Sam Gamgee, who lived in Tooting in South London. Mr. Gamgee had written five days earlier explaining that he had heard of "The Lord of the Rings," not in book form but as a serial on the radio.

Sam's purity of heart made him nearly immune to the One Ring's corruption. Hobbits' natural resistance to the Ring made them key to its destruction. Sam's support for Frodo was crucial for the ...