by Gabe Fresa, Library Intern, Summer 2018
Sixty-three years ago, the final book in J.R.R. Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings trilogy was published. The series focuses on the quest to destroy the “Ring of Power” and permanently end the Dark Lord Sauron’s malevolent influence in Middle Earth. A young hobbit and his gardener encounter numerous trials along the without ever once using Gandalf’s own person ‘air-taxi’ giant eagles, which conveniently show up after the after all the hard work has been finished. All of that is beside the point. The story is crafted using both Norse and Germanic mythology with a large helping of Tolkien’s own imagination thrown in.
The LOTR series has given birth to a number of different spinoffs with the franchise producing everything from movies, to video games, to men’s briefs. Just the movie franchise alone is worth just under $6 BILLION. The cultural impact of the LOTR has been immense with an additional $250 million series currently in production at Amazon Studios. Just like the 7,000-year-old Gandalf, there appears to be no end in sight for the significance of Middle Earth in contemporary culture.
Series Links
Book One: Fellowship of the Ring
Book Two: The Two Towers
Book Three: Return of the King