Why did you read LOTR

[Hobbette]

Just curious about what prompted people to read The Hobbit and LOTR initially. School? Just interested? Coaxing from a friend?

I read The Hobbit in school (6th grade maybe?). I enjoyed it, but didn't love it. My husband, who is usually not an avid reader, loved all four books. He read them on his own as a child, reread them as an adult, and then reread them again when he heard the movies were being made. Curious, I reread the Hobbit just last summer and enjoyed it for what it is (a children's story). I then made my way through LOTR - making sure to get through Fellowship before seeing the movie. Now I'm hooked. Looking forward to reading LOTR again (and again... and again...).

So what prompted your first time?

[Elvet]

My best friend recommended - no, insisted - that I read it. The Hobbit first and LotR next. After the first few pages, I was hooked, and bought my own copies.

[LuthienTinuviel]

my mom bought me a set hobbit, FotR, TTT,RotK, and i was really insanly bored on a car trip, i hadn't heard of them before, but had just got done reading 'lord of the flies' which i hated, i thought this one would be the same, but no, i read the hobbit and was hooked. now im hell bent on owning the whole enchilada

[Khamûl]

I read The Hobbit and loved it. I saw the little thing in the back about "if you want to read more about hobbits, get the Lord of the Rings." So I liked The Hobbit so much that I went out and bought the whole trilogy at once and read it over a summer.

[Eruviel Greenleaf]

My younger brother had read The Hobbit and about half way through The Two Towers a few years ago, but I had never really been interested in LotR then, but around November I heard about the movie and everything, and I decided it would be best to read the books first, so I read them. . .I was near the end to TTT when I saw the movie on opening day.
When I first started FotR I thought it was rather slow, but I really got into it around the part with Tom Bombadil and from there I couldn't put it down; I brought it to school with me and read during Spanish class! From that point I was completely hooked.

Anyway, that's my story. . .

[Lizra]

how's your spanish?

[Starr Polish]

My spanish is decent-ish, and I read it in Spanish, English, Geometry, Chemistry, Studyhall and Lunch.

I read it yes, because I saw the movie. Shame shame. I had read The Hobbit in 7th grade, and was unable to finish it, because I thought it was boring. I didn't realize it was a children's story. I swore to never read Tolkien again.
I went and saw the movie with my father, because he had read the first one (he's not a patient man, and gave up after the first half of TTT) and I was bored. Holding back tears as the credits rolled, I decided I'd break my 'vow' and go get FOTR immediately. Of course, it was checked out.

When I finally got it, I finished it in four days. Pretty good, I'd say, since I was in school, attending two hour jazz choir practices and preparing for track.

I was immediately sucked into Middle-Earth, and I haven't recovered since.

[olsonm]

Originally posted by Starr Polish
I went and saw the movie with my father, because he had read the first one.........and I was bored. Um, Starr Polish, if you were bored why did you want to read the book?:confused:

[Starr Polish]

Let me rephrase that.
I went to see the movie because I was bored, and my father had read FOTR.

I sure wasn't bored after I saw that movie! Wow...nothing compared to the books though. That left me speechless. My friends even more so, because I had made it somewhat public that I was never going to read them :D

[olsonm]

Ah! That makes sense!:D

[Eruviel Greenleaf]

Originally posted by Lizra
how's your spanish?

Pretty decent, actually. :D

[Arathorn]

I saw an old yellowish copy of FOTR in our basement where all the old books get thrown to the cobwebs. I started reading it to find out what added to my dad's "weirdness".

[FrodoFriend]

It's a book, it was there . . . so I read it.

[Aragorn_iz_cool]

My aunt got me The Hobbit. It sat in my closet unread for 2 weeks. When I finally read it I decided I wanted to get LOTR. I Loved them. (I've since lost that copy of the hobbit :rolleyes:)

[BeardofPants]

I read the Hobbit 11 years ago, when I was 11, because all the so-called "brainy" kids in my class had to for a book report. I don't remember particularly enjoying it that much; I remember calling it monotonous! :o Then 3 years later, my boyfriend made me read LOTR & Hobbit, and I was forced to re-evaluate my opinion of Tolkien! I'm now trying to force myself to read the Silmarillion.

[Claenoic]

Me? Well, I have always enjoyed fantasy novels. I first read The Hobbit when I was in third grade (*Reader's mouths drop* :eek: ) and remembered that I commented it was a good story. At that time I didn't know about the Rings trio. I was introduced to it again when my mom and step dad got married. Brian (my step dad) didn't approve of books that, in his words," Promoted magic," at the time. I was feeling a bit rebellious, so I asked a friend if I could borrow her copy of The Hobbit. This time I DID figure out that there was a sequel, in fact a lot, so I secretly started to save my allowance to buy them. I watched the movie too. But then Nina (my sister) decided to spill. Actually that wasn't too bad. Not only did he let me off the hook, but he got me the other three and we're planning to get the Silmarillion next. Now my whole family is hooked, but none as badly as me! One big happy ending!:D

[afro-elf]

I saw the hobbit an ROTK when they FIRST came out ( yeah i'm old) and I loved it so then i naturally had to read the books

[Grey_Wolf]

I read LOTR in Swedish first when I was 12 and in English when I was 13 and naturally got hooked. Have read it 15 times (about once a year since then, the last time being in 2000). It's my absolute number one favourite book. Have also read The Hobbit and The Silmarillion. Have David Day's A Tolkien Bestiary and just recently aquired A Guide To Tolkien. Have Robert Foster's A Complete Guide To Middle-Earth.

Have seen LOTR: FOTR. Thought it a bit too messed with, although a good movie nevertheless. A LOT BETTER than the first LOUSY attempt at making a movie of the trilogi.

And that's about it.

[sun-star]

I'm another movie convert, I'm afraid. I was given The Hobbit when I was 11 and I couldn't get past the first sentence, plus my brother liked it so that put me off. I don't (or didn't) trust his taste ;) Then I saw the film... now I'm here.

[Andúril]

Saw a pic in the paper of a scene from FotR, read the line where the amount of money being spent on the prouction was stated, suddenly remembered instances in childhood, when a teacher mentioned the word "hobbit" in class once, as well as seeing Two Towers lying on a desk somewhere. Allofasudden I was excited, so I ran to the library, and took out LotR. Yay!

Hobbit I read immediately afterward. A let down, I must say, after experiencing LotR. Afterward, the Silm. Blown away.

I'm planning on reading the Hobbit again, as soon as I can get Plato, Aristotle and CS Lewis's Mere Christianity out of the way...

[Sister Golden Hair]

When I was 16, many many years ago:( , my brother had a friend who was into Tolkien and loaned him the Hobbit. My brother went and bought the set of the Hobbit and LotRs. When he finished it, I read it, and have been addicted ever since. My brother was addicted too, but after many years, he got away from Tolkien and turned his interests toward other things. Now he hardly remembers any thing about Tolkien. The turncoat. So to answer the original question, I read LotRs because my brother asked me to.

