When did you first read Lord of the Rings?

[Galadriel]

I've been meaning to start this thread for a while now. I'm not sure if this one's already done, but if it is, please let me know!
Okay, so basically the question is: when did you first read Lord of the Rings? What prompted you to read it? And what was your reaction (first and last)?

I started reading it when I was 16. It had been lying in my mom's cupboard since 2001 (she had tried to make me read it when I was around eight, after reading it herself), and I thought I might as well get a start on it.
Initially, I wasn't satisfied. I finished the first twenty pages and thought, "No way am I going to be able to finish this!" so I shoved it in my own cupboard. A month later, I remember being completely listless. I felt like a challenge. So I gave LotR another shot thinking, "I think I'll finish 50 pages today". I didn't finish 50. I finished till about 82. By that time, I was completely hooked. "Three is Company" and "The Old Forest" did it for me. Absolutely amazing stuff. I went on to read The Hobbit, The Silmarillion, and The Children of Hurin, and thought they were all fantastic. Actually, The Silmarillion reminds me startlingly of Greek mythology :D

Thoughts? Opinions? Stories? Let me know!

[mark12_30]

Galadriel,

I don't believe we've met; a belated welcome to The Downs.

Yes, this thread has been done before, but I don't mind a fresh start either. Someone will find the link... maybe I'll be inspired once I've answered you.

1) When did you first read Lord of the Rings?
2) What prompted you to read it?
3) And what was your reaction (first and last)?

I think the answers will blend together...

Our teacher read The Hobbit to our fourth grade class, in 1969 or so. I loved it. In Sixth grade (1971...) I read TH for myself, and loved it. Then I tried to tackle
the trilogy; but I stalled in Book One somewhere. It just didn't take off for me-- even though my friend said it was a great book. I read Narnia instead, and Camelot. Always wanted to be a knight in shining armor... In Seventh grade I tried the trilogy again, and once I got to Weathertop I was hooked. So that was... 1972, or winter of 1973. When I say I was hooked, I mean, I wanted to MOVE there.

[Estelyn Telcontar]

Galadriel, the previous thread on this question is probably buried in the depths of the forum, so a new one is fine. However, since it's not an actual book discussion, I'm moving it to the Novices and Newcomers forum. You should get lots of responses there.

While I'm at it, I'll answer your questions:
I first read LotR back in college - enough years ago that the exact time is now mythical. ;) My then boyfriend gave me his to read, then presented me with my own Ballantine's box of the trilogy and Hobbit. The books are still on my shelf (the boyfriend, however, disappeared out of my life long ago), though so battered that I've gotten new ones for daily use. As to my reaction - I only left the books long enough to go to classes and work, spending every available free minute in Middle-earth. I was terribly disappointed when the story ended sooner than I expected - I had counted on more, but that turned out to be the appendix. If I remember rightly, I immediately started reading again.

[Inziladun]

I think I remember the old thread on this, but not whether or not I responded to it.

At any rate, my father was reading The Hobbit to me when I was five or six years old. I had gone to see the Bakshi LOTR film at the theatre, and I first read LOTR when I was nine, or thereabouts. I didn't understand all of it then, but I was interested enough to re-read it a year or two later, and then I was hooked.
I liked the idea of all that going on in our own world in some distant time, and I absolutely loved the archaic language used. The sound of the words is still probably what I love best about the works.

[Mister Underhill]

Here's an old iteration of the question (http://forum.barrowdowns.com/showthread.php?p=19604) for the curious. Some of you old timers -- ahem -- I mean veteran wights will see the names and "first time" accounts of familiar old ghosts: Taimar, Birdland, burrahobbit, Maril[...], lindil, Inziladun as a young wight with only 123 posts, and others. I took special delight in reading Sharkû's less-polished English in the second post in the thread. What are you up to these days, I wonder, my old German brother?

Anyway, I noticed that I didn't answer the question in that thread. I'm sure I answered it at some point somewhere around here, but since it's been years...

The exact details of my first time are, for me, like so many others, hazy. I would have been around 12 or 13. I'm sure I was in a bit of a swoon, being ravished by the professor's vision. Among the things I do recall with some detail are being absolutely floored by Gandalf's seeming death, and the moment in Cirith Ungol when Sam realizes that Frodo isn't really dead! :) I was up late that night reading on, I can assure you. One thing I remember with some clarity is that soon after finishing LotR, I almost immediately picked up The Hobbit and started right over again.

Just thinking about it is bringing back some good old memories. I used to have this treehouse two stories off the ground where I'd go to read in quiet and solitude. I can't think of a more appropriate place to read the LotR than reclining comfortably in a tree. I can remember the slight sway of the branches in the breeze and the creaking of the wood as the structure flexed and relaxed, flexed and relaxed. It was almost like being aboard ship. What I wouldn't give to have a lazy afternoon in that treehouse. God. I have a vivid memory of reading the Star Wars novelization in that tree before I had ever built the actual treehouse. There was just a plank to sit on that I'd nailed into the saddle between two branches.

