The Lord of the Rings is an epic high fantasy novel written by J. R. R. Tolkien. The story began as a sequel to Tolkien's earlier fantasy book The Hobbit and soon developed into a much larger story. It was written in stages between 1937 and 1949, with much of it being written during World War II. It was originally published in three volumes in 1954 and 1955, and has since been reprinted numerous times and translated into at least 38 different languages, becoming one of the most popular works in twentieth-century literature. The action in The Lord of the Rings is set in what the author conceived to be the lands of the real Earth, inhabited by humanity but placed in a fictional past before our history. Tolkien gave this setting a modern English name, Middle-earth, a rendering of the Old English Middangeard. The story concerns peoples such as Hobbits, Elves, Men, Dwarves, Wizards, and Orcs, and centres on the Ring of Power made by the Dark Lord Sauron. Starting from quiet beginnings in The Shire, the story ranges across Middle-earth and follows the courses of the War of the Ring.

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_______________________________ Today's selected anniversaries:

1877: After battling U.S. armed forces for more than three months, retreating over 1,000 miles across Oregon, Washington, Idaho, and Montana, and enduring a five-day siege, Chief Joseph and his Nez Percé band finally surrendered. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chief_Joseph)

1908: Prince Ferdinand became the first Tsar of Bulgaria since the Ottoman invasion in the 14th century. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ferdinand_I_of_Bulgaria)

1930: The British airship R101 crashed in France en route to India on its maiden voyage, killing 48 passengers and crew. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/R101)

1969: The first episode of Monty Python's Flying Circus was broadcast on BBC1. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Monty_Python%27s_Flying_Circus)

1970: Members of the Front de Libération du Québec kidnapped a British diplomat, sparking the October Crisis in Montréal, Canada. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Front_de_lib%C3%A9ration_du_Qu%C3%A9bec)

_____________________ Wikiquote of the day:

Almost all men, and those that seem to be very miserable, love life, because they cannot bear to lose sight of such a beautiful and lovely world. The ideas, that every moment whilst we live have a beauty that we take not distinct notice of, brings a pleasure that, when we come to the trial, we had rather live in much pain and misery than lose. -- Jonathan Edwards The ideas, that every moment whilst we live have a beauty... that, when we come to the trial, we had rather live in much pain and misery than lose. -- Jonathan Edwards (http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Jonathan_Edwards)