A 1993 The Fellowship of the Ring edition by Ballantine Books, with a cover illustration by Michael Herring
Ballantine Books is an American book publisher, known as one of the publishers of J.R.R. Tolkien's The Fellowship of the Ring, The Two Towers, The Return of the King, and The Hobbit, from 1965 to 1989.
Founded by Ian and Betty Ballantine in 1952, it became prominent in the 1950s' swell of fantasy and science fiction literature. Ballantine and Houghton Mifflin were authorized by Tolkien to release a robust edition of The Lord of the Rings after Ace Books had published and widely circulated an unauthorized edition, in the United States. The covers of Ballantine's Tolkien books mainly showed illustrations by Michael Herring or Barbara Remington.
Ballantine also began the American J.R.R. Tolkien Calendar series, producing calendars from 1972 to 1994. HarperCollins picked up the series afterward with J.R.R. Tolkien Calendar 1995.
Ballantine Books was acquired by Random House in 1973, and after 1983, some of its Tolkien releases were specifically published by Ballantine's new branch, Del Rey Books.
