The Lord of the Rings the other Rings of Power as the ultimate weapon in his campaign to conquer and rule all of Middle-earth. From quiet beginnings in the Shire, a hobbit land not unlike the English countryside, the story ranges across Middle-earth, following the course of the War of the Ring through the eyes of its characters, not only the hobbits Frodo Baggins, Samwise "Sam" Gamgee, Meriadoc "Merry" Brandybuck and Peregrin "Pippin" Took, but also the hobbits' chief allies and travelling companions: the Men, Aragorn, a Ranger of the North, and Boromir, a Captain of Gondor; Gimli, a Dwarf warrior; Legolas Greenleaf, an Elven
Samwise Gamgee centuries ago being the same as yours." He sent Gamgee a signed copy of all three volumes of the book. However, the incident sparked a nagging worry in Tolkien's mind, as he recorded in his journal: "For some time I lived in fear of receiving a letter signed 'S. Gollum'. That would have been more difficult to deal with." After publication of "The Lord of the Rings", Tolkien traced the origin of the name back to Gamgee and, eventually, the earlier English surname 'de Gamaches'. In Ralph Bakshi's 1978 animated version of "The Lord of the Rings", Sam was voiced