Note: This post is now obsolete; for a thorough and up-to-date on the American Tolkien bibliography, check out Devon Press’ TolkienBooks.Us!

Welcome to my Comprehensive (To the Best of My Knowledge) List of Out-of-Print and Current US Editions of The Lord of the Rings (and Selected Editions of The Hobbit and The Silmarillion)! The Hobbit and The Silmarillion are only included when they are available in a box set with the novel. I hope this list is useful to you; if you have any questions, corrections, or comments, please feel free to let me know in the comments below and I’ll see what I can do to help. If you’re interested in the British publication history, TolkienBooks.Net has got you covered. Mike’s Tolkien Resources and the Internet Speculative Fiction Database are my main resources for the list and well worth checking out on their own merits.

Houghton Mifflin First Edition

The Fellowship of the Ring, Houghton Mifflin, 1955, Hardcover

The Two Towers, Houghton Mifflin, 1955, Hardcover

The Return of the King, Houghton Mifflin, 1955, Hardcover

Ace Books Pirated Editions

The Fellowship of the Ring, Ace Books, 1965, Paperback

The Two Towers, Ace Books, 1965, Paperback

The Return of the King, Ace Books, 1965, Paperback

Ballantine Books First Edition

The Fellowship of the Ring, Ballantine Books, 1965, Paperback

The Two Towers, Ballantine Books, 1965, Paperback

The Return of the King, Ballantine Books, 1965, Paperback

(Available as box set)

Houghton Mifflin Second Edition

The Fellowship of the Ring, Houghton Mifflin, 1967, Hardcover

The Two Towers, Houghton Mifflin, 1967, Hardcover

The Return of the King, Houghton Mifflin, 1967, Hardcover

(Available as box set, with both black and red slipcovers)

Notes: Cover scans are courtesy Lookout Mountain Bookstore.

Ballantine Special Edition

The Fellowship of the Ring, Ballantine Books, 1970, Trade paperback

The Two Towers, Ballantine Books, 1970, Trade paperback

The Return of the King, Ballantine Books, 1970, Trade paperback

(Available as box set)

Ballantine Second Edition

The Hobbit, Ballantine Books, 1973, Paperback

The Fellowship of the Ring, Ballantine Books, 1973, Paperback

The Two Towers, Ballantine Books, 1973, Paperback

The Return of the King, Ballantine Books, 1973, Paperback

(Available as box set)

Houghton Mifflin 1978 Trade Paperback

The Hobbit, Houghton Mifflin, 1978, Trade Paperback

The Fellowship of the Ring, Houghton Mifflin, 1978, Trade Paperback

The Two Towers, Houghton Mifflin, 1978, Trade Paperback

The Return of the King, Houghton Mifflin, 1978, Trade Paperback

(Available as box set)

Houghton Mifflin Silver Anniversary Edition

The Fellowship of the Ring, 1981, Hardcover

The Two Towers, 1981, Hardcover

The Return of the King, 1981, Hardcover

(Available as box set)

Ballantine Third Edition:

The Hobbit, Ballantine Books, 1981-84, Paperback

The Fellowship of the Ring, Ballantine Books, 1981-84, Paperback

The Two Towers, Ballantine Books, 1981-84, Paperback

The Return of the King, Ballantine Books, 1981-84, Paperback

The Silmarillion, Ballantine Books, 1981-84, Paperback

(Available as box set)

Easton Press Tolkien Classics Collection

The Hobbit, Easton Press, 1984, Hardcover

The Fellowship of the Ring, Easton Press, 1984, Hardcover

The Two Towers, Easton Press, 1984, Hardcover

The Return of the King, Easton Press, 1984, Hardcover

The Silmarillion, Easton Press, 1984, Hardcover

Ballantine Fourth Edition

The Hobbit, Ballantine Books, 1985-88, Paperback

The Fellowship of the Ring, Ballantine Books, 1985-88, Paperback

The Two Towers, Ballantine Books, 1985-88, Paperback

The Return of the King, Ballantine Books, 1985-88, Paperback

(Available as box set)

Houghton Mifflin 1987 Edition

The Fellowship of the Ring, Houghton Mifflin, 1987, Hardcover

The Two Towers, Houghton Mifflin, 1987, Hardcover

The Return of the King, Houghton Mifflin, 1987, Hardcover

(Available as box set)

Houghton Mifflin One Volume Deluxe Hardcover

The Lord of the Rings, Houghton Mifflin, 1987, Hardcover

Notes: Originally published in 1974, this edition was revised in 1987 as a 50th Anniversary edition. There’s also apparently a green collectors’ edition version kicking around, according to one commentator. If you have any information, let me know!

