The Fellowship of the Ring

by J.R.R. Tolkien

Here is the original American full dramatization, as broadcast on National Public Radio. In the ancient lands of Middle-earth, a place of elves and dwarves, Orcs and wizards, the darkest evil and the brightest good, a hobbit named Frodo Baggins embarks on a perilous to carry the One Ring, ruler of all the Rings of Power, into the shadowy land of Mordor and destroy it in the fires where it was forged.

Genres: Audiobook, Fantasy, Classics

Audible Audio

Published May 18, 2007

About the author

John Ronald Reuel Tolkien: writer, artist, scholar, linguist. Known to millions around the world as the author of The Lord of the Rings, Tolkien spent most of his life teaching at the University of Oxford where he was a distinguished academic in the fields of Old and Middle English and Old Norse. His creativity, confined to his spare time, found its outlet in fantasy works, stories for children, poetry, illustration and invented languages and alphabets.

Tolkien’s most popular works, The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings are set in Middle-earth, an imagined world with strangely familiar settings inhabited by ancient and extraordinary peoples. Through this secondary world Tolkien writes perceptively of universal human concerns – love and loss, courage and betrayal, humility and pride – giving his books a wide and enduring appeal.

Tolkien was an accomplished amateur artist who painted for pleasure and relaxation. He excelled at landscapes and often drew inspiration from his own stories. He illustrated many scenes from The Silmarillion, The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings, sometimes drawing or painting as he was writing in order to visualize the imagined scene more clearly.

Tolkien was a professor at the Universities of Leeds and Oxford for almost forty years, teaching Old and Middle English, as well as Old Norse and Gothic. His illuminating lectures on works such as the Old English epic poem, Beowulf, illustrate his deep knowledge of ancient languages and at the same time provide new insights into peoples and legends from a remote past.

Tolkien was born in Bloemfontein, South Africa, in 1892 to English parents. He came to England aged three and was brought up in and around Birmingham. He graduated from the University of Oxford in 1915 and saw active service in France during the First World War before being invalided home. After the war he pursued an academic career teaching Old and Middle English. Alongside his professional work, he invented his own languages and began to create what he called a mythology for England; it was this ‘legendarium’ that he would work on throughout his life. But his literary work did not start and end with Middle-earth, he also wrote poetry, children’s stories and fairy tales for adults. He died in 1973 and is buried in Oxford where he spent most of his adult life.

Reviews

[ekrobin · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not to be confused with the BBC radio play. I only recently found this version and I'm glad to have listened to it! I'd put it at 3.5/5.

Here's my silly little brain-dump list of differences/similarities between the NPR (1979) and BBC (1981, revised 2002) radio plays--I see them compared very often.

Abridged/"Cut" Sections:

NPR version does cover two key events in the first half of the Fellowship (Tom Bombadil and the barrow-wights) and has more Crickhollow scenes. The NPR version also concludes not too long after the company departs from Lothlórien, which makes sense considering the shorter runtime. Meanwhile, BBC (2002) closely, and I mean closely, follows the events of PJ's films in both overall content, pacing, and events.

Duration: NPR (3 hrs and 24 mins) | BBC (4 hrs and 35 mins)

Instrumentation/Poetry/Songs:

Both have instrumentation, however, BBC (2002) incorporates music into the radio play to a greater extent (poetry sections are also accompanied by music). The NPR version also noticeably leans less into sound effects and production, and relies more heavily on narration.

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If anyone were to ask which radio play to listen to, I'd recommend listening to samples of both and going from there. My 3.5/5 rating = an enjoyable listen, but not the version I would find myself returning to out of personal preference. Great performances from the cast and overall production.

*hops off my soapbox*

[Alex Shrugged · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is the BBC adaptation of the Lord of the Ring. It maintains most of the dialogue of the book, but it necessarily loses some of the undercurrent and moral lessons.

[Shaun Marksbury · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is was an entertaining read. I really enjoyed it.

[Mark · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very nice radio play.

[Daniela · Rating 5 out of 5]

I didn't realize the books and movies were so close. Same level as Sorcerer's Stone- exact quotes and all. OFC this is a wonderous story! King of kings, Tolkien.

[Eadrinor · Rating 3 out of 5]

I gave this three stars because the narration wasn’t really the quality I expected. Odd pronunciations and annoying hobbits. Anyone who hasn’t read the book already will be totally lost.

[Karissa Blum · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a comfort audiobook for me at this point. Love listening when I am driving.