[Radagast The Brown]

I read LOTR because my sister and my two cosins always talked on this subject. Always. So i read The Hobbit and LOTR and when I finished they started to talk on another book... :( That's sad...

[Tar-Elendil]

i read the Hobbit when i was about 10 and i loved it. As soon as i got my hands on FoTR i couldnt put it down

[Sicirus]

I read the Hobbit ferst when my dad showed me his LOtr collection that he read when he was a tweener so I decided to read them.

[azalea]

I posted my Hobbit beginnings in the Hobbit forum, so here is my LotR beginning: when I was around 8, my dad was reading the trilogy, and my brother and I made him read it aloud to us, but he didn't read us the whole thing. When I was a little older, I read it myself and it sealed my love for Middle Earth that had begun when I read The Hobbit.

[cassiopeia]

I was browsing in the library and saw a copy of the Hobbit, so I borrowed it. I remember when I was about 12, a friend tried to get me to read it but I didn't. At the end of the Hobbit it said if you enjoyed the Hobbit, read LOTR, so I did.

[Elf Girl]

I read it because when my mom made references to LotR, I wanted to say, "Oh, I've read that!" Now, of course, I am obsessed.

[Khadrane]

My neighbors borrowed my family's copy and really liked ot, so I got interested and read it. I liked it so much I read LotR.

[Carafin]

my brother was in a library program (4or 5 years ago) about the hobbit and mom thought it would be "a family experience" if we all read it out loud so we did and ...I liked it!:) I asked my mom if there wre any more books and she gave me LotR and... I could not get through it :( but a year later I picked it up and loved it:D

now that you are all bored I will leave:D

[Eldanuumea]

When I was in high school, my best friend begged me to read Tolkien, but I just wouldn't, for no good reason other than stubbornness. (She was also into James Fenimoore Cooper, and that wasn't an encouraging sign!)
Then, PJ worked his magic and got NEwline Cinema to bankroll the films, and I suddenly had a reason to read LOTR. I was one of those who left the theatre after FOTR and promptly read my way through the trilogy within a few days.....had to find out what happened to that darn Ring!! Since then, I've sort of been continually rereading the books, interspersed with The Silmarillion and HoME. Now I'm hooked!! And have found a whole new world of internet message boards!!!:p

[Sister Golden Hair]

Elda, you're just one of those late bloomers.:D

[Tanoliel]

For me, it started with the BBC radio adaption...anyone else (besides EG) know what I'm talking about? Anyway, my dad taped them off the radio and I listened to them when I was really little. Well...you know what they say...the younger you get 'em, the better you've got 'em! :D I forgot about them for a while, though, and then when I started to re-listen, and I heard there were movies being made, I decided to actually read through the whole books before seeing the movie, etc. So I found my dad's copy of FotR (60's, I think...cover's falling off) and read it in about four days. Now I'm here, and an addict to Tolkien (currently wading through the Sil). Case closed. :)
-tano
(yikeses...that was rather long!)

[Starr Polish]

I know of the BBC adaptation you speak of.

[Tanoliel]

YAY! FINALLY! Someone else...*sighs in happiness* At risk of getting off topic...did'ja like it at all? And do you know if anyone else knows of the BBC tapes of which I speak? Is there a thread already? (stop babbling, tano!)
-tano

[Starr Polish]

Yeah, I liked 'em. I think there is a thread (started by moi, actually) about 'em somewhere. Haven't heard them all though. :( I wanted to take them to Spain with me, but if I found them, it'd be too bulky to bring.

[Garina]

I read the Hobbit when I was about 10, and thougt it was ok. I had been meaning to read Lotr for a long time, and then I saw the first book in my school library when I was hunting for a book to read in English. I narrowly escaped 2 detentions for reading during lessons, and I didn't put it down until I had finished. Then I went and got the other books.
When I was in the cinema I saw a trailer for the movie and immediately started reading them again!

[Eldanuumea]

News Flash: My husband asked for a copy of Fellowship of the Ring to start reading last night! He said, "If I don't like it, I can always quit." Now I know I believe in miracles.:p

[Starr Polish]

Good luck with the hubby!

P.S. off topic, but I found the ENTIRE BBC production at the library today...hooah!

[Tanoliel]

YAY! Good for you, Starr. Love those tapes...
About them being bulky...I thought it would be awesome to somehow transfer the sound to my computer and then make it into a CD...not sure how, but if I ever figure it out, want me to send you one? :D
Send me a PM when you've listened to a bit...I'd love to talk about them with someone.
heh...off topic...*wince* sorry!
-tano

[Starr Polish]

It's too long to put on one CD though..::wince::

I'm surprised it took me so long to find LOTR...nice, thick books...yeshhh....

[Valacirca]

I have always read everything that I can get my hands on, and LOTR was one of those books I read as a kid. But I totally fell in love with it and have read it about once in a year after that. So I have read it... countless times. :)

[Nienna Grey]

I read The Hobbit when I was at school because there was a girl in my class who'd read it and she said it was good. I read LOTR later because I heard it followed on from it.

[HobbitChick88]

My dad suggested I read LOTR because he knew that is was the type of book I liked to read so, if anyone asks, I blame my dad for my obbsession over it. ;)

[Varda Oiolosseo]

That is how Erendil got started, and she is how I got started. Then the film came out so that helped a lot

[Ërendil]

I think that i have already said this but
I started because my dad said that the movie was coming out and becasue i liked this sort of stuff i had better erad it. He was right about the Tripods Trilogy (that is a great book) so i read LOTR. If it wasn't for him, i wouldn't be here in entmoot now.

[XRogue]

When I was 12 a friend of mine suggested I read LOTR. I'd read the Hobbit, but wasn't aware of the trilogy. I checked them out of the library, one at a time (they had a policy you could only get out one at a time because of a rash of thefts of the trilogy) and INHALED them. When I got done with ROTK and got a chance to get to a bookstore I bought my own copies. I read the Sil. 2-3 years later.

I have long since lost contact with the person who recommended the books, but he has my boundless gratitude. I don't think I would have survived my teen years without Tolkien.

[Eärinelwen]

When I was in Jr High we read the Hobbit, my brother told me about LotR, and it just escalated from there. They are the only set of books i've re-read many times over.

[Heather Wooltoes]

I was 8 when the Bakshi movie came out. I tried to read my mothers LOTR set but....nu uh, i was a good reader but not that good. I read the hobbit though and looved it. I made a stab at it again at 10 and had no problem with the first book but the TT and ROTK was too confusing. I stuck to the chapters involving Sam and Frodo. At 12 I managed to get through the trilogy AND comprehend it. I've reread it about once a year since.

[Draken]

Originally posted by Ërendil
I think that i have already said this but
I started because my dad said that the movie was coming out and becasue i liked this sort of stuff i had better erad it. He was right about the Tripods Trilogy (that is a great book) so i read LOTR. If it wasn't for him, i wouldn't be here in entmoot now.


Wow the Tripods - that takes me back! Me, I can't even remember why I read the Hobbit, I was very young - I sort of remember there was a BBC radio version of it that they let us listen to at school? Maybe I dreamt that. After The Hobbit, the rest sort of followed naturally.

btw Ërendil, you're at least close to Lothlorien - it's called Derbyhire! (ok, I'm biased!)