I'm trying to remember how the progression went. I was a voracious reader of sci-fi, due mainly to the aforementioned Star Wars, but that would also have been around the same time that I got into D&D. I'm pretty sure I was already branching into fantasy when my uncle noticed and gave me "the real stuff". I still have the paperbacks he gave me, though I don't read them anymore or else they'd crumble in my hands.

Thanks for the trip down memory lane.

[Inziladun]

Ah, so I did post in the old thread!
I think I was younger than 13 when I read them. Had to be, because my dad reminded me not long ago about my ripping the dust jacket on his FOTR when I took it for show-and-tell in third grade. :D

[Nogrod]

At any rate, my father was reading The Hobbit to me when I was five or six years old. I had gone to see the Bakshi LOTR film at the theatre, and I first read LOTR when I was nine, or thereabouts.Heh. That's more or less exactly my story. Although I got first familiar with the LotR when my dad started reading it to me and my little sister when I was like nine or ten. We never finished it as it was too scary for my little sis. and then I went on reading it by myself to find out what happened...

[Mister Underhill]

Inzila -- cross-posted! One thing I thought was funny reading that old thread was the contrast between your sigs then and now.

Ripping the dust-jacket -- ouch. I'm champing at the bit to read LotR to/with my son (he's only 3), but fortunately I don't have any editions with dust-jackets for him to rip. Then again, there is that fold-out map at the back of my red leather slipcase edition...

[Nogrod]

Heh, the hazyness of the years but the vividness of certain memories... :)

Btw. do you remember a cartoon version of the LotR that used pictures from Bakshi's movie? I remember reading it secretly at school when I was at third grade or something (like 9-10 years old). Why I had to bring it to school and read it there when the teacher didn't notice I have no memory on. Weird indeed.

[Inziladun]

Inzila -- cross-posted! One thing I thought was funny reading that old thread was the contrast between your sigs then and now.

Ripping the dust-jacket -- ouch. I'm champing at the bit to read LotR to/with my son (he's only 3), but fortunately I don't have any editions with dust-jackets for him to rip. Then again, there is that fold-out map at the back of my red leather slipcase edition...

Yes, older now, and hopefully bit wiser.

My 6 year old has already repaid me for my own carelessness with other people's property. :rolleyes:

Btw. do you remember a cartoon version of the LotR that used pictures from Bakshi's movie? I remember reading it secretly at school when I was at third grade or something (like 9-10 years old). Why I had to bring it to school and read it there when the teacher didn't notice I have no memory on. Weird indeed.

I had a book which was nothing but screenshots from the movie and captions. I remember it had a purple or blue cover depicting Gandalf holding Glamdring, standing by the hobbits and looking about 11 feet tall.

[Nogrod]

I had a book which was nothing but screenshots from the movie and captions. I remember it had a purple or blue cover depicting Gandalf holding Glamdring, standing by the hobbits and looking about 11 feet tall.Wasn't that the cover image the movie poster as well? I remember my copy had the same pic on it but the background I think was white. My version of it was like a regular cartoon album (a bit bigger than the standard A4 papers and maybe fifty pages or so), the pics were screenshots from the movie but I think there were those "speech bubbles" there for the lines of the characters. But I'm not sure.

I gave away all my cartoon-albums when I was fourteen or something. My aunt was a librarian in a small village and my parents persuaded me to give them as a gift to that library. Maybe that was a decent thing to do but I must say that looked at in retrospect I do miss some of them (not only the LotR but also the Fred albums, Valerians, Blueberries, Tintins...).

[deagol]

"Frodo was alive, but taken by the enemy."

This is the first thing that popped into my head when I started thinking about my first reading of the trilogy. I had purchsed The Return of the King paperback through mail order from Ballantine and it had not arrived by the time I had finished The Two Towers. It was the very first time I can remember being absolutely frantic about what would happen next and unable to find out.

I was introduced to The Hobbit at age 12 by a book club flyer at school and, at first glance, it did not look to be my cup of tea at all. Elves and goblins and magic rings? Oh . . . no, thank you. I don't think so. For perspective, as I recall, my reading material of choice that year had been the HMS Bounty trilogy. But my Language Arts teacher -- this was the '70s and we referred to English class as "Language Arts," can you dig it? -- who knew I was an avid reader, reommended it. Long story short, I devoured The Hobbit in two or three bites and found, somewhat surprisingly, that I still had a taste for the fairy tale. Two years later, as a freshman in high school I had an English teacher (in high school English class was just English class again) who would assign us one book to read -- in my day that book was The Catcher in the Rye -- and allow us to choose one. He had a cabinet in the class full of ratty old paperbacks, primarily of the fantasy and science fiction genre, and that is where I found out that there was a sequel to the funny little hobbit story -- and that the tale was, indeed, much darker and more sorrowful than I had at first imagined. It turned out that I had a latent taste for fantasy adventure after all, and I spent as much time as I could that school term and even my summer vacation poring over those books (once I got my hands on them), and even to this day, I always find something new and interesting to marvel at whenever I have occasion to open one.

