Lord of the Rings Books in Order
J.R.R. Tolkien has written 5 Lord of the Rings books, published between 1937 and 1974. The first book is The Fellowship of the Ring (1954) and the newest is Bilbo's Last Song (1974). Publication order is the reading order below.
- Books
- 5
- Published
- 1937–1974
- Confirmed
- 5 of 5 titles
- Pages on record
- 1,706 in 4 of 5 books
- Reading time
- 28–43 hours
Reading time is an estimate, not a recorded figure: 1,706 pages at 300 words a page, read at 200–300 words a minute, covering the 4 of 5 titles with a page count on record.
Lord of the Rings is catalogued as a character entry for J.R.R. Tolkien, covering 5 books published between 1937 and 1974. The trilogy runs The Fellowship of the Ring and The Two Towers (both 1954) and The Return of the King (1955). The Hobbit (1937) is the earlier prequel, and Bilbo's Last Song (1974) is the latest title listed. Catalogue subjects include fantasy, hobbits, elves, magic, the Arkenstone and the Battle of Five Armies.
How many Lord of the Rings books are there?
Lord of the Rings has 5 books, released between 1937 and 1974.
Lord of the Rings Books in Publication Order
The table lists all 5 Lord of the Rings books in the order they were released, with the release year, the page count where one is on record, and how many independent book listings confirm each title. Catalogue data as of September 2026.
- 119373063/4
- 219544583/4
- 319543983/4
- 419555443/4
- 51974–3/4
Lord of the Rings Books in Chronological Order
By publication date, the Lord of the Rings books run from The Fellowship of the Ring (1954) to Bilbo's Last Song (1974), the sequence in the table above. No separate story order is recorded for Lord of the Rings in the book listings this catalogue merges, so publication order is the only order on record.
Do you have to read Lord of the Rings books in order?
You should read the Lord of the Rings books in publication order, the order of the numbered table above. The catalogue does not record whether each Lord of the Rings book also stands alone.
What order should you read Lord of the Rings books in?
Read them in publication order, starting with The Fellowship of the Ring (1954), the earliest published title.
What is the first Lord of the Rings book?
The Fellowship of the Ring (1954) is the first Lord of the Rings book. The table above starts earlier, with the related title The Hobbit (1937).
When did the first Lord of the Rings book come out?
The Fellowship of the Ring, the first Lord of the Rings book, was published in 1954. The newest, Bilbo's Last Song (1974), came out 20 years later.
What is the newest Lord of the Rings book?
Bilbo's Last Song (1974) is the newest Lord of the Rings book released so far.
Is there a new Lord of the Rings book coming?
No next Lord of the Rings book is announced in the catalogue, which is a gap in the listings it merges rather than a sign that the run has ended.
Award nominations for Lord of the Rings
Wikidata records 1 nomination for Lord of the Rings. Each row states whether the title won or was shortlisted, and the year the award was given.
- Hugo Award for Best Dramatic Presentation1978Shortlistedfor The Hobbit
Lord of the Rings at a glance
- No recent titles
- The newest Lord of the Rings title on record dates from 1974, 52 years ago. No later title is catalogued.
- Release pace
- Lord of the Rings books have appeared about one every 9 years on average.
- Length
- 1,706 pages across the 4 of 5 books with a recorded length, a median of 428 pages each.
- Busiest decade
- Most Lord of the Rings books, 3 of 5, were published in the 1950s.
What the Lord of the Rings books are about
All 5 Lord of the Rings books carry subject tags in Open Library's catalogue. The subjects below are the ones that recur across them, most frequent first: fantasy is tagged on 3 of 5. The subjects are cataloguers’ headings, not a plot summary.
- Fantasy 3 of 5 books
- Hobbits 3 of 5 books
- Elves 2 of 5 books
- Fear 2 of 5 books
- Ficción 2 of 5 books
- Ficción fantástica inglesa 2 of 5 books
- Hope 2 of 5 books
- Magic 2 of 5 books
- Arkenstone 1 of 5 books
- Battle of Five Armies 1 of 5 books
- Bilbo Baggins (Fictitious character) 1 of 5 books
- Children's poetry, English 1 of 5 books
More books by J.R.R. Tolkien
The author page linked below lists every book in publication order.
- J.R.R. Tolkien books in order 61 books