[Mithalwen]

World, totally and overwhelmingly. When I read the hobbit I wanted to know more about Rivendell and the elves and the history. When I came to the LoTR I ground to a halt at the end of the two towers.Partly perhaps because the world was rather horrible at that point and partly I didn't care enough about Frodo and Sam to persist (and clearly it would be ages before theere was any more Legolas!) The story didn't have enough hold to get me to the end at that time. Although I got through the story a year or so later and moved on to the Silmarillion, UT and the early volumes of HoME, LOTR was really a resource book for my fascination with elves and their languages. I really must read LotR properly again but the long haul to Bree is a bit off putting.