Bored of the Rings
First edition
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| Author | Henry N. Beard, Douglas C. Kenney |
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| Illustrator | William S. Donnell (map) |
| Cover artist |
Michael K. Frith (1969 ed.) Douglas Carrel (2001 ed.) |
| Country | United States |
| Genre | Fantasy satire |
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Publication date
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1969 |
| ISBN | |
Bored of the Rings is a parody of J. R. R. Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings. This short novel was written by Henry N. Beard and Douglas C. Kenney, who later founded National Lampoon. It was published in 1969 by Signet for the Harvard Lampoon. In 2013, an audio version was produced by Orion Audiobooks, narrated by Rupert Degas.
The parody generally follows the outline of The Lord of the Rings, including the preface, the prologue, poetry, and songs, while making light of what Tolkien made serious (e.g., "He would have finished him off then and there, but pity stayed his hand. It's a pity I've run out of bullets, he thought, as he went back up the tunnel..."). Names and words in the various languages are parodied with brand names that mimic their sounds (for example, Moxie and Pepsi replace Merry and Pippin). There are many topical references, including once-popular brand names. It has the distinction for a parody of having been continuously in print since it was first published.
Aside from the text itself, the book includes five elements that parody common features of mass-market books:
The Signet first edition cover, a parody of the 1965 Ballantine paperback cover by Barbara Remington, was drawn by Muppets designer Michael K. Frith. Current publications have different artwork by Douglas Carrel, since the paperback cover art for Lord of the Rings prevalent in the 60s, then famous, is now obscure. William S. Donnell drew the "parody map" of Lower Middle Earth.
He is described as a "discredited Rosicrucian," "32nd Degree Mason," and "Honorary Shriner".
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