Christopher would later go on to provide more maps for The Silmarillion when it was published in 1977 and redrew his originals for inclusion in 1980’s Unfinished Tales. But perhaps more important than the paintings of lush hillsides and foreboding dragon lairs were the maps drawn by Tolkien’s son, Christopher.īeginning his work more than a decade before the books were ever published, these maps helped give a real sense of geography to the Shire, Mordor, and the other iconic locales, and a handful made their way into the first editions of all The Lord of the Rings volumes. He produced several paintings and illustrations for both The Hobbit-including the cover of the first edition-and The Lord of the Rings. Tolkien’s son drew the book’s maps of Middle-earth.įor Tolkien, art was key to bringing the fictional land of Middle-earth to life. There was even a point very early on when Tolkien toyed with the idea of making Bilbo the main character yet again-or have him revealed to be Trotter in disguise. Originally he was going to focus on young Bingo Baggins, the son of The Hobbit protagonist Bilbo Baggins, and some vague idea to “make return of ring a motive.” Soon, Bingo became Frodo, and Tolkien added a hobbit named Trotter (who later evolved into Aragorn).Įarlier drafts also left out Samwise Gamgee completely, but they did include a hobbit named Odo, who would mostly turn into Pippin. But knowing that more hobbits was exactly what people wanted, he pressed on. “I cannot think of anything more to say about hobbits,” Tolkien wrote in a letter to Stanley Unwin in October 1937. When Tolkien actually set out to write The Lord of the Rings, he didn’t quite know where to take the story. The book almost centered on the adventures of Bingo Baggins. It certainly wasn't the simple sequel to a children’s book that the publisher originally had in mind. Although it was envisioned as a one-off work, the sheer size of Tolkien’s book-more than 1000 pages and around 500,000 words-coupled with a post-war paper shortage in the UK forced his publisher to split the tome into three separate volumes: The Fellowship of the Ring, The Two Towers, and The Return of the King. Tolkien began writing The Lord of the Rings in late 1937 at the age of 45, and it would be 12 years before his novel was finally completed (and a few more years after that until publication). The Lord of the Rings wasn’t supposed to be a trilogy. In the end, The Silmarillion wouldn’t see the light of day until four years after Tolkien’s passing. His publisher rejected the idea, and instead, Tolkien proceeded with the more straightforward sequel, The Lord of the Rings. Hobbits themselves were to play virtually no role in the grandiose cosmic ballet. What they got, though, was a pitch for what would eventually become The Silmarillion, a dense prequel of sorts detailing the genesis of Middle-earth and its mélange of cultures. Naturally, the publisher wanted Tolkien to produce a follow-up story in his fantastical world, preferably with more hobbits at the center of the action. Tolkien’s first published foray into Middle-earth, The Hobbit, was a huge success when it came out in 1937, earning acclaim and hitting surprising sales numbers for publisher George Allen & Unwin. Tolkien originally pitched The Silmarillion as his follow-up to The Hobbit. But the roots of the books are far humbler than their success would suggest. Here are a few things even Middle-earth superfans might not know. More than 65 years later, The Lord of the Rings still stands as a cultural touchstone, inspiring new generations of authors, filmmakers, and other creative minds in the fantasy genre. In the sprawling blend of high fantasy and real-world mythology, Tolkien transported readers to a wonderous, fictional land complete with its own languages, civilizations, and conflicts. When Fellowship of the Ring-the first book in The Lord of the Rings trilogy-hit shelves in 1954, there wasn’t much to compare it to. The ring, however, now rests in the hands of a lowly hobbit named Frodo Baggins, who, alongside his trusty fellowship, must travel to the fires of Mount Doom to destroy it. Tolkien’s sprawling The Lord of the Rings saga, the Dark Lord Sauron has returned to Middle-earth to hunt down the all-powerful One Ring, which would give him dominion over the land.
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