[Getchan]

I saw the animated LOTR and that kindled some interest. But right before the FOTR came out, my girlfriend bought me the Hobbit and LOTR for christmas. Much to her dismay, I became obssessed (and it's all her fault!). I'm now reading the Silm. and it's awesome too!

[Erawyn]

My dad read me the hobbit and lotr when i was in grade one or two, and i loved them then, i reread them again this year after the movie came out and i love them more now~!!

[Elbereth]

my best friend has long been a fan of LotR, and my sister and I had had the Hobbit read aloud to us. I had started FotR in fifth grade, found it boring, but when the movie came out I read the series again.

[ArwenEvenstar]

1. Has any one heard of Bored of the Rings? Well being bored I read that. I saw on the cover that it said a parody of Professeur Tolkiens Lord of the rings, I wanted to find out what really happened... 2.My friends sister had a copy of all three books in the same book it was big and i was trying to read big books:)(Gimme a break i was only 9 or 10 and was trying to show off to all the other kids in my class:D) I read a little there before I found out I couldn't borrow it because it was falling apart:(:mad: by the end of chapter 2 I was hooked.

So there's MY two reasons. (BTW I've read a tonne more since then including the Sil:))

[cassiopeia]

I have read Bored of the Rings. It was kind of funny. A funnier parody is at the Tolkien Sarcasm site. Prabably not for young Entmooters. ;)

[Bregalad]

My brother is 5 years older than me, and I had to do everything he did. So when he read it, I just had to as well. I'm so glad I did!

[Sister Golden Hair]

You know what? SILLY ME! This should have been moved a long time ago.

Moving to Lord of the Rings book forum.

[Palanturiel]

read hobbit in fifth and started fellowship, but didnt have the attention span. my friends in 7th got me hooked again. then the movies came out and i read them all again. just finished reading lotr and silm. now almost finished with unfinished tales, a great followup to silm. fills in all the holes.

[webwizard333]

In second grade my Dad started to read The Hobbit to me, but stopped about 3/4 of the way through. So I finished reading it in one day during 3rd grade. Then I tried LotR, and it was over my head. Then in the beginning of 8th grade I noticed that the school bookshelves had all three. Four days later I had finished what I thought were some of the best books I've ever read.

[Llark silverwolf]

Heard from friend were cool books then saw add for movie and looked so cool so thought id read it. really really awesome lol;)

[Celandine]

my sister really liked lotr, then i saw the movie and decided i wanted to read the books, i'm only aabout half way through the fellowship of the ring, but i really like it. the movie is also really good.:)


P.S. Arwen Evenstar, i have heard of bored of the rings, my sister read them she said they were really funny.

[Play Girl]

I read it so I would look more grown up.
Crap reason I know but now I recomend it to everyone.
luv
Play Girl
xxx

ps I didn't succeed

[Renille]

LOL, Play Girl. :p

I read it because it came to me in a package with my name on it from my godmother at Christmas. Granted, they gathered dust for several years, but I did read them all in the Summer before grade 8.

[Nilvasaien]

I read "The Hobbit" when I was nine, and really enjoyed it. My cousin gave me "Fellowship" and I started reading it, but I was so upset when Gandalf was lost in Moria I refused to finish to book.:(

However, around age 11, I decided to give the story another chance, this time hanging on to the end (happily forgiving Professor T. during Gandalf's reappearance in "Two Towers");)

I would reread "Lord of the Rings" every 2-3 years, but have read through 3 times in the past year (including "The Hobbit").

I also recently completed "The Silmarillion" (yea!), which I started but abandoned many years ago.

[Telperion]

I was lucky (or at least i think so) I discovered LOTR very young. My mom read The Hobbit to me in Kindergarten and grade one and so, in grade 2, I read it myslef. After reading The Hobbit, I was hooked. I read The Fellowship of the Rings in the beginning of grade three. i had to get a note from my mother saying that sahe knew i was taking LOTR out of the library. After reading FOTR, i couldn't stop. i think I've read the whole trilogy 16 times so far. i try to read about twice a year.

[Celebrian]

I also read them because the Hobbit had been read to me when I was little. I think I read them at the end of grade three, and although I didn't understand all of it, I understood most of it.. They moved to the top of my favorite book list then, and they're still there now.

[durin's bane]

I think mine was merely lucky chance. I saw the trailer for LOTR is theaters, and I remember seeing a copy of a book my uncle had under the same name, so I was like, "Oh man, I wanna read that book!"
Then I kind of forgot about it for a while, then for Christmas, my auntie gave me The Fellowship of the Ring and The Two Towers, and my uncle gave me The Hobbit. So, luck did me some good for once!

:D

[markedel]

I got the first two books around grade 5 or so. For some reason I didn't get ROTK and had to repeatadly remove it from the library. Now almost 10 years later I own the trilogy, the hobbit (which I actually didn't read until high school), the silmarillion and unfinished tales. If I don't spend too much on beer I'll start buying HoME.

And yes-The Lord of the...whatever is good if absolutely nuts. Glory to the revolution, drug trading and the all the rest!

[Maren]

I read the Hobbit when I was twelve and I loved it.

Mydad told me that LotR kind of followed up on that, but I had always thought it was some stupid fantasy with magic *poofs* and stuff. :)

After I saw the Fellowship, I decided to go ahead and read the rest of the books, and now I love them. I'm a little sad I hadn't gone ahead and read the rest of the books when I finished the Hobbit, so I could have had intense anticipation like all the other pre-movie fans.

Maren

[elvendrummer87]

My mom read the Hobbit to me when I was 10, and I LOVED it. I tried getting my friends to read it but they just shrugged it off as another of the books I read that were way over my head. At 12 I read LotR and wasn't suprised that they were God's gift to man! Ever since then I've read them about 7 times and will reread them again after I'm done with the books I'm reading now. :D

[Linarryl]

I was walking in the library and I saw this book that had a picture of a red dragon on it. I liked dragons, so I walked over and picked it up. On the cover it said 'The Hobbit'. After I read the hobbit I saw that there were more books by the same author that had to do with the same thing, so I read the rest of the LOTR books!:)

[crickhollow]

My sister read LotR first, and then she brought home the hobbit, and we took turns reading it to our younger siblings. Soon as the last page was turned, I was hungry for more.

[Goldberry1]

My brother told me that I should read The Hobbit when we first heard about the FOTR movie coming out. I tried too but the first chapter bored me so I stopped. I saw the movie with about 8 other people in my family and loved it! Then I got the LOTR trilogy as a Christmas gift (and now we have three copies in my house) so I had to read it. I absolutley loved the trilogy and I decided to go back and read The Hobbit. I finished that about 3 weeks ago.

