generations of readers with his fanciful stories. That sentence formed the foundation of a modestly successful book called The Hobbit, which in turn became the springboard for a worldwide sensation known as The Lord of the Rings.

The Lord of the Rings was published as three books during the mid-1950s, almost 20 years after the publication of The Hobbit. To date it has sold more than 100 million copies in over 40 languages worldwide. This week, fans will be treated to director Peter Jackson's film adaptation of The Two Towers, the middle book in the trilogy.

Last year's film, The Fellowship of the Ring, from the first book in the series, grossed US$ 860 million worldwide and spawned a slew of merchandise, including toys, games and tie-in books. December 2003 will see the release of the adaptation of the third book, The Return of the King.

Ironically, Tolkien scorned movies and television. Growing up in an idyllic English countryside town called Sarehole, he didn't have much use for industrialization and loved nature (one character in his oeuvre is actually a talking, walking tree). Those attitudes come through clearly in The Lord of the Rings, wherein the War of the Ring heralds the beginning of the Age of Man and the end of magic. The evil orcs and goblins that attack the novel's heroes destroy the beauty of Middle-Earth, the land in which the story is set, and create awful machines of destruction. As more and more wilderness becomes shopping malls and housing developments, it's easy to see how Tolkien's attitudes continue to resonate with readers.

The Lord of the Rings' epic tale of good versus evil also speaks to the primal desire to escape humdrum life and enter a flight of fancy. Tolkien was well-versed in the ancient Norse myths, so he understood that quests—in this case, the journey of a hobbit named Frodo as he tries to destroy a ring of incredible power—provide satisfying tales of personal growth that many people can relate to, even if they've never battled orcs or dragons.

Not only did the book capture the imaginations of readers all over the world, but it also influenced the modern fantasy movement in the publishing world. While Tolkien didn't originally intend for The Lord of the Rings to appear as a trilogy, that format has become common in the genre. Many fantasy writers acknowledge inspiration from The Lord of the Rings, and epic quests as well as elves, dwarves, orcs, and other creatures, litter the genre.

In addition to the current series of films, The Lord of the Rings was also adapted into an animated film by Ralph Bakshi in 1978, although he was only able to cover roughly two-thirds of the book before he lost his funding. Producers Jules Bass and Arthur Rankin Jr. later oversaw a made-for-TV animated production of The Return of the King and essentially finished the story for him, although their tale had a much different look and feel than Bakshi's effort. Both projects are nowhere near as highly regarded as Jackson's films.

Even though The Lord of the Rings brand enjoys a healthy resurgence at the moment thanks to current movie releases, it still faces some magical competition from a young upstart named Harry Potter, whose own second film saw release a month before The Two Towers. While The Lord of the Rings tends to appeal to an older audience than Harry Potter, the two share plenty of fans, in addition to their use of wizards, goblins, trolls and magic, among other common fantasy tropes.

Tolkien's son Christopher has extended his father's brand starting with the 1977 publication of The Silmarillion, a book compiled from J.R.R.'s writings that recounts the history of Middle-Earth from the beginning of time through the events in The Lord of the Rings. Christopher Tolkien has also edited several other books that go into even greater detail about the history of his father's fantasy world, as well as volumes of his letters and other works.

With renewed attention being placed on The Lord of the Rings from Hollywood, other authors have also contributed to the growing canon of books that analyze Tolkien's work, recount his life, and try to figure out his place in history. The naysayers continue to put down the Oxford professor's books as juvenile claptrap, but their voices are generally drowned out by the rising tide of support for the eccentric old man with a compelling story.

But will The Lord of the Rings live forever as a major brand? Probably not. The merchandise onslaught will die down after The Return of the King plays in theaters and has its obligatory DVD release, and The Lord of the Rings will likely retreat to its own little niche again, snug as a hobbit in its hobbit hole.

Brad Cook is a freelance writer based in Sunnyvale, CA. He has published over 120 articles in a variety of print and online media since 1995.