Which to read first?

[zifnab]

What you read next all depends on what time period you wish to dwell in. If you want to carry on with Sam and Frodo(or actually what they have been rumored to have writen) I would suggest "The Adventures of Tom Bombadil". If short stories and poems is not your cup of tea, then these can be a bit arduous (don't go looking for a fantasy epic here). I would also stay away from the H.O.M.E and B.O.L.T volumes for now.

Quote: The Silmarillion or Unfinished Tales? (After a proper reading of The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings, of course).
End Quote:

The Silmarillion would of course be your best bet, assuming you have already read 'The Hobbit'... I can't tell by that quote, if you have already read it, or are going to read 'The Hobbit'.

[Mithalwen]

I would only add that Unfinished tales contains things that may interest the friend in the event that they don't get into the Silmarillion - and many people who love LOTR never really make that transition. If they can accept that the tales are not definitive versions then they might like to read at least part 3 and maybe part 2 before the Silmarillion. There they will find lots of Tolkien's thoughts on such matters as the Palantiri, the Wizards, the Quest of Erebor (ie The Hobbit) from Gandalf's perspective.

Of course the published Silmarillion isn't exactly definitive but at that stage CT presented it as a "complete" work not as edited fragments.

[Mänwe]

For me the natural choice was the Silmarillion, if I had known of the existance of the Silmarillion when I first encountered Lord of the Rings I would have read that first; due to the base history of the 'creation' and 'first ages' not covered by the trilogy.

However I hold some caution to promoting the Silmarillion, for it is considered by some to be less than canon. The rumoured changes and additions not of Tolkienesque make mean the books credabililty is degraded somewhat. However it does not detract from a book that is filled with useful insights and a glorious history.