[Keith K]

I first read LOTR in 1970. It drew me in so quickly that I lost myself in Middle Earth for a week disdaining my schoolwork. Since then I have reread the trilogy over15 times. When Tolkien passed away I was devastated. How was I going to get the answers to the many questions I had developed over the years. I had been eagerly awaiting the Similrillion and it seemed that the earlier histories would be forever left to imagination. Years later, when Christopher Tolkien published his fathers remaining works it was an answer to a prayer....literally! LOTR has been a lifetime fantasy for me. As my three children grew up I told them bedtime stories from Middle Earth nightly. Now the movie has inspired them to read the books on their own. Another generation of Tolkien fans is born....

[Dunadan]

Me too: I first read LotR 20 years ago and have re-read it probably every 4-5 years. There is always more to discover, while you never lose the power of the story. My boy is just getting into it too - he's just finished the Hobbit (I read it to him when he was younger), but he's scared of Ringwraiths and doesn't want to read LotR yet (probably too young to really appreciate it).

[Firekitten2006]

Saw a poster in my school library last year with a pic of Frodo reading up against a tree, and another one with Arwen reading. Later got a book mark with the same picture, and decided hey what the heck, why not read it before the movie comes out. I read all three in about a month and a half (dad calls me evelyn wood lol) i just recently tried to read silmarillion and got about half way through. Couldnt finish it, just tooooo deep for me. :) I am reading the Hobbit tho, and it is a HUGE let down from lotr. I keep expecting something like the whole worlds future depends on Bilbo getting the treasure from Smaug. lol I am re reading TTT tho, couldnt get FOTR, my friend checked it out b4 me. *poopy on him!* so here i am!

[mithrand1r]

I saw the Hobbit and Return of the King on TV and I liked them enough to be interested in reading the books.

Sincerely,
Anthony
:rolleyes:

[Ms. Undomial]

my sisters recomemded it, and I had to read it if I wanted to see the movie, so I read it!

~*Ms. Undomial*~

[Eowyn of Rohan]

I heard the movie was coming out and I wanted to read the books first. When I found out that the Hobbit was (kind of) the precursor to LOTR, I bought it along with FOTR - just so I could get those two in before I went to see the movie.
Half way through FOTR I WAS HOOKED. I went out and bought a large paperback that included all three LOTR "books" and an atlas of ME to help my visual imagination some more.
I've now stolen my father's copy of the Silmarillion and Unfinished Tales.

Was anyone else upset that their weren't 15 more books to read re: LOTR??

I was so sad that I had to stop reading... because there wasn't any more!! :'(

[olsonm]

Originally posted by Eowyn of Rohan
Was anyone else upset that their weren't 15 more books to read re: LOTR??

I was so sad that I had to stop reading... because there wasn't any more!! :'( I felt that way. Even Tolkien said it was to short. :D

[Firekitten2006]

I felt the same way. I was like "thats IT????" For like a month I just felt like "and then..." *flashbacks to Dude Wheres My Car???* lol

Oh well, I'm getting the movies, so i guess I can just watch them when i feel like I need it.

Wait, the whole trilogy is going to end up being longer than Gone With The Wind!!! That means instead of just one day of watching something I love, it'll be a weekend! Hello excuse for not going to cheerleading competition!

Ok I'm back now! lol

[Varda Oiolosseo]

I saw the film before i read the books! When i saw the film i was like wow this is amazing I've got to read the books! so i did and i've read them all more than once now!!

[WallRocker]

I first started really readin FOTR after the movie cam out(Shame, Shame) Actually, I didn't watch the movie, but figured I had to read the books with all the hype going on. I had tried reading the books about three years ago, and found them BORING. I am so ashmed to think that I thought that. I also read the Hobbit about the same time I first started LOTR. It's a little fasster paced, and I loved it. However, I now think that LOTR are the aboslute best book's ever!

[Miranda]

I read the books when I was nine and adored them but then forgot about them and left them tucked away on a distant shelf until I did a scene from The Hobbit for a drama exam. I had to be clued up on the book so I picked it up and got myself hooked again. I thought I might as well read the others as they were lying about the house and they've been my faves ever since. I was glad when the film came out and the book shops went Tolkien mad because I found out about the histories of Middle Earth etc which I never knew existed. Tolkien has to be the best fantasy writer ever and I don't think anyone will ever compare to him. Mx:)

[Evenstar1400]

Once upon a time, in May 2001, I was in a hotel room with my friend and her mom.

We had nothing to do so we ordered the Fotr on pay per view.

Before seeing it, they gave me some backround info. on the Hobbit and the Ring of Power.

Seemed interesting.

Then I saw the movie.

I was enthralled. I couldn't sleep. The next day, the only thing on my mind was LOTR.

I went home, and on monday, the Hobbit was in my hands. By wednesday, I was reading Fotr, by friday i was reading TT, and by late sunday night, I was sobbing over the ending of the Rotk.

Then my obsession went into full swing.

Internet, a wonderful thing. I printed out pics, read news articles, and welcomed every bit of info. on LOTR to expand my knowledge.

It was then I pre ordered the Fotr DVD from Barnes and Nobel, and told my parents to pick it up on August 6th, and not to forget (I was gonna be at camp)

The night I got back from camp i watched Fotr. And watched it again. and again. and again. and again. and ive seen it over 100 times.

Then I waited for the TT. I dressed up as an elf for halloween, and made a LOTR tee shirt to wear to the opening on Dec. 18. I saw it right after school.

New movie means new pics, and new info. So I searched eagerly for more good websites. But I couldn't find one where i could discuss LOTR with other people from around the world.

Then, by chance, my friend stumbled upon this website. And she told me about it. And Its just the site i was looking for.

[BeardofPants]

Well, I first read the hobbit when I was 11. I remember hating it (it was for school.) Then 3 years later, my boyfriend nagged me to read LOTR, and I've been hooked ever since then.

BTW: I think this has been done before.

[Evenstar1400]

dang. didnt know that. only joined yesterday.

[eowyngirl14]

Well, I read the hobbit when I was 12, and loved it!!!!! I was going to start fotr, but was mad becuase it was about Frodo and not Bilbo. Then I was playing sherades with my neighbors and I drew the name 'Legolas' out of the hat. I had no idea who that was, so they shamed my into starting fotr... then I heard that they were making the movie, so I hurried to finish it, I was a little more than 1/3 way through when the movie came out. I loved it!! Saw it the third day it came out w. my dad!

Then, with the help of Evenstar1400 I read TTT and RotK. They are defietly a lot slower tha nthe Hobbit, and if it were not for Evenstar1400 I probobly never would have finished that book!

I was Eowyn for Halloween!! It was awesome!!! :)
So basically, I have been a Tolkien fan since age 12, and a lotr fan since lasy year!!!

[gimli-son-of-gloin13]

Well I had never even heard of lotr untill the movie came out (my dad read all the books several times) so my dad took me and then I found out my friend (liz) had seen it while she was seeing fam in California. So then I read the books and now here I am!

[Falagar]

My father read the books (The Hobbit+LotR) to me when I was 8 years (and my sister was around 6), I read it by myself again when I was almost 13...then again...I became 14, and read it again...and then I finally got the English version, and have read that once or twice. And my dad had an old version of the Silm (1st edition, from 1977), and I read that too. And then I bought UT and read it. Now that I'm 15, I've started reading the HoME-series.

