I want to read the Lord of The Rings,  the epic high fantasy novel by Tolkien
I highly recommend it. You should also watch the movies
I believe it began as a sequel, which what book should I start reading? 
Start with first of the trilogy. I dont remember the exact name but it will give you a good background. 
It must be good since it is one of the best-selling novel ever written.
Yes I agree, do you know when it was written or published?
I think it was written in stages between 1937 and 1949.
Oh that was a long time ago! I thought it might have been more recent.
It seems that Tolkien initially intended it to be one of a two volume set, but the publisher didn't agree.
I see, there must have been some reason behind that disagreement. What do you think?