The Hobbit and the Lord of the Rings (the Hobbit / the Fellowship of the Ring / the Two Towers / the Description:John Ronald Reuel Tolkien was born on January 3, 1892, in Bloemfontein, South Africa. After serving in World War I, he embarked upon a distinguished academic career and was recognized as one of the finest philologists in the world. He was a professor of Anglo-Saxon at Oxford, a fellow of Pembroke College, and a fellow of Merton College until his retirement in 1959. He is, however, beloved throughout the world as the creator of Middle-earth and author of such classic works as The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings. He died on September 2, 1973, at the age of eighty-one. Product details Mass Market Paperback: 1728 pages Publisher: Del Rey (September 25, 2012) Language: English ISBN-10: 0345538374 ISBN-13: 978-0345538376 Product Dimensions: 4.2 x 4.3 x 7 inches Shipping Weight: 2 pounds