Houghton Mifflin publishes the first U.S. edition of...

1938 — The Hobbit

1954 — The Fellowship of the Ring

1955 — The Two Towers

1956 — The Return of the King

1965 — First American paperback edition sparks craze on college campuses. "Frodo Lives" and "Gandalf for President" buttons are seen everywhere.

1971 — Led Zeppelin IV album includes songs inspired by Tolkien.

1977 — The Silmarillion sells more than a million hardcover copies in the United States.

1983 — Christopher Tolkien's monumental twelve-part History of Middle-earth series begins with The Book of Lost Tales.

1991 — The Lord of the Rings Centenary Edition, illustrated by Alan Lee, is published.

2000 — The Lord of the Rings tops many international "Book of the Century" fan polls.

2001 — New Line Cinema releases the first film in the Tolkien trilogy: The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring.

2002 — The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers is released.

2003 — The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King is released.

2004 — Houghton Mifflin celebrates the fiftieth anniversary of the publication of The Fellowship of the Ring with a spectacular new edition of The Lord of the Rings.