J. R. R. Tolkien

TOLKIEN, J. R. R., 1892 to 1973

J. R. R. Tolkien books in order

J. R. R. Tolkien (1892-1973) was an English philologist and Oxford professor, author of The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings.

Also wrote as Oxymore

Books
49
Editions tracked
63
First editions
45
Nationality
United Kingdom
Born
Bloemfontein, 1892
Died
Bournemouth, 1973

Official websiteWikidataOpen LibrarySearch within J. R. R. Tolkien

J. R. R. Tolkien wrote 49 books we track between 1922 and 2023; in publication order they begin with A Middle English Vocabulary (1922).

Life

About J. R. R. Tolkien

Writer

Known as
linguist, poet, university teacher, children's writer
Genres
fantasy, children's literature, poetry, prose
Movement
Inklings
Citizenship
United Kingdom
Also wrote as
Oxymore

Background

Educated at
University of Oxford, Exeter College, King Edward's School, St. Philip's School
Influenced by
George MacDonald, Edward Wyke-Smith, Jules Verne, H. Rider Haggard, Edward Plunkett, 18th Baron of Dunsany, Edward Burne-Jones
Buried
Oxford

Awards and honours

  • Commander of the Order of the British Empire (1972)
  • Prometheus Award - Hall of Fame (2009)
  • Nebula Award for Best Script (2003)
  • Nebula Award for Best Script (2004)
  • Locus Award for Best Fantasy Novel (1978)
  • Nebula Award for Best Script (2002)
  • Hugo Award for Best Dramatic Presentation (2002)
  • Hugo Award for Best Dramatic Presentation, Long Form (2003)

Notable works

From Wikidata (CC0); Wikipedia has articles on J. R. R. Tolkien in 165 languages.

About J. R. R. Tolkien

J. R. R. Tolkien (1892-1973) was an English philologist and author of The Hobbit (1937) and The Lord of the Rings (1954-55), the second of which had sold over 150 million copies by 2007.

John Ronald Reuel Tolkien was born in Bloemfontein, in the Orange Free State, on 3 January 1892. He became Reader in English Language at Leeds in 1920 and professor there in 1924. At Oxford he was Rawlinson and Bosworth Professor of Anglo-Saxon from 1925 to 1945, with a fellowship at Pembroke College, and Merton Professor of English Language and Literature from 1945 to 1959. He died in Bournemouth on 2 September 1973.

George Allen & Unwin published The Hobbit on 21 September 1937. The Lord of the Rings followed from the same firm in three volumes, a split made to reduce the publisher's risk: The Fellowship of the Ring (29 July 1954), The Two Towers (11 November 1954) and The Return of the King (20 October 1955). Houghton Mifflin issued the American editions. The Silmarillion, edited by his son Christopher Tolkien with help from Guy Gavriel Kay, appeared posthumously from Allen & Unwin on 15 September 1977.

For collectors. The first printing of The Hobbit ran to 1,500 copies and had sold out by December 1937. It carried Tolkien's own black and white illustrations, two endpaper maps and a jacket of his design. Wikipedia reports auction prices of about 6,000 to 20,000 pounds for a first printing, and over 60,000 pounds for a signed copy. The 1951 second edition revised the "Riddles in the Dark" chapter to fit The Lord of the Rings, so first edition text and later text differ.

Collecting guideTolkien First Editions: The Hobbit and The Lord of the RingsA first edition, first impression of The Hobbit is the George Allen & Unwin book of September 1937: 1,500 copies in green cloth, with black and white pictures only. The second impression, … Collecting guideTolkien First Edition Values: The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings by BookA first impression of The Hobbit (George Allen & Unwin, 1937) without its jacket has sold for £43,000, and with Tolkien's inscription for £137,000. A Lord of the Rings set of first …
For collectors

Collect J. R. R. Tolkien

Earliest first editionA Middle English VocabularyClarendon Press, 1922 Most valuableThe Hobbit£2,900 to £17,000
First published by
Series
In order

