"Precious" Treasures from The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings!

It All Started with a Children's Book

It all began in September of 1937 when English author J. R. R. Tolkien published a children's fantasy novel entitled The Hobbit, or There and Back Again, and our world has never been the same since! Set in Tolkien's fictional Middle-earth, the popular and critically acclaimed work was followed by the significantly larger fantasy book The Lord of the Rings, which became one of the best-selling novels ever written. Although originally intended to be a single volume, it was published in three volumes entitled The Fellowship of the Ring, The Two Towers, and The Return of the King. And as they say, the rest is history.

The Lord of the Rings - Not Just a Book Anymore!

Over the years, the novel has been adapted to many media, including radio, animated and live-action film, television, and stage. Most fans are familiar with Peter Jackson's Academy Award-winning live-action film trilogy comprised of The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring released in 2001, The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers from 2002, and 2003's The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King. Set in Middle-earth, of course, the trilogy tells the epic tale of hobbit-of-the-Shire Frodo Baggins and his quest to destroy the One Ring and its creator, Dark Lord Sauron, in the fires of Mount Doom. It's great fun and exciting entertainment!

There Are More Ways to Enjoy The Hobbit, Too!

Like The Lord of the Rings, The Hobbit made the transition into other media - radio, television, comic books, stage productions, video games, and of course, live action movies, again directed by Peter Jackson. Acting as a prequel to Jackson's The Lord of the Rings trilogy, this film series takes place 60 years earlier and includes The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey (2012), The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug (2013), and The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies (2014). Once again in the universe of Middle-earth, the storyline follows another hobbit, Bilbo Baggins, and another quest, this time initiated by wizard Gandalf the Grey to assist 13 dwarves in their effort to retake Lonely Mountain from Smaug the dragon. The result? Lots more fun and even more adventure for fans everywhere!

If you haven't seen these fantastic The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings movies, you owe it to yourself to do so. And if you have seen them, you might want to treat yourself once more… along with the hundreds of cool kindred collectibles you'll find right here at Entertainment Earth!