In celebration of The Hobbit's fifteenth anniversary, the authoritative edition of its stirring sequel, The Lord of the Rings, is elegantly presented in handsome, uniform editions. In the First Part of The Lord of the Rings, 111-year-old Bilbo Baggins (hero of The Hobbit) passed along his magical ring to his orphaned nephew, Frodo — unwittingly setting its original owner, the horrible Gollum, on his trail. Lest the ring fall into evil hands, Frodo sought to destroy it at the Mountain of Fire in the enemy land of Mordor. In the Second Part, which recounts his perilous journey, Frodo succeeded in taming Gollum and enlisting his aid; the creature's treacherous nature, however, soon reasserted itself. As the Third Part opens, Frodo has been captured by orcs, and the task of destroying the ring — and saving the world of Middle-earth — falls to his plucky servant, Samwise.
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