For over fifty years, J.R.R. Tolkien's peerless fantasy has accumulated worldwide acclaim as the greatest adventure tale ever written.No other writer has created a world as distinct as Middle-earth, complete with its own geography, history, languages, and legends. And no one has created characters as endearing as Tolkien's large-hearted, hairy-footed hobbits. Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings continues to seize the imaginations of readers of all ages, and this new three-volume paperback edition is designed to appeal to the youngest of them. In ancient times the Rings of Power were crafted by the Elvensmiths, and Sauron, the Dark Lord, forged the One Ring, filling it with his own power so that he could rule all others. But the One Ring was taken from him, and though he sought it throughout Middle-earth, still it remained lost to him . . .

约翰·罗纳德·鲁埃尔·托尔金（1892—1973）是牛津大学教授，古英语专家，写了不少小说，其中最著名的是《霍比特人》（又译作《小矮人历险记》〈1937〉）与《魔戒》（1954—1955）。

托尔金是日耳曼人后裔，他的父系祖先十八世纪从萨克森移居英国，父亲是银行职员，母亲家族则是当地人。童年托尔金的家境窘迫，四岁时父亲客死他乡，十二岁时，母亲死于糖尿病，这在当时是不治之症。他与弟弟成了孤儿，由法兰西斯神父抚养。