit. If you're buying the books as a gift, one option is a LOTR box set; some are beautifully illustrated.
Tolkien's epic tale is very much in the vein of oral storytelling and listening to the Lord of the Rings as audiobooks is worth considering. There are a variety of narrators to choose from, but most recently the BAFTA award-winning actor and director Andy Serkis—who plays Gollum in the blockbuster movies—has had a go.
Many of the new books you'll see coming out are based on stories published after Tolkien's death. Many appear in The Silmarillion, though Tolkien's son Christopher (1924-2020) also published other stories from his father's notebooks. Most of Tolkien's books—including the most recent, The Fall of Númenor—are illustrated by Alan Lee. As well as being a talented artist, Lee knew Christopher Tolkien well and advised New Zealand film director Peter Jackson on the LOTR and Hobbit movies.
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1
The Silmarillion
J R R Tolkien, Christopher Tolkien (editor) -
2
The Children of Húrin
J R R Tolkien, Alan Lee (illustrator), Christopher Tolkien (editor) -
3
Beren and Lúthien
J R R Tolkien, Alan Lee (illustrator), Christopher Tolkien (editor) -
4
The Fall of Gondolin
J R R Tolkien, Alan Lee (illustrator), Christopher Tolkien (editor) -
5
The Fall of Númenor
J R R Tolkien, Alan Lee (illustrator), Brian Sibley (editor)
If You Liked The Lord of the Rings: Other Books in Tolkien’s World, recommended by Valentin
If You Liked The Lord of the Rings: Other Books in Tolkien’s World, recommended by Valentin
In recent years there has been a steady flow of JRR Tolkien books published posthumously. If you liked The Lord of the Rings and are wondering what to read next, 16 year old Valentin guides you through some of his other favourite books set in the vast world that Tolkien created.
Lord of the Rings Books in Order
The books that, loosely speaking, make up the story of JRR Tolkien‘s The Lord of the Rings are well worth reading, better—or at least very different—from the films. These are stories of adventure that have the epic feel that the movies capture, but against a backdrop of conviviality and the pleasures of eating, drinking and telling stories by the fireside as you gather with your companions. Notably, the books are filled with poems that are composed and told by the main characters and pay homage to an oral storytelling tradition that has largely disappeared from our culture but Tolkien clearly admired.
