Timeline Thursday 29 July 1954

Events on Thursday 29 July 1954 2

• 1954 The Fellowship of the Ring published First volume of Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings appears J.R.R. Tolkien's The Fellowship of the Ring, the opening volume of The Lord of the Rings, was published in London. It introduced Middle-earth's hobbits, wizards, and the quest to destroy the One Ring to a wide readership. The trilogy went on to become one of the best-selling works of fiction of the 20th century.
• 1954 – 1955 The Lord of the Rings published The Fellowship of the Ring and The Two Towers are published on 29 July 1954; The Return of the King follows on 20 October 1955. The reviews are divided: W.H. Auden calls it 'a masterpiece'; C.S. Lewis proclaims it 'lightning from a clear sky'; Edmund Wilson dismisses it as 'juvenile trash.' The book sells steadily but not spectacularly in the UK. Then in 1965 an unauthorised American paperback edition by Ace Books — exploiting a copyright technicality — triggers an explosion of popularity that makes The Lord of the Rings a cultural phenomenon.