Ananova:

The 50th anniversary of the publication of JRR Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings is being commemorated with a special stamp issue.

Royal Mail is celebrating the release of the first two parts of the book with a special edition of 10 first class stamps with illustrations from the original editions.

The hand drawn images of Middle Earth were being shown at Birmingham's Sarehole Mill, one of Tolkien's childhood haunts and the inspiration for his writing.

The author's great nephew, Tim Tolkien, has launched the set which features his uncle's own illustrations of Bag End, Fangorn Forest and the Forest of Lothlsrien, as well as a map of Middle Earth drawn by JRR Tolkien's son Christopher.

Mike Dalton, head of external relations at Royal Mail, said: "The Lord of the Rings is one of the most well-known and well-read books and we are proud to celebrate the 50th anniversary with these magical stamps.

"The images used on the stamps offer a rare glimpse of how the author himself imagined the places he created and it's fantastic that we have been able to return to Sarehole Mill to launch the issue."

The first two parts of the book, The Fellowship of the Ring and The Two Towers, were released for publication in 1954, with the third part, The Return of the King, released the following year.

Other images on the stamps include the master ring; Rivendell the home of the Elves; the tower of Orthanc; the Doors of Durin; Barad-D½r and Minas Tirith.