LotR - Germany's favorite book!

[Sharkû]

First of all, this poll is not really representative, especially since a large part of the votes were registered online, and the demographic group with the highest rate of net access are the younger readers, who also appear to be more drawn to a book like The Lord of the Rings. They are also the ones which frequent the cinemas most, which brings me to my second point: I am quite sure that the biggest part of the book's popularity is due to the movies.
A few years ago, the book really was just a fringe cult book in Germany; that certainly was the case when I read it first. I soon discovered that The Lord of the Rings had a much better standing, with the critics as well, in the English speaking world. What I've noticed is that with the movies, many Germans started to read the book for the first time. With the poll taken shortly after the completion of the trilogy, it makes sense that the book has by now not only been read and liked by many people, but that it is also relatively recent and fresh in one's memory.

I can't really see The Lord of the Rings appealing especially to 'the Germans' or even 'the German state of mind' (or affairs for that matter).
The earlier BBC poll showed that 'escapist' books are just as popular in England, and I would wager it is similar in just about any country, no matter the economic circumstance. The point about 'troubled times' seems a strange argument especially when considering that the 'typical' Lord of the Rings fan and the typical person who complains about the situation in Germany are two very different people demographically.