J.R.R. Tolkien

J.R.R. Tolkien

J.R.R. Tolkien was born in Bloemfontein, South Africa on January 3rd, 1892 and passed away at the age of 81 on September 2nd, 1973.

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J.R.R. Tolkien Stats: The highest rated book by J.R.R. Tolkien on Book Notification is The Return of the King, the 4th novel in The Lord of the Rings series. The second-highest rated book is The Two Towers (The Lord of the Rings #3).

The most read book by J.R.R. Tolkien on Book Notification is The Hobbit, the first novel in The Lord of the Rings series. The second most read book is The Fellowship of the Ring (The Lord of the Rings #2).

Below is a complete list of J.R.R. Tolkien books in publication and chronological order, broken down by series. The most popular series by J.R.R. Tolkien is The Lord of the Rings Series.

List of The Lord of the Rings Books in Publication Order

ReadTitle Avg.YearBook Link
1
8.7
The Hobbit
1937
Go
2
8.8
The Fellowship of the Ring
1954
Go
3
9
The Two Towers
1954
Go
4
9.1
The Return of the King
1955
Go
5
6
Bilbo's Last Song
1974
Go

List of Middle-Earth Universe Books in Publication Order

Poems, lore, and world-building in Tolkien's Middle-Earth.

ReadTitle Avg.YearBook Link
1
10
Tolkien's World: Paintings of Middle-Earth
1992
Go
2
7.3
Realms of Tolkien: Images of Middle-Earth
1996
3
7.3
Poems From The Hobbit
1999
Go

List of The History of Middle-Earth Books in Publication Order

ReadTitle Avg.YearBook Link
1
10
The Book of Lost Tales, Part One
1983
Go
2
10
The Book of Lost Tales, Part Two
1983
Go
3
10
The Lays of Beleriand
1985
Go
4
10
The Shaping of Middle-earth
1986
Go
5
8
The Lost Road and Other Writings
1987
Go
6
7.7
The War of the Jewels
1994
Go
7
8.3
The History of Middle Earth Index
2002
Go
8
6.3
The Great Tales of Middle-Earth
2018
Go

List of History Of The Lord Of The Rings Collections in Publication Order

Ranked by popularity, the top collections are The Return of the Shadow, The Treason of Isengard, and The War of the Ring.

ReadTitle Avg.YearBook Link
1
7.7
The Return of the Shadow
1988
Go
2
9.7
The Treason of Isengard
1989
Go
3
7
The War of the Ring
1990
Go
4
8
Sauron Defeated
1992
Go

List of Tales of Middle Earth Books in Publication Order

Stories from Middle-earth's ancient past, including heroes, tragedy, and battles against dark powers.

ReadTitle Avg.YearBook Link
1
10
The Children of Húrin (By: Christopher Tolkien)
2007
Go
2
8
The Fall of Gondolin
2018
Go
3
8
The Fall of Númenor: and Other Tales from the Second Age of Middle-earth
2022
Go
Show All Books in this Series

List of Later Silmarillion Collections in Publication Order

ReadTitle Avg.YearBook Link
1
8.7
Morgoth's Ring: The Legends of Aman
1993
Go

List of Standalone Novels in Publication Order

Ranked by popularity, the top standalone books are The Children of Húrin, Beren and Lúthien, and Farmer Giles of Ham.

ReadTitle Avg.YearBook Link
1
7.3
The Lay of Aotrou and Itroun
1945
Go
2
8
Farmer Giles of Ham
1949
Go
3
7.7
Drawings by Tolkien
1976
Go
4
8
Roverandom
1998
Go
5
8
The Children of Húrin
2007
Go
6
7.3
The Legend of Sigurd & Gudrún
2009
Go
7
2
The Story of Kullervo
2015
Go
8
8.3
The Lost Manuscript
2016
Go
9
6.4
Beren and Lúthien
2017
Go

List of Short Stories/Novellas in Publication Order

ReadTitle Avg.YearBook Link
1
10
Leaf by Niggle
1945
Go
2
8
Smith of Wootton Major
1967
Go

List of Short Story Collections in Publication Order

Ranked by popularity, the top short story collections are The Silmarillion, Unfinished Tales of Númenor and Middle-Earth, and The Adventures of Tom Bombadil.

