<P> In 1957 , The Lord of the Rings was awarded the International Fantasy Award . Despite its numerous detractors , the publication of the Ace Books and Ballantine paperbacks helped The Lord of the Rings become immensely popular in the United States in the 1960s . The book has remained so ever since , ranking as one of the most popular works of fiction of the twentieth century , judged by both sales and reader surveys . In the 2003 `` Big Read '' survey conducted in Britain by the BBC , The Lord of the Rings was found to be the `` Nation 's best - loved book '' . In similar 2004 polls both Germany and Australia also found The Lord of the Rings to be their favourite book . In a 1999 poll of Amazon.com customers , The Lord of the Rings was judged to be their favourite `` book of the millennium '' . The Lord of the Rings was awarded the Prometheus Hall of Fame Award in 2009 . </P>
<P> In 1957 , The Lord of the Rings was awarded the International Fantasy Award . Despite its numerous detractors , the publication of the Ace Books and Ballantine paperbacks helped The Lord of the Rings become immensely popular in the United States in the 1960s . The book has remained so ever since , ranking as one of the most popular works of fiction of the twentieth century , judged by both sales and reader surveys . In the 2003 `` Big Read '' survey conducted in Britain by the BBC , The Lord of the Rings was found to be the `` Nation 's best - loved book '' . In similar 2004 polls both Germany and Australia also found The Lord of the Rings to be their favourite book . In a 1999 poll of Amazon.com customers , The Lord of the Rings was judged to be their favourite `` book of the millennium '' . The Lord of the Rings was awarded the Prometheus Hall of Fame Award in 2009 . </P>
when did lord of the rings become popular
when did lord of the rings become popular
the 1960s
the 1960s