First editions, year by year

  1. 1922A Middle English VocabularyClarendon Press
  2. 1925Sir Gawain & the Green KnightClarendon Press
  3. 1936Beowulf: A Translation and CommentaryHumphrey Milford for the British Academy
  4. 1937The HobbitGeorge Allen & Unwin · £2,900 to £17,000
  5. 1947Tolkien On Fairy-storiesOxford University Press
  6. 1949Farmer Giles of HamAllen & Unwin
  7. 1954The Fellowship of the RingGeorge Allen & Unwin
  8. 1954The Two TowersGeorge Allen & Unwin
  9. 1955The Return of the KingGeorge Allen & Unwin
  10. 1962The Adventures of Tom Bombadil and Other Verses from the Red BookAllen & Unwin
  11. 1964Tree and LeafGeorge Allen & Unwin
  12. 1967Smith of Wootton MajorGeorge Allen & Unwin
  13. 1975Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, Pearl, and Sir OrfeoAllen & Unwin
  14. 1976Die Briefe Vom WeihnachtsmannGeorge Allen & Unwin
  15. 1977The SilmarillionAllen & Unwin
  16. 1979The Lord of the Rings and the Hobbit SetHoughton Mifflin
  17. 1980Unfinished Tales of Númenor and Middle-earthAllen & Unwin
  18. 1980Poems and StoriesAllen & Unwin
  19. 1981The Letters of J.r.r. TolkienAllen & Unwin
  20. 1982Mr. BlissAllen & Unwin
  21. 1983The Book of Lost TalesAllen & Unwin
  22. 1983The Monsters and the Critics, and Other EssaysGeorge Allen & Unwin
  23. 1985The Lays of BeleriandAllen & Unwin
  24. 1986The Shaping of Middle-EarthAllen & Unwin
  25. 1987The Lost Road and Other WritingsUnwin Hyman
  26. 1988The Return of the ShadowUnwin Hyman
  27. 1989The Treason of IsengardUnwin Hyman
  28. 1990The Hobbit or There and Back AgainUnwin Paperbacks
  29. 1990The War of the RingUnwin Hyman
  30. 1992Sauron DefeatedHarper Collins (HarperCollins)
  31. 1993Morgoth's RingHarperCollins
  32. 1994The War of the JewelsHarperCollins
  33. 1996The Peoples of Middle-EarthHarperCollins
  34. 1997Tales from the Perilous RealmHarperCollins
  35. 1998RoverandomHarperCollins
  36. 2007The Children of HúrinHarperCollins
  37. 2009The Legend of Sigurd and GudrúnHarperCollins
  38. 2013The Fall of ArthurHarperCollins
  39. 2015The Story of KullervoHarperCollins
  40. 2016Leaf by NiggleHarperCollins

And 5 more in the full list below.

Books and editions

Which edition do you have?

Questions collectors ask

Frequently asked questions

What order should I read J. R. R. Tolkien's books in?

In publication order they begin with A Middle English Vocabulary (1922), then Sir Gawain & the Green Knight (1925) and Beowulf: A Translation and Commentary (1936). Books in a series are listed in series order on this page.

What was J. R. R. Tolkien's first book?

The earliest book we list is A Middle English Vocabulary, first published in 1922.

When was J. R. R. Tolkien born?

J. R. R. Tolkien was born in 1892 and died in 1973.

How many J. R. R. Tolkien books does MyVolumes track?

We track 49 books by J. R. R. Tolkien across 63 editions, 45 of them first editions.

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

J. R. R. Tolkien has won Commander of the Order of the British Empire (1972), Prometheus Award - Hall of Fame (2009), Nebula Award for Best Script (2003), Nebula Award for Best Script (2004), according to Wikidata.

Did J. R. R. Tolkien write under another name?

Yes: J. R. R. Tolkien also published as Oxymore. Those books are listed here under the one author.

Sources

Where these facts come from

Every fact on this page was checked against the sources listed. Checked 17 October 2026. Reviewed by Harriet Ellis; read how we check facts.

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