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Book · by J.R.R. Tolkien · first published 2001

How many pages is The Lord of the Rings?

The Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien has a median of 1,168 pages across 36 English-language print editions with a recorded page count; the middle half of editions run 1,137 to 1,200 pages.

Median pages
1,168
36 editions counted
Range
529–1,248
shortest to longest edition
Reading time
21h
at 260 wpm (fiction average)
Words (est.)
321k
at 275 words per page

How long will The Lord of the Rings take you?

Starts at the fiction average of 260 words per minute and 275 words per page. Move the slider to your own speed.

Reading time
20 h 35 min
At 30 min a day
42 days
At 1 hour a day
21 days

Page count of every edition, by year

Each dot is one English-language print edition. Shaded: middle half of editions. Line: median.

5007501,0001,2501980200020201968: 1,077 pages1969: 1,193 pages1970: 544 pages1978: 1,077 pages1979: 1,080 pages1981: 1,077 pages1988: 1,200 pages1989: 1,086 pages1990: 1,244 pages1991: 1,200 pages1992: 1,193 pages1992: 1,193 pages1993: 1,077 pages1993: 1,200 pages1993: 529 pages1994: 1,184 pages1994: 1,168 pages1994: 1,137 pages1999: 1,137 pages2001: 1,147 pages2001: 1,168 pages2002: 1,137 pages2002: 1,216 pages2002: 1,137 pages2002: 1,170 pages2003: 1,137 pages2003: 1,168 pages2003: 1,137 pages2003: 1,216 pages2004: 1,157 pages2004: 1,184 pages2005: 1,178 pages2012: 1,216 pages2021: 1,248 pages2022: 1,248 pages2022: 1,216 pagesmedian 1,168
5007501,0001,2501980200020201968: 1,077 pages1969: 1,193 pages1970: 544 pages1978: 1,077 pages1979: 1,080 pages1981: 1,077 pages1988: 1,200 pages1989: 1,086 pages1990: 1,244 pages1991: 1,200 pages1992: 1,193 pages1992: 1,193 pages1993: 1,077 pages1993: 1,200 pages1993: 529 pages1994: 1,184 pages1994: 1,168 pages1994: 1,137 pages1999: 1,137 pages2001: 1,147 pages2001: 1,168 pages2002: 1,137 pages2002: 1,216 pages2002: 1,137 pages2002: 1,170 pages2003: 1,137 pages2003: 1,168 pages2003: 1,137 pages2003: 1,216 pages2004: 1,157 pages2004: 1,184 pages2005: 1,178 pages2012: 1,216 pages2021: 1,248 pages2022: 1,248 pages2022: 1,216 pagesmedian 1,168
Open Library edition records (2026-09-30 dump).

Pages by format

Hardcover, paperback and mass-market editions are typeset differently, so the same text can run to more or fewer pages.

FormatMedian pagesEditionsReading time
Hardcover1,157720 h 24 min
Paperback1,168620 h 35 min

Editions counted

The 36 editions behind the figures above, newest first. 4 more editions were set aside because the page count was less than half or more than 2.2 times the median, which usually means an abridged text, an omnibus, or a typing error. Open Library lists 253 editions of this work in all languages and formats.

YearPublisherFormatPagesOpen Library
2022HarperCollins Publishers–1,248OL38062258M
2022HarperCollins Publishers–1,216OL38060560M
2021HarperCollinsHardcover1,248OL33915836M
2012Houghton Mifflin–1,216OL26885115M
2005Houghton MifflinPaperback1,178OL3404981M
2004Houghton Mifflin CompanyHardcover1,157OL3321902M
2004HarperCollins Publishers Limited–1,184OL28428935M
2003HarperCollins–1,137OL22816363M

More by J.R.R. Tolkien

All 11 books by J.R.R. Tolkien with page counts

Questions

How many pages is The Lord of the Rings?
About 1,168 pages: that is the median of 36 English-language print editions on Open Library. Editions range from 529 to 1,248 pages.
How long does it take to read The Lord of the Rings?
About 20 h 35 min at 260 words per minute, assuming 275 words per page. At 30 minutes a day that is 42 days.
How many words is The Lord of the Rings?
Roughly 321,000 words, estimated from the median page count at 275 words per page. Open Library does not record word counts, so this is an estimate.

Data: Open Library monthly data dumps (works, editions, authors, reading log, ratings) (Open Library / Internet Archive); How many words do we read per minute? A review and meta-analysis of reading rate (Marc Brysbaert, Journal of Memory and Language 109 (2019)).