[Pitchwife]

It was Christmas - I'm not sure about the year, but most probably 1978, which means I was sixteen at the time. I'd been into science fiction for a couple of years (Star Trek!), had recently discovered the existence of something called 'fantasy' and picked up rumours about a mysterious book intriguingly titled 'Lord of the Rings' by a man with a strange surname and three initials which was supposed to be something like the bible of the genre. Star Wars played a part, too - I had read an interview with Sir Alec Guinness where he compared it to LotR and more or less said that the Tolkien influence was what had awakened his interest in playing Obi-wan. All this was very appetizing, so I pestered my parents until they consented to give me the book as a Christmas present (the price of close to 40 German Marks for the boxed paperback edition of Margaret Carroux' translation - with garish green covers featuring Heinz Edelmann's surreal drawings - being slightly above my personal budget); and the enthusiastic squee when I unpacked it was pretty much the last response to any external stimulus my family got from me till New Year's Day.

It took me a while to get into it - I didn't really appreciate all that hobbit-talk in the first few chapters, my taste in fantasy having been somewhat spoilt by heroic sword-and-sorcery à la Michael Moorcock, and the good-humoured satire on British society was wasted on me, but Gandalf scattered enough mysterious hints to make me curious how the story would go on. When the first Black Rider showed up and they met their first Elves, it started to get interesting; then we entered the Old Forest and met Tom and Goldberry, with whom (meaning both of them) I fell in love at first sight. Fog on the Barrow-Downs - brrr/wow! Barliman Butterbur was a bit of a nuisance, but Strider more than made up for it. From then on, the story inexorably gripped me more & more: Weathertop! Glorfindel! Flight to the Ford! By the time I got to Rivendell, my heart had been pierced with a knife that has staid there ever since.

IIRC, the first thing I did after finishing RotK was to re-read the whole thing (the first of I don't know how many times). Next came Silmarillion, The Hobbit and the Appendices (published as a separate volume in Germany), I don't remember in which order. At that time, being a Tolkien fan was geekish to a degree which is hard to imagine nowadays - none of my school mates had ever so much as heard of the book, but I managed to convert two or three of them; one went to the USA the following year and brought back a copy of the white Ballantine edition (or was it? Anyway, it had white covers with drawings by Tolkien himself), which she gracefully lent to me, introducing me to Tolkien in the original language and increasing my English vocabulary immensely. Then came the Bakshi movie, and that photonovel-cum-comic book version of it which Nog has mentioned... o sweet nostalgia!

I had a book which was nothing but screenshots from the movie and captions. I remember it had a purple or blue cover depicting Gandalf holding Glamdring, standing by the hobbits and looking about 11 feet tall.
Yep, that pic was the movie poster (and Gandalf looks incredibly huge on it!). I still have a book with a very condensed version of the narrative (in English) according to the movie, illustrated with screenshots; don't know if it's the same one you're talking about - mine is in an oblong format with black cover; if it ever had a dust jacket it's got lost in the depths of time.
I gave away all my cartoon-albums when I was fourteen or something. My aunt was a librarian in a small village and my parents persuaded me to give them as a gift to that library. Maybe that was a decent thing to do but I must say that looked at in retrospect I do miss some of them (not only the LotR but also the Fred albums, Valerians, Blueberries, Tintins...).
OT: I think I know exactly how you feel - about the Valerians and Blueberries at least, and, yeah well, the Tintins too (all classics of the comic book genre). It's seldom wise to part with the things you loved in your youth, no matter how embarrassed you may feel about them in the turmoils of late adolescence - ever so often you discover much later that you were right after all. (Same thing for some of my first LP records - what wouldn't I give today for the original vinyls of e.g. The Sweet's Give Us A Wink and Off The Record! But I digress...)
"Frodo was alive, but taken by the enemy."
Exactly. Most excruciating moment in the whole trilogy, and one of the best cliff-hangers ever.

Great thread topic, Galadriel! And interesting and touching responses, everybody. As Mr Underhill said, Thanks for the trip down memory lane.

[Erendis]

June 2003 in the island of Hydra,granny's house.I started with FOTR,read it at once in 5 hours-we are talking about serious crave to do so back then,my granny didn't dare even to talk to me-.

Then, when I went to the bookstore next day to buy TTT,the casier asked "Hey,I 'm thinking around starting it myself,does it worth reading?",I answered "Sure,and I'm eager to read the next one today" to his ultimate shock.;)
One week after,it was ROTK,and tehn came The Hobbit,Silmarilion,UT ...and the Downs.

