約翰·羅納德·魯埃爾·托爾金（1892—1973）是牛津大學教授，古英語專傢，寫瞭不少小說，其中最著名的是《霍比特人》（又譯作《小矮人曆險記》〈1937〉）與《魔戒》（1954—1955）。

托爾金是日耳曼人後裔，他的父係祖先十八世紀從薩剋森移居英國，父親是銀行職員，母親傢族則是當地人。童年托爾金的傢境窘迫，四歲時父親客死他鄉，十二歲時，母親死於糖尿病，這在當時是不治之癥。他與弟弟成瞭孤兒，由法蘭西斯神父撫養。

For over fifty years, J.R.R. Tolkien's peerless fantasy has accumulated worldwide acclaim as the greatest adventure tale ever written.No other writer has created a world as distinct as Middle-earth, complete with its own geography, history, languages, and legends. And no one has created characters as endearing as Tolkien's large-hearted, hairy-footed hobbits. Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings continues to seize the imaginations of readers of all ages, and this new three-volume paperback edition is designed to appeal to the youngest of them. In ancient times the Rings of Power were crafted by the Elvensmiths, and Sauron, the Dark Lord, forged the One Ring, filling it with his own power so that he could rule all others. But the One Ring was taken from him, and though he sought it throughout Middle-earth, still it remained lost to him . . .