[Celebréiel]

I read it when I was about 16, on suggestion of my art teacher! It was totally amazing, and re-read it the next year, and yeah. Thats about it!;)
~ Celebréiel

[Sister Golden Hair]

Not only has it been done before, (but I think it was a while ago) but this is in the wrong forum. Moving to Lord of the Rings book forum.

[Lady of Rohan]

I started to read LotR because my french teacher recamended it to me (that was in september). now ive read all the books 4 times and am working on the hobbit for the 5th time.:D and i cant belive how obsessed i am now!:D

[WallRocker]

Originally posted by Evenstar1400
dang. didnt know that. only joined yesterday.

There's a search feature in the upper right hand corner of the Entmoot web pages. This has been done before. Here's the link

http://entmoot.tolkientrail.com/showthread.php?s=&threadid=4766

[eowyngirl14]

Heee heeee heeeee! It's lots of fun being obsessed with lotr!! Fun FUN FUn!!! what is the hoME series?:)

[WallRocker]

The HoME series is(correct me if I'm wrong), 12 book series telling the History of Middle Earth(HoME) They were edited by Christopher Tolkien, like the Sil.

[eowyngirl14]

Cool! That would take me about a year to read! I like fast-paced books... books that are totally based on describing a history, sometimes bore me... like my Europian History book for that matter. Has anyone told my SS teacher that we are living in America???:)

[Sister Golden Hair]

Originally posted by eowyngirl14
Cool! That would take me about a year to read! I like fast-paced books... books that are totally based on describing a history, sometimes bore me... like my Europian History book for that matter. Has anyone told my SS teacher that we are living in America???:) There is nothing easy or fast paced about the HoMe books. They are a series of books containing notes of Tolkien along with essays, and comentaries by Christopher. He also took the opportunity in these books to correct some mistakes that he made in the published Silmarillion. There is a lot to be learned from them and there is some beautiful writing between their covers, but they are very long and difficult. Don't want to scare you. Just being honest.:)

[Dwarven Sen]

My Dad used to read The Hobbit to me as a baby, to make me sleep. I loved the dwarves song as they tidy up, (see name). The Lord Of The Ring was the next natural step, & as I finished my primary school's reading curriculum three years before the end, i had the time.

[Blackboar]

(I don't know if I have posted here before, I probably have but anyway:D )

I read all the books about twice before the movie came out, I loved it then but I didn't get into it as much, I watched the movie about a year later adn I was like "LotR!! Why I havn't read it for this long!!" So then I read the series again, and again, and again, and again. Ok, you get the picture:rolleyes: !

[eowyngirl14]

Originally posted by Sister Golden Hair
There is nothing easy or fast paced about the HoMe books. They are a series of books containing notes of Tolkien along with essays, and comentaries by Christopher. He also took the opportunity in these books to correct some mistakes that he made in the published Silmarillion. There is a lot to be learned from them and there is some beautiful writing between their covers, but they are very long and difficult. Don't want to scare you. Just being honest.:)

Maybe I'll wait untill I am just a little older to read them... they sound really cool though!:)

[Nurvingiel]

Welcome Evenstar1400, I don't think we've crossed paths at the Moot yet. :)

What got me into LOTR is my dad reading it to my brother and I when we were kids. We were about 7 and 9. He read us the whole thing, a little bit each night, with my mom occasionally listening in. After he finished, I read The Hobbit. I also reread the series about 3 other times. And last year I read the Silmarillion, roughly 10 years after my first encounter! ;)

I didn't know this theme had been done before either, but I've only been here since last August. Repeats happen though, a good idea will keep coming back.

[Silje]

I got LotR for christmas a couple of years ago, but I thought it looked scary (it was a picture of Sam, Frodo and Gollum outside the black gate) so I just put it away.
Then one fine day in may I needed a book that I didn't finish at once so I started reading and got hooked at once! In two weeks I finished the whole thing. That summer my mom bought me the hobbit and silmarillion.....

[Falagar]

Maybe I'll wait untill I am just a little older to read them... they sound really cool though!
How old are you? I think it depends more on how good your english is than your age (but you should at least be above 14, IMO).

Silje, just out of curiousity, where (country) are you from?

[Artanis]

Originally posted by Falagar
Silje, just out of curiousity, where (country) are you from? Hehe, I asked her the same question when I first saw her name. :D

[Eothain]

It was recommended by a friend.

[Falagar]

Hehe, I asked her the same question when I first saw her name. :D
And what did she answer? Did she answer?

[Silje]

Originally posted by Falagar

Silje, just out of curiousity, where (country) are you from?
I'm from Norway :)
Just sort of likes how my name stands out in a non norwegian crowd :)

[Falagar]

Yeah, I noticed that :)
(see profile)

[Silje]

See profile yourself :)

[Pimpernel]

I read The Hobbit by myself when I was 8, because I found it in my parent's bookshelf and liked the front page picture. Since then, I dont know how many times Ive read it. After The Hobbit, I became interested in Tolkien's other books. I think I was 10 or 11 when I started LotR. Ive read that a few times since then also.
ummm...now Im reading Unfinished Tales (ish, I mean its cool and very informative.

[Falagar]

Welcome, Pimpernel! (And Silje too, of course)
Enjoy your stay! There's a welcoming thread down in the General messages, if you want to introduce yourself. :)

[RosieCotton]

My dad read the series to me when I was in third grade, but I really had know idea what was going on. I half understood the parts with Frodo and Sam, but I never really had any idea who Aragorn was. Then, when I was in eighth grade, I decided that I would give the Hobbit a try, because I didn't remember anything except a faint recollection of a dragon. I was very into fantasy at the time, and still am. So, I read it, loved it, and then read Lord of the Rings three times and the Silmarillion once.

Rosie

[Elf Girl]

I read LotR because I wanted to be able to say "Oh, I've read that" when people talk about it... I love it for what it is now though!

[entss89]

i read lord of the rings because my best friend samwiselover2008 draged me into it!

[eowyngirl14]

Originally posted by Falagar
How old are you? I think it depends more on how good your english is than your age (but you should at least be above 14, IMO).

Silje, just out of curiousity, where (country) are you from?

I just celebrated my 14 birthday in November!! (I had a rockclimbing b-day party! FUN FUN FUN) I am pretty good at English! I get all A's in English class! But I think I will wait a while before I read the Silmarillion... I don't want to not understand it and be bias against it for life!:) :) That would be bad!