ReadTitle Avg.YearBook Link
1
6
Tales from the Perilous Realm
1949
Go
2
8
The Adventures of Tom Bombadil
1962
Go
3
8
Tree and Leaf
1964
Go
4
8
The Tolkien Reader
1966
Go
5
8.7
Poems and Stories
1971
Go
6
7.7
The Silmarillion
1977
Go
7
8
Unfinished Tales of Númenor and Middle-Earth
1980
Go
8
9
The Peoples of Middle-earth
1996
Go
9
6.7
A Tolkien Miscellany
2002
Go
10
6.7
The Fall of Arthur
2013
Go
11
10
Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, Pearl, and Sir Orfeo (With: Christopher Tolkien)
2021
Go
12
7
The Battle of Maldon (With: Peter Grybauskaus)
2023
Go

List of Collections in Publication Order

ReadTitle Avg.YearBook Link
1
Pictures by J.R.R. Tolkien (With: Christopher Tolkien)
1979
Go

List of Poetry Collections in Publication Order

ReadTitle Avg.YearBook Link
1
7.7
The Road Goes Ever On
1967
Go

List of Non-Fiction Books in Publication Order

Ranked by popularity, the top non-fiction books are Letters from Father Christmas, Tolkien on Fairy-stories, and The Letters of J.R.R. Tolkien.

ReadTitle Avg.YearBook Link
1
9
A Middle English Reader and Vocabulary
1921
Go
2
8.3
Beowulf and the Critics
1936
Go
3
8.7
Tolkien on Fairy-stories
1939
Go
4
9
Letters from Father Christmas (With: Baillie Tolkien)
1976
Go
5
9
The Letters of J.R.R. Tolkien
1981
Go
6
7.3
Finn and Hengest: The Fragment and the Episode
1982
Go
7
10
The Monsters and the Critics: The Essays of J.R.R. Tolkien
1983
Go
8
8
The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring - Insiders' Guide
2002
Go
9
7.7
The Nature of Middle-Earth (With: Carl F. Hostetter)
2021
Go

List of J.R.R. Tolkien Anthologies in Publication Order

#ReadTitle Avg.YearBook Link
1
Over the Rainbow
1983
Go
2
The Random House Book of Fantasy Stories
1997
Go
3
Tales Before Narnia: The Roots of Modern Fantasy and Science Fiction
2008
Go
Show All Anthologies
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J.R.R. Tolkien

J.R.R. Tolkien (John Ronald Reuel Tolkien) was born on January 3rd, 1892. J.R.R. passed away September 2nd, 1973 at 81 years old. J.R.R. Tolkien was born in Bloemfontein, South Africa.

J.R.R. Tolkien is known for writing in the Fantasy and Children's Books genres.

J.R.R. Tolkien was the author of the J.R.R. Tolkien Short Story Collections series which consists of 12 novels. The J.R.R. Tolkien Short Story Collections series started in 1949 with the novel Tales from the Perilous Realm. The most recently released novel in the J.R.R. Tolkien Short Story Collections series was The Battle of Maldon which was released in 2023. There are no upcoming novels for the J.R.R. Tolkien Short Story Collections series.

J.R.R. Tolkien also wrote 9 Non-Fiction Books, including A Middle English Reader and Vocabulary and Beowulf and the Critics.

There is a film titled Tolkien that was filmed in 2019 that is based on the early life of English professor and author of several noteworthy novels including the famous Lord of the Rings, J. R. R. Tolkien.

Tolkien was inducted into the Nielsen Bestseller Awards' 21st Century Platinum Hall of Fame for his Platinum Bestselling Lord of the Rings trilogy.

J.R.R. Tolkien: Awards & Accolades

Tolkien's book, Unfinished Tales of Númenor and Middle-Earth won the Mythopoeic Award, Fantasy Award, in 1981.

J.R.R. Tolkien books have also been nominated for multiple awards, The Book of Lost Tales, Part One was nominated for the Mythopoeic Award, Fantasy Award, in 1985. Tales from the Perilous Realm was nominated for the Audie Award, Best Audio Drama, in 2009. The Fellowship of the Ring was nominated for the British Book Awards, Fiction Audiobook of the Year, in 2022.

The complete Lord of the Rings novel was nominated for the British Book Award (Best Fiction Audiobook).

