1. noun
TLOTR is often erronously called a trilogy, when in fact it is a single novel, consisting of six books plus appendices, sometimes published in three volumes.
The first volume,
TFOTR, was published on 29 July 1954 in England, 'with an edition for the
USA following' on 21 October of the same year.
The second volume,
TTT, was published in England on 11 November 1954 and in the
United States on 21 April 1955.
Volume three,
TROTK, finally appeared in England on 20 October 1955 and in the
United States on 5 January 1956.
With the appearance ot the third volume,
TLOTR was published in its entirety, and its first edition text remained virtually unchanged for a decade. (Tolkein made a few small corrections, but further errors entered
TFOTR in its second impression when the printer, having distributed the type after the first printing, reset the book without informing the author or publisher.)
In 1965, stemming from what then appeared to be copyright problems in the
United States, an
American paperback firm published an unauthorized and non-royalty paying edition of
TLOTR.
2. noun (the cinematic masterpieces of considerable acclaim)
TLOTR was adapted for the screen by
Peter Jackson in the beginning of the 21st century. The New Zealand born director released three separate movies based upon the three volumes of
TLOTR.
1. x: Hey, what are you reading there dude?
y: It's a book.
x: What's it called?
y: The Lord of the Rings.
x: It looks like a long story.
y: It is a very , very long story.
x: Well...
y: Shut up. I'm trying to read.
2. x: Let's smoke some of this
gak and watch the entire Special Edition of The Lord of the Rings!
y: Again?
x: Why not?
y: Do we have enough dope for all 36 hours?
x: I'll call Sue, that
shikse always has dope.
y: Cool. Let's do it.