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
The Lord of the Rings been adapted for radio four times. In 1955 and 1956, the BBC broadcast "The Lord of the Rings", a 13-part radio adaptation of the story. In the 1960s radio station WBAI produced a short radio adaptation. A 1979 dramatization of "The Lord of the Rings" was broadcast in the United States and subsequently issued on tape and CD. In 1981, the BBC broadcast "The Lord of the Rings", a new dramatization in 26 half-hour instalments. This dramatization of "The Lord of the Rings" has subsequently been made available on both tape and CD both by the BBC and other publishers.