J.R.R. Tolkien: Lists & Other Mentions

  • The Children of Húrin was a New York Times: #1 Fiction Best Seller in 2007.
  • The Hobbit has made several lists including:
    1. AbeBooks: 100 (Fiction) Books to Read in a Lifetime Selection in 2018.
    2. NPR: 100 Best Beach Books Selection in 2009.
    3. Modern Library: 100 Best Novels of the 20th Century: Radcliffe's List Selection in 1998.
    4. Modern Library: 100 Best Novels of the 20th Century: Readers' List Selection in 1998.
    5. Ex Libris: 100 Books to Read and Reread Selection in 2020.
    6. BBC: 100 Greatest British Novels Selection in 2015.
    7. BBC: 100 Greatest Childrens Books of All Time Selection in 2023.
    8. The Guardian: 100 Greatest Novels of All Time Selection in 2003.
    9. Penguin: 100 Must-Read Classic Books Selection in 2022.
    10. The Telegraph: 100 Novels Everyone Should Read Selection in 2009.
    11. New York Public Library: 125 Books We Love for Adults Selection in 2020.
    12. Flavor Wire: 50 Sci-Fi/Fantasy Novels That Everyone Should Read Selection in 2013.
    13. Time Magazine: All-Time 100 Novels Selection in 2005.
    14. WordsRated: America’s 100 Favorite Books Selection in 2024.
    15. Waterstones: Books of the Century Selection in 1997.
    16. Book Riot: From Zero to Well-Read in 100 Books Selection in 2013.
    17. TES Magazine: Teacher's Favourite Books List Selection in 2013.
    18. BBC: The Big Read Selection in 2003.
    19. Waterstones: The Books You've Always Meant to Read Selection in 2020.
    20. The Telegraph: The Perfect Library Selection in 2008.
    21. Refinery29: The Ultimate Book Bucket List Selection in 2023.
    22. Entertainment Weekly: Top 100 Novels Selection in 2013.
    23. NPR: Top 100 Science-Fiction, Fantasy Books Selection in 2011.
  • The Fellowship of the Ring was an Amazon UK: 100 Books to Read in a Lifetime Selection in 2014 and a BBC: 100 Novels That Shaped Our World Selection in 2019.
  • The Silmarillion was a Publishers Weekly: Bestselling Novel in the United States in 1977 and an NPR: Top 100 Science-Fiction, Fantasy Books Selection in 2011.

The Silmarillion was the #1 entry on the Publishers Weekly bestselling novels list in 1977.

The entire Lord of the Rings series was included in the BBC 100 Novels That Shaped Our World list, Ex Libris 100 Books to Read and Reread list, TES Magazine's Teacher's Favourite Books list (along with The Hobbit), BBC 100 Greatest British Novels, the BBC The Big Read list (along with The Hobbit), the Penguin 100 Must-Read Classic Books list, the Waterstones Books of the Century list (along with The Hobbit), the Time Magazine All-Time 100 Novels list, The Telegraph 100 Novels Everyone Should Read and The Perfect Library, Waterstones's The Books You've Always Meant to Read list in 2020, PBS's The Great American Read list in 2018, Amazon US's 100 Books to Read in a Lifetime list in 2014, Audible's The Top 100 Book Series of All Time list in 2024, The Daily Mail's A Hundred Novels to Change Your Life list in 2019, and WordsRated's America’s 100 Favorite Books list in 2024.

J.R.R. Tolkien: TV/Movies Based on Books

There was a TV miniseries made in 1993 titled Hobitit. The series was made in Finland and is based on a six-hour play, The Lord of the Rings, which was based on the novel of the same name. There were nine episodes with a run time of thirty minutes each. The other TV series titled The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power is based on the novel The Lord of the Rings and its appendices. The series premiered on Amazon Video on September 1, 2022, and there is currently one season consisting of eight episodes available, but it is believed there is a five-season commitment.

J.R.R. Tolkien has several movie adaptations made from his works. Here is a list on order of release date:

The Hobbit (animated 1977) - This animated film for TV was based off the 1937 novel of the same name.

The Lord of the Rings (animated 1978) - This animated film was based off the 1968 novel of the same name.

The Return of the King (animated 1980) - The last of the animated films, this one was based off the novel of the same name.

