The Lord of the Rings is a fantasy novel written by English author J. R. R. Tolkien. The story began as a sequel to Tolkien's 1937 children's fantasy novel The Hobbit, but eventually developed into a much larger work. It is the third best-selling novel ever written, with over 150 million copies sold. Set in the fictional world of Middle-earth, the book follows the hobbit Frodo Baggins as he and a Fellowship embark on a quest to destroy the One Ring, and thus ensure the destruction of the Dark Lord Sauron. The book was adapted as a blockbuster film trilogy directed by Peter Jackson. The films are, by subtitle, The Fellowship of the Ring (2001), The Two Towers (2002) and The Return of the King (2003). They were distributed by New Line Cinema.