[Luthien_ Tinuviel]

It seems to me that it takes at least two readings of the Silmarillion with at least one reading of LoTR before, between, and after that to get all the stuff in the Silmarillion sorted out. I first read the Silm after having read LOTR only once, and I loved it but it didn't soak in as much until I read it again two years later. One of teh major advantages of reading the Silmarillion is not only that Middle-Earth becomes more real to you and you get to know its history and many other fascinating tales, but it really helps to explain LOTR. All the obscure and not so obscure references to the Silm that are made in the Lord of the Rings become not inly clear but more meaningful after one has read the Silmarillion.