Reception of J. R. R. Tolkien legendarium which includes "The Hobbit", "The Lord of the Rings", and "The Silmarillion". Tolkien's "The Hobbit", a children's book, was first published in 1937, and it proved popular. However, "The Lord of the Rings", first published in 1954 through 1955, would give rise to the fandom as a cultural phenomenon. Bootleg paperbacks published by Ace Books eventually found their way into colleges in the US in the 1960s. In response, a revised, authorized edition was published by Ballantine Books. The "hippie" following latched onto the book, giving its own spin to the work's interpretation, such as the Dark Lord Sauron
Works inspired by J. R. R. Tolkien "Bugs Bunny meets "The Lord of the Rings". It's a really long fairy tale with some fantasy elements but a lot of comedy." Three radio plays based on "The Lord of the Rings" have been made, broadcast in 1955–1956, 1979 and 1981 respectively. The first and last ones were produced by the BBC. Numerous songs have been inspired by or refer to the fiction of J. R. R. Tolkien. Progressive rock acts like Rush, Mostly Autumn, Glass Hammer, Bo Hansson and indie rock band Gatsbys American Dream have composed several songs based on Tolkien's characters and stories. Camel's "Nimrodel/The Procession/The