The Fabulous Journey of Mr. Bilbo Baggins (1985) - This is a 1985 Soviet television play, being a loose adaption of the 1937 novel The Hobbit.

The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (2001) - This is the first movie in the trilogy widely known today and is based on the 1954 novel The Fellowship of the Ring.

The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers (2002) - This is the sequel to The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring and is based on the novel The Two Towers.

The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (2003) - The last movie of the trilogy that is based on the 1955 novel The Return of the King.

The Hunt for Gollum (2009) - This is a British fantasy fan film based on the novel The Lord of the Rings. The film was shot in high-definition video, with a budget of £3,000.

Born of Hope: The Ring of Barahir (2009) - This is also a British fan film based on the novel The Lord of the Rings. The film was directed by Kate Madison who spent her life savings of £8,000 on the film. An extra £17,000 was generated by posting a trailer online, raising the budget to £25,000.

The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey (2012) - This is the other widely known Lord of the Rings trilogy. The first in the series is based on the novel The Hobbit and is a prequel to the previous Lord of the Rings trilogy.

The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug (2013) - This one is the second film in the trilogy and is also based on the novel The Hobbit.

The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies (2014) - The final film in The Hobbit series and is also based on the novel The Hobbit.

The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim (2024) - This is another animated film that is set to be released on April 12, 2024. Even though the film is based on the novel The Lord of the Rings is supposed to be set 183 years before the events depicted in The Lord of the Rings trilogy.



Related Authors

Fans of J.R.R. Tolkien also enjoy these authors:

  1. Ursula K. Le Guin, author of the Earthsea Cycle Series.
  2. Salman Rushdie, author of: The Satanic Verses.
  3. Rick Riordan, author of the Percy Jackson and the Olympians Series.
  4. C.S. Lewis, author of The Chronicles Of Narnia Series.
  5. Ann Leckie, author of the Imperial Radch Series.
  6. Katherine Arden, author of the Winternight Trilogy Series.
  7. Michael J. Sullivan, author of the Riyria Revelations Omnibus Series.
  8. Sarah Beth Durst, author of The Spellshop Series.
  9. Anne Bishop, author of The Others Series.
  10. Gregory Maguire, author of The Wicked Years Series.

J.R.R. Tolkien: F.A.Q

When was J.R.R. Tolkien Born?

J.R.R. Tolkien was born on January 3rd, 1892.

When did J.R.R. Tolkien die?

J.R.R. Tolkien died on September 2nd, 1973 at 81 years old.

Where was J.R.R. Tolkien Born?

J.R.R. Tolkien was born in Bloemfontein, South Africa.

What book awards has J.R.R. Tolkien won?

Tolkien's book, Unfinished Tales of Númenor and Middle-Earth won the award Mythopoeic Award, Fantasy Award, in 1981.

What was the first book J.R.R. Tolkien wrote?

The first book written by J.R.R. Tolkien was A Middle English Reader and Vocabulary, published in 1921.

What was the most recent book J.R.R. Tolkien wrote?

His most recently released work was The Battle of Maldon on June 6th, 2023.

What is the most popular book by J.R.R. Tolkien?

Based on the number of readers on Book Notification, the most popular J.R.R. Tolkien book is The Hobbit. Here are his most popular books:
  1. The Hobbit (8.66)
  2. The Fellowship of the Ring (8.77)
  3. The Two Towers (9.04)
  4. The Return of the King (9.07)
  5. The Silmarillion (7.67)

What genres does J.R.R. Tolkien Write?

J.R.R. Tolkien primarily writes in the Children's Books and Fantasy genres. His work includes sub-genres such as Epic / High Fantasy, Mythic Fantasy, and Magical Fantasy.

How many books has J.R.R. Tolkien written?

J.R.R. Tolkien has written 57 books across 18 series, excluding contributions to anthologies.
  • 5 books in The Lord of the Rings Series
  • 3 books in the Middle-Earth Universe Series
  • 8 books in The History of Middle-Earth Series
  • 4 History Of The Lord Of The Rings Collections
  • 2 books in the Tales of Middle Earth Series
  • 1 Later Silmarillion Collections
  • 9 Standalone Novels
  • 2 Short Stories/Novellas
  • 12 Short Story Collections
  • 1 Collections
  • 1 Poetry Collections
  • 9 Non-Fiction Books

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