Back to thet summer,I was already a dedicated moovie fan,but that night at granny's house was a real revelation.

Thanks,Galadriel,for the amazing thread!

And thank you,Professor,for giving me the love of my life.May you rest in peace.

[Ibrîniðilpathânezel]

Ah, me. It's rather close to the time of year when I first read LotR -- it was June, as I recall, when I was 11, which means it's 45 years ago. It was just about the time when the book was being "discovered" on college campuses, but that wasn't where I first noticed it (obviously :D). For a month or two prior to that, my second brother (who was all of 13) had been devoutly reading what looked like a prayer book during Sunday Mass. Now, I knew him well enough to know that there was no way he was really that pious, so after we got home one Sunday, I snuck a look under the embossed plastic cover he'd put on the book, and discovered that it was one of the volumes of LotR. I'd never seen that particular brother so engrossed in any reading, so I decided I'd give it try and see what was so interesting to him.

I admit, it took a little effort to get into it, but not that much. By the time the hobbits left Bree, I was hooked. (and I'll also admit that I would been hooked more easily if not for Tom Bombadil. I was not the kind of kid who went for silliness. Very long story, and beside the point.)

I reacted to it in many ways. The most powerful single reaction was that I found in the character of Gandalf the adult role model I lacked, having come from an extremely dysfunctional family in which one parent was horribly abusive and the other was not allowed to bond with us. Tolkien was also one of the first authors I'd read who made me want to tell stories of my own, though he was not the last. But I loved the detail in the world he built, and that has been a strong influence in my own writing.

[Loslote]

I first "read" it when my mom read it to me. I must have been either nine or ten, (because I was still dating things by where I lived, so I couldn't have gotten used to the idea of actually staying in one place yet, which means the first couple of years in Alaska). I totally loved it at the time, but I'd mostly forgotten it (although I still remebered vividly certain parts of it - Saruman's multi-colored cloak and the story of Aragorn's death in particular. I read it again as a "school" book when I was...um...I think thirteen, maybe twelve, and that time it stuck. I read Sil, the HoMEs, UT, etc, etc. I don't remember when The Hobbit came in. I think my mom read it to me, but I don't really remember it (although I know the story well enough to be able to fumble through the Spanish version, so I had to have read it sometime... :rolleyes:)

I loved the sense of history behind everything. The idea that there was something before now, and before that, and even before that, and that it all affected what was happening now in such an important way. I also loved the languages, particularly elvish. That's what brought me online - I was looking for elvish resources. Through a very roundabout way, that ended up here. (Very, very roundabout - including my mom having tea with Nurumaiel's grandmother and mother, and happening to mention LotR. Ah, Lady Luck will have her say. ;) ) Anyway, during my first read-through I was so engrossed, my mom wouldn't even know where I was for hours on end, because I would hole up somewhere and totally forget where I was (a common conversation was "Lottie, take out the garbage." "Okay." *an hour later* "Lottie, take out the garbage." "Okay." *an hour later* ... you get the idea, only with my real name instead of Lottie. :p )

[Isabellkya]

I first read LOTR in High School. I was prompted to read the series via my math/physics teacher, as he was absolutely obsessed and put an extra credit question - LOTR related on the end of each exam. If you stumped him, he would give you double EC points.

I can not even recall my initial reaction, other than I enjoyed it - and have reread routinely in the years following.

Thinking about it now, I wonder why my parents never had copies; as they are both huge book readers, fantasy included. Though I do recall my mother telling me about my uncle having copies of the books.

[Thinlómien]

I first read LotR when I was 7 or 8 years old. I remember spending a whole summer slowly on it and enjoying it tremendously even though the poor book got quite torn by me carrying it everywhere and I fell asleep on the book while reading thh chapter The Great River. :D

My LotR enthusiasm started earlier though. My dad *coughNogrodcough* showed me and my sister *coughALittleGreencough* the Bakshi cartoon and read the books to us too (first TH, the LotR, then Sil and then even the UT). It had a huge impact on me and I was basically half living in Middle-Earth the rest of my childhood (and admittedly even now :p).

Anyway, although most of my memory is blurred, I remember some highlight s from dad reading the stuff, like getting incredibly angry when he stopped reading in the middle of the Voice of Saruman (I started shouting and crying and threatened to finish reading the chapter on my own if he doesn't read it and in the end he and mom gave up and we got the rest of the story ;)) and my little sister got scared and wanted dad to stop reading more or less exactly at the point when Frodo speculates that a kid would ask his/her daddy to close the book.

Ah, happy memories!

[Rumil]

My word, when did you first read when did you first read The Lord of the Rings?

Going back to the old thread tis strange to think that I've been a Downer nearly eight years!