Houghton Mifflin 1988 Edition

The Hobbit, Houghton Mifflin, 1988, Paperback

The Fellowship of the Ring, Houghton Mifflin, 1988, Paperback

The Two Towers, Houghton Mifflin, 1988, Paperback

The Return of the King, Houghton Mifflin, 1988, Paperback

(Available as box set)

Ballantine Fifth Edition

The Hobbit, Ballantine Books, 1988, Paperback

The Fellowship of the Ring, Ballantine Books, 1988, Paperback

The Two Towers, Ballantine Books, 1988, Paperback

The Return of the King, Ballantine Books, 1988, Paperback

(Available as box set)

Ballantine Sixth Edition

The Hobbit, Ballantine Books, 1988, Paperback

The Fellowship of the Ring, Ballantine Books, 1988, Paperback

The Two Towers, Ballantine Books, 1988, Paperback

The Return of the King, Ballantine Books, 1988, Paperback

(Available as box set)

Houghton Mifflin One Volume Centenary Edition

The Lord of the Rings, Houghton Mifflin, 1991, Hardcover

Science Fiction Book Club Special Edition

The Lord of the Rings, Houghton Mifflin, 1998, Hardcover

Ballantine/Del Rey Seventh Edition

The Hobbit, Ballantine/Del Rey, 1999, Paperback

The Fellowship of the Ring, Ballantine/Del Rey, 1999, Paperback

The Two Towers, Ballantine/Del Rey, 1999, Paperback

The Return of the King, Ballantine/Del Rey, 1999, Paperback

(Available as box set)

Notes: An impressive amount of Tolkien’s other works were released in a similar (though not identical) style, making this, I think, an ideal paperback edition for the novels and the other works. My favorite paperback style, hands down.

Houghton Mifflin 1999 One Volume Trade Paperback

The Lord of the Rings, Houghton Mifflin, 1999, Trade Paperback

Houghton Mifflin Millennium Edition Boxed Set

The Ring Sets Out, Houghton Mifflin, 1999, Hardcover

The Ring Goes South, Houghton Mifflin, 1999, Hardcover

The Treason at Isengard, Houghton Mifflin, 1999, Hardcover

The Ring Goes East, Houghton Mifflin, 1999, Hardcover

The War of the Ring, Houghton Mifflin, 1999, Hardcover

The End of the Third Age, Houghton Mifflin, 1999, Hardcover

Notes: Looks great, right? And Tolkien preferred this method of publication. But the quality of this edition is known to be poor, especially considering the price. The British version of this set is still currently published.

Houghton Mifflin Trade Paperback 1999 Edition

The Hobbit, Houghton Mifflin, 1999, Trade Paperback

The Fellowship of the Ring, Houghton Mifflin, 1999, Trade Paperback

The Two Towers, Houghton Mifflin, 1999, Trade Paperback

The Return of the King, Houghton Mifflin, 1999, Trade Paperback

The Silmarillion, Houghton Mifflin, 1999, Trade Paperback

(Available as box set)

Ballantine/Del Rey Eighth Edition

The Hobbit, Ballantine/Del Rey, 2001, Paperback

The Fellowship of the Ring, Ballantine/Del Rey, 2001, Paperback

The Two Towers, Ballantine/Del Rey, 2001, Paperback

The Return of the King, Ballantine/Del Rey, 2001, Paperback

(Available as box set)

Houghton Mifflin 2001 Trade Paperback

The Fellowship of the Ring, Houghton Mifflin, 2001, Trade Paperback

The Two Towers, Houghton Mifflin, 2001, Trade Paperback

The Return of the King, Houghton Mifflin, 2001, Trade Paperback

(Available as box set)

Houghton Mifflin 2001 One Volume Trade Paperback

The Lord of the Rings, Houghton Mifflin, 2001, Trade Paperback

Houghton Mifflin 2001 Edition

The Fellowship of the Ring, Houghton Mifflin, 2001, Hardcover

The Two Towers, Ballantine Books, 2001, Hardcover

The Return of the King, Ballantine Books, 2001, Hardcover

(Available as box set)

Ballantine/Del Rey Ninth Edition

The Hobbit, Ballantine/Del Rey, 2002, Paperback

The Fellowship of the Ring, Ballantine/Del Rey, 2002, Paperback

The Two Towers, Ballantine/Del Rey, 2002, Paperback

The Return of the King, Ballantine/Del Rey, 2002, Paperback

(Available as box set)

