The Return of the King is the towering climax to J.R.R. Tolkien's trilogy that tells the saga of the hobbits of Middle-earth and the great War of the Ring. In this concluding volume, Frodo and Sam make a terrible journey to the heart of the Land of the Shadow in a final reckoning with the power of Sauron. In addition to narrating the prose passages, Rob Inglis sings the trilogy's songs and poems a capella, using melodies composed by Inglis and Claudia Howard, the Recorded Books studio director. The 13th CD in this recording contains Tolkien's preface to the trilogy, including a prior history of the ring, and shire habitat, history, and folkways. —Also includes The Annals of the Kings and Rulers, an appendix to the Lord of the Rings trilogy.