[Beorn of Carrock]

My 1st Tolkien book was the FoTR when I was 10; It seems that Rumil was already registered here :D

Soonly, it was followed by the Hobbit and the Silmarillion, and I finished the HoME series a year or so ago.

[Morsul the Dark]

I'd read the Hobbit when I was like 8 or 9 nd likedit... but somehow it slipped from my mind until the trilogy came out. I loved the first movie, and so I read the trilogy, I was partway through ROTK when Two Towers the movie came out.

I've tried to reread it numerous times... But I always get stalled around the middle of book two. For me it is a great book, however it does seem to ramble in parts(I realize this as an odd thing.) it reminds me of 1984 in that regard I want to know what happens next because it's fascinating but on the other hand it drags a lot.

Oh and I do have to add one thing. Depending on the definition I still haven't READ the trilogy....
I kind of...skipped the songs...

[Lastande Took]

It's kind of complicated. My parents didn't want me reading fantasy because they knew I'd get totally sucked in to the point where it messed up real life. Until a couple months ago, Narnia was far as I'd gone. Then, LotR came up on a Sherlock Holmes forum I frequent, and I was called a "despicable heathen" for living in ingnorance and told to "go, and read." I thought, "Hey, I'll be 18 in a few months, I can wait that long to read what I like."

Enter little brother, who checked out The Hobbit from the library. I thought to myself, "You know, they've got the Trilogy in the staff lounge at work. I guess it won't hurt to read it now instead of in July." I borrowed the Trilogy, one volume at a time, and read the whole thing, plus Hobbit, in about a week. If I'm careful, I can keep my LotR obsession down to quotes, the soundtrack on YouTube, and learning Quenya. :)

It may very well be early training, but I've found I don't care for fantasy outside of Narnia, LotR, Star Wars, and mythology.

[Pitchwife]

Then, LotR came up on a Sherlock Holmes forum I frequent, and I was called a "despicable heathen" for living in ingnorance
Give my love to your fellow Sherlock Holmes fans for that choice of words:D! (From one who deserves the same epithet as far as SH is concerned - meaning I have some idea about his role in popular culture, but can't claim to have studied the works of Arthur Conan Doyle like I'm sure they deserve to be. But out of curiosity, what was that connection between LotR and SH?)
I borrowed the Trilogy, one volume at a time, and read the whole thing, plus Hobbit, in about a week.
Sounds vaguely familiar (see above).
If I'm careful, I can keep my LotR obsession down to quotes, the soundtrack on YouTube, and learning Quenya.
That's more self-restriction than most of us can boast of (and kudos for learning Quenya!). Speaking of soundtracks on YouTube, have you discovered this (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nXbCw1U61FU)?
It may very well be early training, but I've found I don't care for fantasy outside of Narnia, LotR, Star Wars, and mythology.
Scrap Star Wars (not really;) - I quite like the movies myself, but they're not exactly what I call fantasy), and Narnia is a chapter to itself, but yeah, there isn't much that can compete with Tolkien and true mythology. (If you're interested in recommendations, see here (http://forum.barrowdowns.com/showthread.php?t=1338).)

[Guinevere]

I never told my story in that old thread, it must have been somewhere else... But anyhow that was years ago and there are many new members now.

when did you first read Lord of the Rings? What prompted you to read it? And what was your reaction (first and last)?

I am certainly among the very oldest of you, and I am apparently quite an exception because I have NOT read LotR as a teenager, but only became acquainted with Tolkien’s works at the age of 50! (rather like Bilbo and Frodo who started out for adventure at 50 as well! ;))

I only wonder why on earth I had never come across Tolkien earlier in life. Probably because I don’t live in an English speaking country… Though I did spend a year in England (1971 and half a year in the USA (1973), none of my friends, teachers and acquaintances ever gave me a hint ( I used to borrow books from everyone)

Anyhow, it was only when my elder son (then 15) got the Hobbit and LotR (several of his friends from the boy-scouts were Tolkien fans) and started reading them (in German) , that I got interested. (I had already read "Harry Potter" at his advice, but in English, while he read in German) . So I got myself an English copy of the Hobbit and later LotR and we read about simultaniously. (I finished FotR right before the first of the movies came out.)

I was soon more of a fan than my son was! For him, it was just an exciting adventure story, but I got more out of it - it was quite a revelation for me! I have read a lot of books in my life , (also many English ones), yet I can honestly say that hardly any other book has so fascinated, thrilled and moved me, and none has stimulated my fantasy and enriched my life as much as LotR.