Go Samwiselvr! Hee Hee Heee! I dragged my friend Sara into it!:)

[BeardofPants]

You bloody Norwegians get around, don't you? ;)

[RosieCotton]

I dragged about five of my friends into reading it, but only one stuck with it. :( At least she loves it. :D

Rosie

[Gwaimir Windgem]

When I first read the Silmarillion, I completely did not get it. So I abandoned it for a long time. But then later, I decided to give it another try, and walla! it was great! Very informative, interesting, and on an even larger scale than LotR (when I first tried, I skipped to the back, and I was very angry that LotR was barely mentioned! I mean, it's obviously WAAAY more important than any of this other stuff! :rolleyes: )

[eowyngirl14]

Originally posted by Gwaimir Windgem
When I first read the Silmarillion, I completely did not get it. So I abandoned it for a long time. But then later, I decided to give it another try, and walla! it was great! Very informative, interesting, and on an even larger scale than LotR (when I first tried, I skipped to the back, and I was very angry that LotR was barely mentioned! I mean, it's obviously WAAAY more important than any of this other stuff! :rolleyes: )

That would probobly be my attitide towards it if I started it now! :) :) I'll jus stivk with rereading the Hobbit for now...

[paulbaggins]

:) I had never read the books until I saw the fiirst movie. I am amazed that did as good a job in rendering the story as they did. Anyhow I have read the trilody and am utterly wsmitten with middle earth and its peoples

[Elf.Freak]

i read the hobbit when i was 9, then my sis said LOTR was a good book, so i read that!

[FattyBulger]

My Grandfather insisted I be read it. I don't know why he didn't just give it to me when I was old enough to read it 4 myself. Anyway, he gave it to me as if it was some ritual so I really had no choice.

When Mum read it to me (I'm not saying I can't read it's just LoTR is too advanced 4 yr 1 people e.i. 5 yrs old) I really liked it so I read it myself the next year.:D :D :D :D

[Legolaslvr!]

My BF got me the hobbit 4 my birthday last year she begged me 2 read it than i wus so interested with the plot i just had 2 go on and on!!!:cool: ;) ;)

[Noahamir]

I saw "The Hobbit" on TV when I was about 5 and I remember being fascinated by Smaug.

I was then givin a Illustrated Storybook from the animated movie and it had a cassette tape with it that would narrate the story and had songs from the movie. I would listen to it every night at bedtime and my favorite part was the Goblin song when they captured the Dwarves and Bilbo.

Finally, when I was 10 my father remarried and my step-mom had a copy of the Hobbit and LOTR. I read "The Hobbit" over and over but could never get past the first chapter of LOTR. I finally forced myself to read LOTR and was finally hooked in the Chapter where Gandalf throws the Ring into the Fireplace and discovers that it is the One Ring.

I remember being so scared reading that Chapter and being so relieved when it was only Sam outside the window and was going to go on the Journey with Frodo.

Now I read all four books every couple of years.

[FrodoFriend]

Because I read any book that crosses my path. Of course, I wasn't aware beforehand that this one would have such an impact...

[druss]

did a play in school when i was 8..i was thorin and had to memorise a poem from the hobbit...became hooked..the rest as they say is history.

[Dreran the Green]

When I was about three I saw that little cartoon of the Hobbit, and since I loved it so much (I was three), My Mom decided to read me LotR when I turned six. I don't really think she would have if she had realized it would lead to living with someone so obsessed they've actually gone and made their own Ring of Power...but that's the way it goes.;)

[Hasty Ent]

About 25 years ago I saw the Hobbit and LoTR on my sister's bookshelf. They looked interesting, and she raved about them. Since then I've re-read them (in sequence, starting with the Hobbit) every other year or so. The narrative never grows stale, and I continue to marvel at Tolkien's world of Middle Earth. Yup, I'd move there in a flash!:D

The Sil, on the other hand, I started months ago but just can't get into it. Maybe I'll try again in a few months.:(

[Gwaimir Windgem]

I know the feeling. I floundered terribly the first time I tried to read the Silmarillion. :( Now when I look back, I can't believe some of the things I thought. :eek:

Why does Frodo only get one sentence at the end??? That's obviously waaaaay more important than all this stupid "councils" and all these "F" people.

:o

Note: the End thing does not by any means signify that I read it to end. Rather, when I gave up, I skipped to the back to see what was in the end. :p

[Dreran the Green]

Same goes for me. The first time I read it I thought I was looking at another language. But I picked it up again a little while ago and now I love it.:p

[Arcala]

I read LotR when my brother wanted me to, and I remember thinking that it was not very good. Then I read the Hobbit and the Silmarillion. Then I got hooked.:D

[Aragorn_of_the_west]

My Grandfather sugested me to read the hobbit- i loved it( not suprisingly)' then he got me LOTR- loved that to- and then i got the Sil. To me it was also in the beginig very hard to read- but then i also got used to the language and read it( though i must read it again because i forget names really quickly).;) :D

[Indril Anarion]

I read the Hobbit because a friend told me it was an awesome book and I thought it was good...I read LOTR because I saw that the movie was coming out, and I refused to see the movie without reading the book first, you know to compare and contrast...and I got hooked...now that school's out, I want to read the Silmarillion...:):D

[Ragnarok]

I saw a preview for LotR in the movie theater so I decided to try the book and I found out about there was a prequel the Hobbit.. and purchased them both.

[Telmelion]

I read the Hobbit quite some time ago...when I was 7 or 8, I think. When the hype about the movies came I read the Hobbit again and afterwards LotR.

[Elbereth5]

i went to a new school and my school was really crazy about LOTR and my friend was too, and she kept on talking about how good the movie was 'n stuff so i rented it and i LOVED it ,so that Christmas i got the LOTR books and i read them....then when i got done i ought The Hobbit and i loved it too....im now TRYING to read the Samarillion.

[LutraMage]

Read The Hobbit at school just because it looked interesting, and then was delighted to find the author had written another book called LotR so took it out of the library to see if it was as good as TH. Got blown away - there followed many happy years of reading and re-reading our fav book!:)

[gollum9630]

my dad had told me to read them, but at first i didnt want to. once i saw the preview for FotR, i decided to read them so i would know what the took out of the book, and since then, i have read them 4 times

[-elfearz-]

i remember my parents having some kind of tolkien fascination when i was a kid..they're not intense fans (not compared to everyone who frequents these boards ;) ), but they gave me the hobbit when i was 5, and after i'd read it, they kept making suggestions like i should go to book parades dressed as gandalf..:D, and they kept talking about LotR. or maybe that's just my warped memory of it. Anyway, dad started reading LotR to me when i was 6, but never got further than the end of FotR..or maybe even gandalf's death, so i picked it up and read it myself. never got further than the start of RotK though - it seemed far too depressing. i put it back on the shelf and didn't think of it again ( :eek: ). then when i was 12 we were going to take my cousin to see this puppet play of the hobbit, and i was on holidays and didn't have anything better to do so for some reason i thought, hey, maybe i'll read LotR again, the rest is history - i barred my friends off for 5 whole days as i wandered around with my nose glued to the book..i took it everywhere - my family started calling it my bible..they still do :rolleyes:

[Gamigar]

Well, my brother was reading the hobbit and kept ranting about how good it was, so finally I said "What's so great about it?" So he told me about it. So I was interested and read it, it was so good that, of course, I wanted to know what happened next. And the rest is history.