Houghton Mifflin 2002 Trade Paperback

The Fellowship of the Ring, Houghton Mifflin, 2002, Trade Paperback

The Two Towers, Houghton Mifflin, 2002, Trade Paperback

The Return of the King, Houghton Mifflin, 2002, Trade Paperback

(Available as box set)

Houghton Mifflin 2002 One Volume Trade Paperback

The Lord of the Rings, Houghton Mifflin, 2002, Trade Paperback

Houghton Mifflin 2002 Alan Lee Centenary Edition

The Fellowship of the Ring, Houghton Mifflin, 2002, Hardcover

The Two Towers, Houghton Mifflin, 2002, Hardcover

The Return of the King, Houghton Mifflin, 2002, Hardcover

(Available as box set)

Ballantine/Del Rey Tenth Edition

The Hobbit, Ballantine/Del Rey, 2003, Paperback

The Fellowship of the Ring, Ballantine/Del Rey, 2003, Paperback

The Two Towers, Ballantine/Del Rey, 2003, Paperback

The Return of the King, Ballantine/Del Rey, 2003, Paperback

(Available as box set)

Houghton Mifflin 2003 One Volume Hardcover

The Lord of the Rings, Houghton Mifflin, 2003, Hardcover

Houghton Mifflin 2003 One Volume Gift Set Hardcover

The Lord of the Rings, Houghton Mifflin, 2003, Hardcover

Houghton Mifflin 2003 One Volume Paperback

The Lord of the Rings, Houghton Mifflin, 2003, Paperback

Houghton Mifflin 2003 Trade Paperback

The Fellowship of the Ring, Houghton Mifflin, 2003, Trade Paperback

The Two Towers, Houghton Mifflin, 2003, Trade Paperback

The Return of the King, Houghton Mifflin, 2003, Trade Paperback

(Available as box set)

Houghton Mifflin Deluxe 2004 50th Anniversary One Volume Hardcover

The Lord of the Rings, Houghton Mifflin, 2004, Hardcover

Science Fiction Book Club 50th Anniversary Edition

The Lord of the Rings, Science Fiction Book Club, 2004?, Hardcover

Notes: This edition is both rare and bare documented. According to eagle-eyed commenter Jeff, “I was a member of the SFBC for 3 years during college, and I received an offer in their mail to order this limited version of the book. I think I paid around $70-$80 for it, and I had ordered 2, but only received one. Must have been very limited.” An e-mail to the Science Fiction Book Club was similarly inconclusive. If you have any more information on this edition, please let me know!

Houghton Mifflin 2005 One Volume Trade Paperback

The Lord of the Rings, Houghton Mifflin, 2005, Trade Paperback

Houghton Mifflin 2005 Trade Paperback

The Fellowship of the Ring, Houghton Mifflin, 2005, Trade Paperback

The Two Towers, Houghton Mifflin, 2005, Trade Paperback

The Return of the King, Houghton Mifflin, 2005, Trade Paperback

(Available as box set)

Ballantine/Del Rey Eleventh Edition

The Fellowship of the Ring, Ballantine/Del Rey, 2007, Paperback

The Two Towers, Ballantine/Del Rey, 2007, Paperback

The Return of the King, Ballantine/Del Rey, 2007, Paperback

(Available as box set)

Del Rey Twelfth Edition

The Hobbit, Del Rey, 2012, Paperback

The Fellowship of the Ring, Del Rey, 2012, Paperback

The Two Towers, Del Rey, 2012, Paperback

The Return of the King, Del Rey, 2012, Paperback

(Available as box set)

Notes: The corresponding UK edition is the same, but lacks the “continuing the story of The Hobbit” text on the cover.

Mariner Books 2012 One Volume Trade Paperback

The Lord of the Rings, Mariner Books, 2012, Trade Paperback

Mariner Books 2012 Trade Paperback

The Hobbit, Mariner Books, 2012, Trade Paperback

The Fellowship of the Ring, Mariner Books, 2012, Trade Paperback

The Two Towers, Mariner Books, 2012, Trade Paperback

The Return of the King, Mariner Books, 2012, Trade Paperback

(Available as box set)

Notice anything missing or incorrectly labeled? Let me know in the comments. If you’re interested in valuing your editions, please feel free to comment below or shoot me an e-mail (my e-mail is listed on my About page); I will respond.