I got to meet Ed Greenwood at Origins, to the subset of geeks known as D&D players, he is our Tolkien, his Realms as rich as Middle Earth.

So I understand your post. Whether it be one or three or six books

It is one continuous narrative, broken up into three books. Still, since I first experienced the story as three books, for me, it will always be a trilogy.

Or maybe I’m just saying this because two days ago, I drove past the branch of the Hamilton County Library where I first borrowed each of those three books.

other atrocities from the movies … have damaged my reading of Tolkien for a very long time.

Sssh! Nobody tell AE about Bender’s Game.

GPW,

I used to read Lord of the Rings every year too, usually when fall really starts settling in, but haven’t been able to bring myself to it the last couple years — at least until I can get that insufferable pussy of an Aragorn, Galadriel’s CG-assisted freakout, Arwen’s hot-potato necklace and other atrocities from the movies out of my head. I fear they have damaged my reading of Tolkien for a very long time. OF course, that won’t prevent me from seeing the Hobbit on opening day. sigh.

I’ve never read the unfinished stories though. Although I have read the Silmarillion, and Tree and Leaf.

#3
That reminds me. Years ago I bought a book called The Bounty Trilogy. I didn’t know that the story of the HMS Bounty was three separate books (apparently). Apparently, they were printed in 1932, 33 & 34. I wonder if they were printed separately for similar reasons.

However, I find the Harry Potter series very entertaining and definitely am looking forward to the final 2 movies in the (ahem) trilogy.

Regards,
Peter H.

It is one novel, “The Lord of the Rings”. It happens to have 6 part divisions. Publishing it as 3 volumes (2 parts per volume) was a purely economic decision: paper was expensive in postwar Britain, and the publisher wanted to see if such a large, unusual work could gain any readers on the first couple parts. They could have as easily made it 2 volumes, or 6. The volumes do not stand as distinct novels. Their titles were invented and at least one of them (The Two Towers) barely fits. Higher-priced, fine editions of LOTR restore the author’s artistic intent by publishing it as one novel, one volume.

This sort of thing is to be contrasted with, say the Star Wars trilogies (Original and Prequel). They are true trilogies, i.e., related-but-distinct works. Lucas originally drafted Episodes 4, 5, 6 as one movie but realized it would be far too long, then divided them. Episode 4 comes to its own conclusion and its pacing and other artistic qualities (e.g., acting) mark it as distinct from Episode 5.

I re-read the trilogy

Aargh, my eyes! Real Tolkien geeks don’t call it “the trilogy”…