I proceeded with the Silmarillion (Rather hard to begin with, but fortunately I have a good memory for names…I was more troubled by the deep sadness in this work.) Thereafter, I reread LotR with a new understanding and appreciation. In between I had also read “On Fairy-stories”(Marvellous! I found so much truth in there!) and “Leaf by Niggle” which stirred a deeper interest in Tolkien’s life and thoughts, so I got his biography and the book by T.Shippey “Tolkien, author of the century”. In the mean time I had joined the Barrowdowns and have since then read ever so many interesting and thought-provoking threads.(Btw, that’s another side-effect of my Tolkien-craze: being rather a luddite, I had never touched a computer before, but my son taught me to use the internet so I could get in touch with other Tolkien- fans all over the world.) In the BD I came across several beautiful quotations from Tolkien’s letters, so of course, I had to have those treasures too!

My younger son (about 12 at that time) soon read the books as well and since he had to read aloud to me (on the teacher’s request) and alternately I read to him, I could compare his German copy to my English one. Alas, in no way does the translation justice to the original! Much of the charm of Tolkiens wonderful language is lost.

[Lastande Took]

Give my love to your fellow Sherlock Holmes fans for that choice of words:D! (From one who deserves the same epithet as far as SH is concerned - meaning I have some idea about his role in popular culture, but can't claim to have studied the works of Arthur Conan Doyle like I'm sure they deserve to be. But out of curiosity, what was that connection between LotR and SH?)

That's more self-restriction than most of us can boast of (and kudos for learning Quenya!). Speaking of soundtracks on YouTube, have you discovered this (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nXbCw1U61FU)?

Scrap Star Wars (not really;) - I quite like the movies myself, but they're not exactly what I call fantasy), and Narnia is a chapter to itself, but yeah, there isn't much that can compete with Tolkien and true mythology. (If you're interested in recommendations, see here (http://forum.barrowdowns.com/showthread.php?t=1338).)

Whoa, lots of questions! :) First one first:

On one thread about going on a date with Sherlock Holmes, someone used an LotR quote, which sparked about three pages of quotefests, sharing LotR activities (writing in Tengwar, scaring siblings with your Gollum voice, etc.), and ended up with the suggestion of starting a "On a Date with Gollum" thread. We eventually did wind up back on topic.

I'm finding Quenya to be a fascinating language, even if I am going very slowly. Yes, I've found that video, thanks for linking anyway. I found it hilarious, partly because the maker did such a good job with the editing.

I include Star Wars in 'fantasy' because in my twisted mind, science fantasy, as opposed to science fiction, generally gets lumped in with regular fantasy.

PS- You might want to try reading a copy of "The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes" or watching some of the Granada TV series episodes starring Jeremy Brett on YouTube. Doyle's fans are every bit as devoted as Tolkien's, and just as crazy. Pretending Holmes and Watson are real is standard procedure.

[Pitchwife]

On one thread about going on a date with Sherlock Holmes, someone used an LotR quote, which sparked about three pages of quotefests, sharing LotR activities (writing in Tengwar, scaring siblings with your Gollum voice, etc.), and ended up with the suggestion of starting a "On a Date with Gollum" thread. We eventually did wind up back on topic.
:D And I was thinking it might have been someone drawing a scholarly parallel between Reichenbach Falls and Sammath Naur! (Yeah, I've assimilated some particles of SH lore via the usual hearsay channels...)

I'm finding Quenya to be a fascinating language
It is. Have you been to Ardalambion (http://folk.uib.no/hnohf/)?

I include Star Wars in 'fantasy' because in my twisted mind, science fantasy, as opposed to science fiction, generally gets lumped in with regular fantasy.
OK, see your point - and Lucas did rely quite heavily on fantasy tropes, of course. (While we're talking genre terminology, I've long thought that 'fantasy' should perhaps more properly be called 'magic fiction', analogous/opposed to 'science fiction'...)

Doyle's fans are every bit as devoted as Tolkien's, and just as crazy.
I've noticed that - a good friend of mine belongs in both categories, and SH has long been on my 'should read' list. Thanks for the recommendations!
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Alas, in no way does the translation justice to the original! Much of the charm of Tolkiens wonderful language is lost.
Which German translation did you read, Carroux/von Freymann or Krege? The former rocks (it's not the real thing, but it comes very close for me), the latter deserves to rot in the same purgatory as Peter Jackson.

[Lastande Took]

Thanks for the link. I'm accumulating a lot of language-related sites on my favourites bar. :)

Sorry for the Doyle/Holmes plug. I know it's off topic, but I like my detective. :) You might want to check out this forum: http://holmesian.net It's the one I was talking about above.

[Guinevere]

Which German translation did you read, Carroux/von Freymann or Krege? The former rocks (it's not the real thing, but it comes very close for me), the latter deserves to rot in the same purgatory as Peter Jackson.
Well, my boys have the newer (Krege) translation. You can imagine how puzzled/appalled I was at certain things!!:eek:
But in a German Tolkien forum where I was a member there was a lively discussion about the old and the new translation. This interested me so much that I finally bought a copy of the Carroux translation just for comparison! It's better than Krege, but still a long way from the original!
If you're interested see this old thread of mine on Tolkien Translations (http://forum.barrowdowns.com/showthread.php?t=1601) .