[Rosie Gamgee]

I saw the movie, and after a while began to like the whole LOTR thing, and my dad got out his old copies of the books and I ate them up in less than a month. I love LOTR!! :D

[Ararax]

i read it for one reason, in the end of the hobbit it says if you wish to know more about hobbits read lord of the rings
AND I DID! :D

[Ruinel]

I had to read the HObbit as required reading in high school lit class. Then I read the LotR. Wow... I was hooked! Then I read The Sil... O.O! And that was it... I was a total fan. :D I've since read other books that Chris Tolkien has put out by his father JRRT.

[Shadowfax]

I read The Hobbit because I got it for Christmas one year, and then I read LotR partly because I wanted more from Tolkien, and partly because my friends and family had been nagging me to read it for a while. Now I'm rereading LotR and it's even better the second time.:D

[Lalaith]

Because I heard of the movie and thought that it sounded interesting. But just to mention it: I did read the books before I saw the movie.

[Jonathan]

In school, we'd set up a play highly influenced by 'the Hobbit'. A couple of years later we were going to chose a book to read. I chose 'The Hobbit' since I wanted to see how much the book ressembled our school play. I was hooked.
Then I read 'The Silmarillion' and afterwards I was simply forced to read LotR, which was supposed to be Tolkien's greatest work.

[Linaewen]

I'm one of those people who read the books to see why their was such a hyped-up movie about it. At first I didn't like it (pre-FotR) and then I loved it (pre-TTT). I guess that's one more reason I should like the movies. ;) (The other reason- Orlando Bloom! ;) :D)

[Lalaith]

Originally posted by Linaewen
I'm one of those people who read the books to see why their was such a hyped-up movie about it. At first I didn't like it (pre-FotR) and then I loved it (pre-TTT). I guess that's one more reason I should like the movies. ;) (The other reason- Orlando Bloom! ;) :D)
Another thing we have in common! (okay, I liked LotR right form the start)

[Artanis]

Originally posted by Jonathan
Then I read 'The Silmarillion' and afterwards I was simply forced to read LotR, which was supposed to be Tolkien's greatest work. So, you're one of the rare people who read the Sil before LotR. Just like Tolkien would have wanted it.

[Jonathan]

Originally posted by Artanis
So, you're one of the rare people who read the Sil before LotR. Just like Tolkien would have wanted it. Yeah, I'm glad I did that too. Tolkien would've been proud of me. I could better understand the poems and songs in LotR, like Aragorns song about Beren and Luthien, since I had already read about Beren and Luthien in the Silmarillion.
Though I didn't like how some things in LotR was given away in Sil. That CÃ*rdan had entrusted Gandalf with Narya, that Strider was Isildur's hei, that the Ring was actually destroyed in the end thanks to Frodo and Sam... Some of the excitement was lost.

[Anglorfin]

When I was really little my dad read The Hobbit for me and my brothers. I thought the story rocked and I remember seeing other books on his shelf that were done by JRRT (the trilogy). My dad said he wouldn't read those to me because they were too long so I forgot about it for a couple of years until I was old enough to reread The Hobbit for myself and then I went straight into LotR.

[Bombadillo]

Originally posted by Anglorfin
When I was really little my dad read The Hobbit for me and my brothers. I thought the story rocked and I remember seeing other books on his shelf that were done by JRRT (the trilogy). My dad said he wouldn't read those to me because they were too long so I forgot about it for a couple of years until I was old enough to reread The Hobbit for myself and then I went straight into LotR. Plus, for me, the movies were just coming out while I was starting Two Towers, so I wanted to finish the books before they ruined everything. (It didn't work at all. As soon as my little brother came home from the theatre he goes "Wow! I can't wait to see the next one where the G guy comes back as a WHITE WIZARD!" the little....)

[ringbearer]

Just happened to see it in a bookstore(paperback) about 1974 or so...cover looked cool, bought all three...got halfway through FOTR, realized I needed to read The Hobbit, found it, read it. Started over on LOTR...hooked ever since.

[Varda Oiolosseo]

I heard the film was coming out and my friend leant me hers to read and i got hooked and bought them all and about another million tolkien books! :D :D they rock!

[katya]

i read lotr because my friend gave me fotr as a gift, and i read it and bought the rest of it too. simple as that.

[kiwi52291]

The Hobbit was recommended to me a couple years ago. I read half of it and didn't like it. When the movie came out my friend went MAD about the books and the movies and I decided to go along with it. So this summer I read the other half of The Hobbit and LOVED it. Then I read FOTR and I think that The Hobbit is just a "pretty good" book because of it. And I'm not ashamed to say I'm still reading TTT, but I've recently been going on LOTR websites so now I'm officially-not hooked-nailed to LOTR. FOTR is the only thing I watch when I'm bored at home (and somebody else isn't hogging the T.V.)

[elixir]

I had to read The Hobbit in school but then I read only about 10 pages, decided it was boring (shame on me! :p ) and didn't read any more. Then, after some years, I came across with the book and decided to read it after all and found it extremely interesting.

But LOTR was recommended to me by my friend, she was reading it and mentioned to me that it was interesting. At first she didn't even tell me that it was connected with The Hobbit but as we have similar taste of books, I wanted to read it anyway. So after she had finished reading, I borrowed the books from her and found LOTR the best book I had ever read. I got Silmarillion also from her. But now I've bought both the books (LOTR and Sil) and am reading them again. :D :D :D

[Ornelírë Mistë]

my brother had taken an interest in the Hobbit when we were young. After seeing the animated movie a bunch of times, I decided to read the Hobbit. When I heard they were making movies of the series, I decided to read LoTR, and then read the Silmarillion out of my own interest in the book and the languages.

[Laurelindórenan]

I'm only 15, but The Lord of the Rings is my dad's favorite book, so when he heard the movies were coming out, he wanted to make sure I read it before I saw the movies.

So I read FotR and I sort of had to push my way through it, but after I saw the movie I understood the story better and I read TTT and RotK almost non-stop until I finished and now it's MY favorite book as well as my dad's.

Also, I have just recently read the Hobbit for the first time so I actually read the LotR before I read the Hobbit. I enjoyed the Hobbit, but I didn't like it nearly as much as the Lord of the Rings.

[LOTRTROTK2002]

I saw them adverised in a book club, so I thought I would buy them. Glad I did. Although I am still reading The Fellowship of the Ring I have to admit that this is my favourite book to date.

[Lollypopgurl]

I was going to San Francisco for winter break the year the first movie came out. I needed something long to read on the plane, and I had remembered seeing a LOTR poster somewhere, so.... :D

I didn't see the movies until the next June.

[Valaróma]

I read the Hobbit in the Juniors with my school. I remember my teacher. She wrote storys all the time and she got alot of her insperation from LotR. She read us the Hobbit and I fell in love with it, well with Bilbo mostly.
A few years later my brothers were reading LotR and I often hid it from them while they were reading it, I don't think that actually knew that it was a sequel kind of thing, I was running from my brother and I dropped it on the floor and it fell open. I reached to pick it up and my eyes fell on the word Bilbo when I found out it was the same Bilbo as in the Hobbit I hid the book in my cupboard and read it at night, it was a little hard going for me then but I kept reading it again and again because I felt I had to understand it!

