Public Research: How did you become Tolkien-lover? - The Barrow-Downs Discussion Forum

gralin musicteeth · 01-29-2006, 06:23 PM

As I recently posted on the "Which book did you start with" poll thread, my first (and by far kindest) social worker read Roverandom to me when I was a kid in her care. She used to read it to me over the phone at night. She was an amazing person who really cared about her charges, which is hard to come by sometimes in the social justice system. It was this lady who got me into reading fantasy books to try and develop some sort of imagination in my little head, but I never really liked anything she read to me until we she started Roverandom when I was seven. Then I was totally hooked on Tolkien and I read as much by him and about him as I could. Before she was transferred to Nova Scotia she bought me the green hardcover trilogy. I am eighteen now, and on special occaisons she still calls me and we read to each other over the phone.

And that's my sappy Tolkien story. I picked the parent one because she was like a parent to me.

Lalwendë · 01-30-2006, 12:10 PM

It looks like brothers have a lot to be thanked for (except in the case of Nilpaurion Felagund, who has a sister to thank

). I of course stole my own brother's copies of the books all those years ago; I saw him reading them and being late for meals because of them and thought they had to be good! Looking back I must have been such a pain, as not only did I pinch his Tolkien books so that he had to come into my room to get his own books back, but I used to pester his friends about them too. As I got older I got even worse as I started nicking his records too.

Brothers always use to have such interesting stuff in their bedrooms though! Good books, noisy records, weird things they'd found like bullet casings and spent grenades and collections of knives and stones and that kind of thing. One of the things I always associate with reading Tolkien is grey walls as my brother had decided to make his room look more 'military' and painted the walls to resemble the innards of a battleship, so if I had been told not to remove his books then I had to go and sit in there to read them and put up with the gloomy atmosphere!

Then my mother bought me my own set of LotR but the nicking didn't really stop as I had the David Day Bestiary and the Carpenter biography while he had the Journeys of Frodo and the Foster Complete Guide. Being the parent of a brace of young Tolkienists must be a nightmare in household discipline terms!

Bêthberry · 01-30-2006, 12:17 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by HerenIstarion

How did you become Tolkien-lover?

I thought Tolkien was a faithful, monogamous husband. Just how many illicit affairs are you suggesting he had, HI?

View Poll Results: I've read Tolkien, for I have...
Found him on my own in a bookstore	4	3.77%
Heard about him from a friend/sibling	31	29.25%
Watched the movies	18	16.98%
Read exalted criticism in a paper/book and read his works to look for myself	0	0%
Read spiteful criticism in a paper/book and read his works to look for myself	0	0%
Found the books prohibited in my school/university and decided to have a go	0	0%
Been taught his works in school/university	4	3.77%
Been read his works by my parents as a child/read the books bought for me by my parents	28	26.42%
Enjoyed another artist (poet, writer, etc, please indicate)	3	2.83%
Other	18	16.98%
Voters: 106. You may not vote on this poll

01-29-2006, 06:23 PM	#1
gralin musicteeth Shade of Carn Dûm Join Date: Oct 2002 Location: Tossing half-sick between grotesque reality and savage, frightening dreams Posts: 360	As I recently posted on the "Which book did you start with" poll thread, my first (and by far kindest) social worker read Roverandom to me when I was a kid in her care. She used to read it to me over the phone at night. She was an amazing person who really cared about her charges, which is hard to come by sometimes in the social justice system. It was this lady who got me into reading fantasy books to try and develop some sort of imagination in my little head, but I never really liked anything she read to me until we she started Roverandom when I was seven. Then I was totally hooked on Tolkien and I read as much by him and about him as I could. Before she was transferred to Nova Scotia she bought me the green hardcover trilogy. I am eighteen now, and on special occaisons she still calls me and we read to each other over the phone. And that's my sappy Tolkien story. I picked the parent one because she was like a parent to me. __________________ Where was the stooped and mealy-coloured old man I used to call Poppa when the merry-go-round broke down?

01-30-2006, 12:10 PM	#2
Lalwendë A Mere Boggart Join Date: Mar 2004 Location: under the bed Posts: 4,737	It looks like brothers have a lot to be thanked for (except in the case of Nilpaurion Felagund, who has a sister to thank ). I of course stole my own brother's copies of the books all those years ago; I saw him reading them and being late for meals because of them and thought they had to be good! Looking back I must have been such a pain, as not only did I pinch his Tolkien books so that he had to come into my room to get his own books back, but I used to pester his friends about them too. As I got older I got even worse as I started nicking his records too. Brothers always use to have such interesting stuff in their bedrooms though! Good books, noisy records, weird things they'd found like bullet casings and spent grenades and collections of knives and stones and that kind of thing. One of the things I always associate with reading Tolkien is grey walls as my brother had decided to make his room look more 'military' and painted the walls to resemble the innards of a battleship, so if I had been told not to remove his books then I had to go and sit in there to read them and put up with the gloomy atmosphere! Then my mother bought me my own set of LotR but the nicking didn't really stop as I had the David Day Bestiary and the Carpenter biography while he had the Journeys of Frodo and the Foster Complete Guide. Being the parent of a brace of young Tolkienists must be a nightmare in household discipline terms! __________________ Gordon's alive!