Tolkien's first published work of fiction was The Hobbit; or There and Back Again (1937), the very title of which indicates Tolkien's interest in the cycle of life as a thematic issue. Although written more as a children's tale and pre-dating the publication of The Fellowship of the Ring by almost two decades, The Hobbit introduces Bilbo Baggins (Frodo's uncle), Gloin the Dwarf (Gimli's father), and the wizard Gandalf.
More importantly, The Hobbit details the recovery of the One Ring by Bilbo from Gollum, who had kept it hidden under a mountain for many, many years.
Technically, Fellowship is not a novel in itself, but rather the first volume of The Lord of the Rings, a novel in six books and often published in three parts, or volumes. The second volume, The Two Towers.....
