Lord of the Rings Sweepstakes Winner Announced

Bonnie Mercier of Lynn, Massachusetts, has won the grand prize in The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King, The Final Journey Sweepstakes, which ended on December 15. Mercier won a prize package of luggage and travel supplies, a J.R.R. Tolkien library, DVDs and video games, and movie memorabilia, in the promotion, which was sponsored by Book Sense, Houghton Mifflin, and New Line Cinema to mark the release of the third and final installment of J.R.R. Tolkien's Lord of the Rings trilogy, The Return of the King, in movie theaters around the country.

A happy and slightly incredulous Mercier told BTW, "I couldn't believe it. It's just such a perfect prize. I don't know how to express how grateful I am to the sponsors for including such great prizes."

To win, Mercier and her friend, Lily Lincoln, answered trivia questions found on the sweepstakes entry page on the BookSense.com Web site. Mercier is giving the Tolkien library to Lincoln, who was thrilled to receive it. Lincoln is home-schooling her children and plans to include Tolkien in the curriculum.

Ten first-prize winners and 25 second-prize winners of J.R.R. Tolkien-related merchandise, including books and DVDs, were also announced.