The fellowship of the ring. Originally published: London: Allen & Unwin, 1954. The title of the novel refers to the story's main antagonist, the Dark Lord Sauron, [a] who had in an earlier age created the One Ring to rule the other Rings of Power as the ultimate weapon in his campaign to conquer and rule all of Middle-earth. From quiet beginnings in the Shire, a hobbit land not unlike the English countryside, the story ranges across Middle-earth, following the course of the War of the Ring through the eyes of its characters, most notably the hobbits Frodo, Sam, Merry and Pippin. -- The two towers. Originally published: London: Allen & Unwin, 1954. -- The return of the king. Originally published: London: Allen & Unwin, 1955 -- The Hobbit. Originally published: Allen & Unwin, 1937