SeriesStack

The Lord of the Rings Books in Order

by J. R. R. TolkienLiterature & Fiction

4 books and 1 novella from The Silmarillion (1977) to The Return of the King (1950). Rated 4.8 across 321,246 listener reviews.

Reading order

  1. The Silmarillion

    Book 0 1977 4.7 (18.1k)

    The forerunner to The Lord of the Rings, The Silmarillion tells the earlier history of Middle-earth, recounting the events of the First and Second Ages, and introducing some of the key characters, such as Galadriel, Elrond, Elendil and the…

    Kindle Paperback Audiobook

  2. The Hobbit

    Novella 0.5 1937 by J.R.R. Tolkien 4.8 (99.1k)

    Kindle Paperback Audiobook

  3. The Fellowship of the Ring

    Book 1 1954 4.8 (97.4k)

    Inspired by The Hobbit and begun in 1937, The Lord of the Rings is a trilogy that J.R.R. Tolkien created to provide "the necessary background of history for Elvish tongues".

    Kindle Paperback Audiobook

  4. The Two Towers

    Book 2 1954 4.9 (68.3k)

    The Two Towers is the second volume of J.R.R. Tolkien's epic saga, The Lord of the Rings. The Fellowship has been forced to split up. Frodo and Sam must continue alone towards Mount Doom, where the One Ring must be destroyed.

    Kindle Paperback Audiobook

  5. The Return of the King

    Book 3 1950 4.9 (38.4k)

    The Return of the King is the towering climax to J. R. R. Tolkien’s trilogy that tells the saga of the hobbits of Middle-earth and the great War of the Rings.

    Kindle Paperback Audiobook

Adapted for screen

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About this reading order

Books are listed in the series' own numbering, which for The Lord of the Rings is also the best order to read them in. Novellas and short stories sit between the novels they follow, numbered the way the publisher numbers them (0.5 comes after book 0). They are optional — you can skip them without missing the main story. Years are first publication where we could confirm it, and otherwise the first audiobook release.

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