This is the front cover art for the book The Lord of the Rings written by J. R. R. Tolkien. The book cover art copyright is believed to belong to the publisher or the cover artist, Pauline Baynes.

Original scan of the cover of the first single volume edition of The Lord of the Rings.

The Lord of the Rings

The entire front cover. Because the image is a book cover, a form of product packaging, the entire image is needed to identify the product, properly convey the meaning and branding intended, and avoid tarnishing or misrepresenting the image.

The copy is of sufficient resolution for commentary and identification but lower resolution than the original book cover. Copies made from it will be of inferior quality, unsuitable as artwork on pirate versions or other uses that would compete with the commercial purpose of the original artwork.

Main infobox. The image is used for identification in the context of critical commentary of the work for which it serves as cover art. It makes a significant contribution to the user's understanding of the article, which could not practically be conveyed by words alone. The image is placed in the infobox at the top of the article discussing the work, to show the primary visual image associated with the work, and to help the user quickly identify the work and know they have found what they are looking for. Use for this purpose does not compete with the purposes of the original work, namely the book cover creator's ability to provide book cover design services and in turn marketing books to the public.

As a book cover, the image is not replaceable by free content; any other image that shows the packaging of the book would also be copyrighted, and any version that is not true to the original would be inadequate for identification or commentary. Using a different image in the infobox would be misleading as to the identity of the work.

First published in 1968 by George Allen and Unwin, London, for worldwide sale, excepting the United States. The copyright is believed to be owned by current publisher, HarperCollins.
Use of the book cover in the article complies with Wikipedia non-free content policy and fair use under United States copyright law as described above.