[Eomer of the Rohirrim]

I read them in 2001. I had been putting it off but I knew the films were coming out so the pressure was on.

I liked them immediately; but the second time I read LotR was better. I caught much more of the story.

[Rhod the Red]

When I was 12 or 13, in my early high school years.

[Galadriel]

It's kind of complicated. My parents didn't want me reading fantasy because they knew I'd get totally sucked in to the point where it messed up real life. Until a couple months ago, Narnia was far as I'd gone. Then, LotR came up on a Sherlock Holmes forum I frequent, and I was called a "despicable heathen" for living in ingnorance and told to "go, and read." I thought, "Hey, I'll be 18 in a few months, I can wait that long to read what I like."

It may very well be early training, but I've found I don't care for fantasy outside of Narnia, LotR, Star Wars, and mythology.

Yay! Someone who is around the same age as me! :D

[Galadriel]

I read them in 2001. I had been putting it off but I knew the films were coming out so the pressure was on.

I liked them immediately; but the second time I read LotR was better. I caught much more of the story.

Yeah, my second time was better, too :)

[Lastande Took]

Yeah, my second time was better, too :)

I'm starting in on my third read-through and am enjoying it even more. :)

[Blind Guardian]

I started reading it in 6th grade and never finished. Now I'm reading the Silmarillion and the Hobbit.

[Rhod the Red]

On a relate note, I read once that Christopher Lee reads TLOTR TWICE A YEAR because he's such a fanatic ;)

[Galadriel]

On a relate note, I read once that Christopher Lee reads TLOTR TWICE A YEAR because he's such a fanatic ;)

I know! I saw that in the Appendices of the movie. What a guy.:D

[spirit_of_fire]

When I was eight or nine my dad gave me the lord of the rings to read(probably to get me into reading fiction) but I found it really slow and uneventful for the first chapter or two, and that was as far as I got. He then gave me the hobbit when he saw I was somewhat less than interested, and I was immediately hooked - I think tolkien wrote that more with children in mind that he did with lotr. After that I came back to the lord of the rings and I flew threw it, finished it in a matter of days, and loved it. I've read it five or six times now, and it seems every time I read it I enjoy it more(it's the opposite with most books for me).

I only read the silmarillion a few years ago, but I loved that straight away, because I've always been interested in mythology, especially greek and egyptian, and the tale of the silmarils and the valar and arda, was, and is, the most deep, intricate and interesting mythos I've ever read into.

I wish tolkien had finished writing his next book about the cult that sprang up worshipping sauron after his defeat, has anyone else heard of that???

[Inziladun]

I wish tolkien had finished writing his next book about the cult that sprang up worshipping sauron after his defeat, has anyone else heard of that???

First of all, welcome to the Downs!

As for your question, T. did mention that he'd thought of doing that story as a 'thriller' in one of his Letters. He didn't seem to think the idea worth fleshing out though, saying it was 'not worth doing'. My guess is that he didn't think it would have had any real meaning or depth on the level of LOTR.

EDIT: Blazes, 3000 posts.

[LadyBrooke]

When I was in 7th grade I got the chance to see the films when the dvds went on sale. For Christmas that year I got the books, and my family probably regrets that decision since I'm way more in love with these books then I was with any others. I think they thought they were going to be a passing interest like Nancy Drew (3rd grade) or The Chronicles of Narnia (6th) or at least a minor obsession like Harry Potter or books about royalty and history. Instead they now have to put up with my constant tangents about Tolkien and his works. :D

[Aiwendil]

I wish tolkien had finished writing his next book about the cult that sprang up worshipping sauron after his defeat, has anyone else heard of that???

Yes, that's "The New Shadow". You can read what little he wrote of that before abandoning it (and it isn't much) in HoMe XII.

[Galadriel]

I started reading it in 6th grade and never finished. Now I'm reading the Silmarillion and the Hobbit.

When I was in 7th grade I got the chance to see the films when the dvds went on sale. For Christmas that year I got the books, and my family probably regrets that decision since I'm way more in love with these books then I was with any others. I think they thought they were going to be a passing interest like Nancy Drew (3rd grade) or The Chronicles of Narnia (6th) or at least a minor obsession like Harry Potter or books about royalty and history. Instead they now have to put up with my constant tangents about Tolkien and his works. :D

I could somehow never get into Harry Potter. The first line itself turned me off. I found it a tad childish and cliched.

[LadyBrooke]

I got into Harry Potter when I was still a kid. The last two books I had to basically force myself to read, and I only got through Deathly Hallows because I found a MST of it. My policy on HP now is basically Fanfiction = Good, Actual Books = Bad.

