How were you introduced to Tolkien?

[Lindale]

Once upon a time in a strict all girls Catholic school where even Harry Potter was infamous, a little girl called Lindale who would have her tenth birthday in two weeks saw in the Sunday paper a comparison of JRRT and the forbidden Rowling. She hounded her father, who never really was able to resist her when she was pouting, and three days before her birthday she had a copy of TH, bought at an insane price in the expensive bookstore because the local bookstore currently had none in stock.

The following Christmas, Lindale asked for her usual Harry Potter (number four, I think) and for the complete Lord of the Rings. She got so excited about her Christmas presents, she didn't really think that shoving FotR in her school bag might catch the nuns' attention. When a teacher of home economics saw the poor little girl reading a book that advocated wizards, she confiscated the book. Lindale already had a record of reading HP. She was in bad trouble.

During lunchbreak Lindale was very scared; her Christmas present was gone! She tried not to remember Gollum back in TH screaming about his birthday present. Struggling with whatever wits she had, she headed to the telephone booths and called her mother.

...and thus began the bothersome affair of this little girl's book, which included her father threatening the teacher and some of the nuns. And then Lindale thought, whatever trouble that book has caused! It must be good. When she got her book back, weeks later and with a formal apology, Lindale read it very carefully.

And that is how Lindale learned of JRRT, read TH and LotR, and learned about the Inquisition too.

Two years later Lindale hounded her aging father for a copy of Sil and UT. And a little over three months ago she had a tantrum again, claiming she was the last girl without a CoH. Predictably, that spoiled brat has all Tolkien books her father and she could find.

[Andsigil]

I first got interested in Tolkien when this came out in 1977.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0077687/

I was 9 years old and ran around the house with a homemade Sting, made of cardboard and aluminum foil, slaying imaginary spiders.

[mark12_30]

My fourth grade teacher read a lot of books to us; LionWitchAndWardrobe, JamesAndTheGiantPeach, Charlie&Factory, Charlotte's Web.. and a couple of others. Oh, and The Hobbit.

Two years later, I saw a friend wandering about with a copy of TH in her hand. "Bilbo?"

That was, roughly, 1970 AD.

[FeRaL sHaDoW]

It was my first year of school on one of our many visits to the school library I came across a comic version of the Hobbit, of course I couldn’t read it but I liked the pictures. A few years later I read the Hobbit and was pulled into the Tolkien universe.

[Selador]

I had begun to get into in Dungeons and Dragons (RPG) back in the late 70's. I was about 12 or 13 at the time. The cartoon versions of the stories, both TH and LOTR, were being aired on TV, and these really sparked my imagination. Besides, all my friends who had read the books would lord their superior geekiness over me, so I had to learn more. I read The Hobbit first and then Lord of the Rings, and truly loved them. I don't think I had ever read anything quite like them, and felt as if it was exactly the story I had always been wanting to lose myself in.

But even so, with all the changes and distractions that accompany growing up, my passion for the books faded through my high school and college years. By the time the movies began to come out, I have to admit that I barely remembered the stories at all - a fact made clear to me while listening to my students rave on about them. As they brought back to my attention all the minor characters and intricate details that I had forgotten, I felt compelled to read the books again. When I did, I discovered that my older self was in a position to appreciate the work much more deeply than I had before, and loved it every bit as much as my younger self. I am actually very glad now to have forgotten so much of the books over the years, for it has been like getting the chance to discover the magic of them twice. But I doubt that I shall ever forget them again, or fail to keep reading them over and over.

[Lalwendë]

Oooh, I missed a chance to tell one of my fave Tolkien anecdotes yet again!

I got into Tolkien because one of my brothers had the books and he was reading them and wouldn't come out of his room they were so good. Of course, my brother being into mostly cool things made me want to see what the fuss was about. But he also didn't like me touching his stuff so he wouldn't lend them to me. So I stole The Hobbit out of his room when he was out and started reading it. Then my mum made him lend me all the rest of the books too.

I remember getting creases on the spines and being scared he'd get mad at me. This was especially worrying as I was constantly campaigning to be allowed to join in with his D&D games with his mates which I was expressly barred from - I mean, what 18 year old lad wants his 12 year old sister joining his D&D games, eh? It was bad enough me raiding his fantasy books and Led Zep and Motorhead LPs and nicking his guitar to try and play Smoke On The Water... *

Mum ended up buying me my own set for Christmas, but by then I'd read my way right through The Hobbit, LotR, the Sil, Unfinished Tales, Tolkien's bio and Journeys of Frodo...plus the newly released Books of Lost Tales and Lays of Beleriand via the local library.

I've got those old books of my brother's now anyway. My most treasured possessions!

*Author's note - he used to nick my LPs as well...