That's why I started but only the beginning of a long addiction :D

[Elenna Alaniel]

I first saw the cartoon when I was about 5 and after that everything have come naturly.Hobbit,after few years Lord of the Rings,after few more years Sillmarilion...

[Guillaume le Maréchal]

I thought this would be a good place to post my first "real" reply on the forum.

I first read The Hobbit in the seventh grade upon the recommendation of my best friend. The rest of the trilogy and the Silm soon followed, and I read nothing else for pleasure well into my sophomore year of High School when I discovered CS Lewis, TH White and medieval history, especially RW Southern. For many years I neglected the LotRs, and didn't read the books again until it showed up on one of Prof. Cantor's bibliographies. I read LotR right after Ivanhoe by Scott in the summer between my junior and senior year of college. By comparing these two romantic novels, I gained a new appreciation for Tolkien. Tolkien's achievement is so much more than just a quaint children's tale, but his work circumscribes the full range of human (and elf) emotion, thought and ambition. In comparison, there is more saga in two pages of Tolkien than there is in the whole of Scott's Ivanhoe, and Tolkien is well beyond Scott in the category of pure writing ability. Ever since that summer, I have religiously read Tolkien's LotR every year.

Regards
--Dave

[Lizra]

Welcome to Entmoot G le M. :)

[RohirrimGuy]

I read them 'cause I heard about them somewhere, and I absolutley loved them.:D

[Anadriewen]

My sis watched the movie, i watched the movie, she told me there were books, she bought the books, she read the books, i read the books, and loved 'em!

[Silmo]

I read the hobbit about 5 years ago, but (i hate to admit it) was not really promted to read LOTR until after I watched the New Line Cinema FOTR. After completing LOTR I proceded to read the Simarillian and am soon gonna read UT and buy the Complete History of Middle Earth.

[Bacchus]

I was assigned The Hobbit in 7th grade. I read LOTR soon after. Since then, I've read LOTR approx 35-40 times in its entirety (and selected passages uncounted times). I've also taken a college class on Tolkien at Rice University in Houston.

[Elvengirl]

I think I've already said this but oh well,

When I was ten my brother gave me The Hobbit, he told me I should red a "real" book (prior to that I had been reading silly children books) :D I was a bit skeptical, but once I read the first few pages I couldn't put it down. I then tackled the LOTR and well of course I loved it. :D

[crickhollow]

My older sister read LotR first, and then she went to the library and got the Hobbit. She and I read it aloud to our younger siblings, and by the time we had finished it, I was finally interested enough to go on and read LotR. I think I was 15 the first time I read it.

[Beor]

My little brother read the Hobbit when he was in 5th grade, and I was always curious about JRR Tolkien. Then when I was in New York, my buddy and I were drinkin' and listening to Led Zepplin and he said that the song we were listening to (Battle of Evermore) was based on LOTR, and he said that there were a few other of their songs that were the same way, so I figured that Robert Plant couldnt be wrong, so I kept it in mind. Then when I heard that there was a movie coming out, I figured that I had better read the book; always better to read the book first; so I did. It was awesome...

[Gamigar]

Originally posted by Hobbette
Just curious about what prompted people to read The Hobbit and LOTR initially. School? Just interested? Coaxing from a friend?

I read The Hobbit in school (6th grade maybe?). I enjoyed it, but didn't love it. My husband, who is usually not an avid reader, loved all four books. He read them on his own as a child, reread them as an adult, and then reread them again when he heard the movies were being made. Curious, I reread the Hobbit just last summer and enjoyed it for what it is (a children's story). I then made my way through LOTR - making sure to get through Fellowship before seeing the movie. Now I'm hooked. Looking forward to reading LOTR again (and again... and again...).

So what prompted your first time?

Because I wanted to.

[Imric]

I came to Lord of the Rings in 1973 having first encountered mention of the trilogy in a book devoted to the history of fantasy, Imaginary Worlds, which the late Lin Carter had written. After delving into Mr Carter's Tolkien: A Look Behind ''The Lord of the Rings'' I adamantly insisted upon recieving a copy as my Christmas present. I have been a fan ever since.

As to why I continue to adore LOTR after thirty long years, I can say only that as a lover of saga and epic and myth from my earliest years, I find the story of Sauron's Ring to be hopelessly enthralling, a reflection upon the too easily forgotten heroism of the small and the tragic failings of the mighty, a sorrowful song which pays tributes to all those values of courage, hope, pity and self-sacrifice which modernity appears so eager to renounce. How could I not be bound to love such a magnificent achievement?

[ryttu3k]

When I was ten, in year five at school, our substitute teacher evidently couldn't be bothered to teach us maths or anything, so she read us The Hobbit, which I loved, and got us to make papier mache masks out of the characters. (I got Balin.)

Later that year, I was looking through some old cupboards and came across a book called, what else? Lord Of The Rings. I recognised the author and sat down to read it. Two months later I FINALLY finished it, and was actually crying by the end... the next time I read it, just after I turned eleven, it only took a day. (Starting about seven in the morning and finishing about nine at night.)

And from then on I was hooked :)

(I'm seventeen now, and I've read the book sixteen times. The Hobbit I've read twelve.)

[Aden]

I read my first Tolkien book 6 years ago. Some friends of mine were obsessed with Tolkien and just out of curiosity I went to a bookstore to buy LOTR. But the only book avaliable was the Silmarillion...so Silmarillion was the first Tolkien-book I ever read:)

[Nurvingiel]

Originally posted by ryttu3k
(I'm seventeen now, and I've read the book sixteen times. The Hobbit I've read twelve.) Wow. I thought I read a lot. *impressed*

I read LotR because my dad read it to my brother and I when we were young, so I read it myself a few times because it was so great.

[Falagar]

My father read the Hobbit and the LotR to me and my sister when I was around 7-8 years.

[ryttu3k]

Originally posted by Nurvingiel
[B]Wow. I thought I read a lot. *impressed*

*laughs* Well, I don't have much of a life...

[Nurvingiel]

What do you mean? Tolkien is life! (Don't worry guys, I'm not that obsessed. Some people are though, and that's okay.)

:D

[ryttu3k]

Originally posted by Nurvingiel
What do you mean? Tolkien is life! (Don't worry guys, I'm not that obsessed. Some people are though, and that's okay.)

:D

Hmmm... I saw ROTK for the fourth time today... and it's only been out ten days. Damn, I'm slipping. But one of my brother's friends has seen it eight times, AND was at the premier in New Zealand!

[Thorin II]

In junior high, I was into TSR and Games Workshop games. I introduced a friend to the games and he kept telling me how much of it was borrowed from Tolkien. Eventually, he convinced me to read the series (starting with the Hobbit) and I was hooked.

[Nellas]

In my first year of college, my literature professor made us read the Tale of Beren & Luthien. I liked it but didnt look for more of Tolkien until my third year. Our college dean gave us an assignment to write about any book we chose. I wanted to impress him so I chose LotR (which I knew he liked a lot) and I was hooked!

Everytime i'm alone in my room with nothing to do, i pick up one of my LotR books and read away...