[Cecile]

I read it five years ago and I my favorite quote was:

He used often to say there was only one Road; that it was like a great river: it's springs were at every doorstep and every path was it's tributary. "It's a dangerous business, Frodo, going out of your door," he used to say. "You step into the Road, and if you don't keep your feet, there is no telling where you might be swept off to." said by Frodo about his uncle Bilbo Baggins in Chapter 'Three is Company'.
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[Galadriel]

I read it five years ago and I my favorite quote was:

He used often to say there was only one Road; that it was like a great river: it's springs were at every doorstep and every path was it's tributary. "It's a dangerous business, Frodo, going out of your door," he used to say. "You step into the Road, and if you don't keep your feet, there is no telling where you might be swept off to." said by Frodo about his uncle Bilbo Baggins in Chapter 'Three is Company'.
snohomish landscaping (http://snohomishlandscaping.net)

Welcome to the Downs! Hope you enjoy being dead ;)

[Galadriel55]

My mom introduced LotR to me when I was about seven. She had to read it to e, since the letters were too small. I don't remember understanding a lot, but I had a good overall feeling about the book. This inspired me to re-read it when I was eight. I can't say that I understood much more, but I remembered the general idea. I've re-read it two or three times since then, but I was twelve when it actually struck. You couldn't take me away fro the book. It was like an obsession. I set it as my goal to remember all the names, places, and events that are ever mentioned there. I had many arguments with my parents about the amount of tie I'm spending on Tolkien - probably more than on my homework. This summer I've finally managed to lay hands on The Hobbit, The Sil., and The Children of Hurin. They are fantastic!
My future Tolkien plans are to read the unfinished tales and whatever other books i can find, and also to read LotR in English (Russian is my first language, so my copy of the book is in Russian)

[xMellrynxMaidenx]

I was in fourth grade I believe when I was first introduced to the Lord of the Rings. At the time, I wasn't introduced to The Hobbit or the Sil. or, well, any other books by Tolkien. I didn't find out about the rest until I was a little bit older and did some research. It was around about this time I was introduced to Harry Potter as well. I loved both series, though I do believe Tolkien's style is more top notch; not to mention he's been doing this longer than her.

But I digress, this isn't about Harry Potter. :p

To get back on track, I'm glad I was introduced to J.R.R. Tolkien's works; the man is simply a genius.

[Galadriel55]

Harry Potter isn't as deep as LOTR.

[xMellrynxMaidenx]

Harry Potter isn't as deep as LOTR.

As I said, he has been doing this longer than J.K., but for me, it doesn't necessarily mean the HP books are bad, I'm a fan of both. J.R.R. went into more detail of the races, the area, history, etc. He went all out on it which makes his books more interesting to read for some. Had J.K. done the same for the area around Hogwarts, maybe even went into further detail about the houses and their founders, etc. the HP books would be just as interesting. It's just a matter of preference from the readers. :)

[Galadriel55]

I don't really mean details - well, that too, but mostly feelings. LOVE in HP became almost a formula. You love, you're good. LOTR is totally different. It has a wide range of emotion hidden between the lines.
Well, you could say that teenage tantrums count for emotion, and that if all the LOTR characters were kids, then yeah, I guess you're right. But still, I just don't feel like I'm part of the book in HP the same way as in LOTR. In LOTR, action isn't the main thing - more like phylosophy or something like that. HP wouldn't exist if it wasn't for action. It doesn't have enough behind the action. It's shallow, if you know what I mean.

[Galadriel]

It's shallow, if you know what I mean.

I wouldn't say it's 'shallow' but I'd say it's 'juvenile literature'. Meant for the slightly simpler minds of children. Come on, you can't expect a 5 year old to understand the themes of LotR like he/she would the themes of Harry Potter.

[Galadriel55]

you can't expect a 5 year old to understand the themes of LotR like he/she would the themes of Harry Potter.

That's true.

[xMellrynxMaidenx]

I wouldn't say it's 'shallow' but I'd say it's 'juvenile literature'. Meant for the slightly simpler minds of children. Come on, you can't expect a 5 year old to understand the themes of LotR like he/she would the themes of Harry Potter.

I would have to agree, actually. :p Considering it DID start out as children's books, the more she began to write and develop the characters, the more it became more suitable for middle/high school kids. When she caught wind of adults reading her books, she tried to make it more...grown up for lack of better words to describe it. Really, I believe she just tried too hard, but I still like them none the less.

With the exception of the last part of the last book, she really rushed through it. :\ But, I like it now because I liked it as a kid.

If a five year old was ever able to grasp the themes of LotR and I were the parent, I would be proud of that child. :p

[Galadriel55]

I wouldn't want to be the poor parent who is doomed to hour long explanations of LOTR themes to his/her 5 year old child.
However, if the child really grasps the concepts all by himself, it really is an extraordinary genius and a brilliant kid.