How old were you the first time you read LOTR?

[Elladan and Elrohir]

I knew my Mom and Dad liked Tolkien, because they had the Hobbit and Lord of the Rings on our bookcase. So, about two years ago, at age 12, I picked up The Hobbit and decided to read it.

I read Chapter 1 and was bored to tears. I almost gave up, but, thankfully, didn't. By the end of chapter 2, I was hooked. I finished it in about a day.

That night, I started Fellowship and was COMPLETELY hooked. Mesmerized in the world of Middle-Earth. The only thing I skimmed while reading it for the first time was the Council of Elrond chapter, in which I was completely lost after about two pages of monologues. But I plunged forward, and, in less than a week, I had finished LOTR.

Since then, I've read LOTR no less than ten times, and I've read The Hobbit about eight times. A year ago, I finally persuaded my brother (who was 11 at the time) to read The Hobbit, and he got hooked on it and LOTR just like I did. Can't get him to read The Silmarillion, though.

So there it is. I've read LOTR and Hobbit multiple times, Silmarillion once, and Volumes 6-9 of History of M-E twice. I tried reading The Book of Lost Tales but was bored to tears. I'm dying to get my hands on Unfinished Tales.

FRODO LIVES!!!

[ 11:35 PM November 29, 2003: Message edited by: Elladan and Elrohir ]

[The Only Real Estel]

I was 9 or 10 when I started reading the Fellowship, & the rest followed. [img]smilies/cool.gif[/img]

[yavanna II]

I got my Hobbit from my dad when I was 7, but I never read that till I was 10. Because of so much damn school pressure, i finished that at 12. I read the whole triology when I was 13, together w/ the Sil & Lost tales 1-2. [img]smilies/smile.gif[/img]

[Firefoot]

I was 12 when I read the Hobbit - I was hooked by the second page. I started (and finished) the Lord of the Rings a few days later. I understood it pretty well too. I was absolutely enraptured by it while I was reading it...still am. [img]smilies/smile.gif[/img]

[Tuor Turambar,Cursed by the Valar]

Age 7, when I was going into third grade. But i didn't understand most of the words.

I was twelve years old when I first set my eyes on The fellowship of the Ring and I started by reading the three books in english (not my native langauge).
When I was 13 I read Silmarillion and The hobbit.
I have never read them in Swedish because I fear that would spoil it all.. [img]smilies/biggrin.gif[/img]

[lord_of_rohan2003]

Im another late bloomer,I read lotr after I saw the first movie at 22,and now im 24.But I dont feel to bad about it,heck after all Christopher Lee didin't read LOTR until he was in his late 30's early 40's!

I read it after the first film came out. And finished it after the Two Towers came out. I took a year because the old Forest was so boring.

[Eol Telemnar]

I was 9 when I read the Hobbit. I did not understand anything, so I did not read a tolkien book till I was 11. I then read the hobbit again, then the three, (FOTR,TT,ROTK)
then, just last year, I read The silmarillion and the lost tales. I'm reading the silmarillion again because I forgot most of it, and it would be kind of hard to answer some questions on this site!

[Aredhel Ar-Feiniel]

I have been reading the HObbit since February 2002, and i mean that literally. I mean (no offence) it is soooo boring, and is it just me or does Elrond almost seem like a happy guy?

As for LOTR i read them in 2000, and i read them constantly. I love them, thank heavens they arent a little dull!

[Gashberz]

I was 12 years old!!! Thanks J.R.R

[Jess]

well I'm thirteen and I just finished reading them all... now I have to admit I was not a fan before the movies came out but I really enjoy the story a lot, much more than the movies. I want to read some of Tolkien's other books based around LotR.

[Novberaid]

I was old then at 22. To quote an older song - "I am much younger now."

[miellien]

Oh my! I guess I've sort of neglected this thread. I actually haven't been able to post for a long time. My computer shuts down- so I've just been able to read. The news on my youngster: He's decided that after he sees all 3 movies on DVD, then he'll probably read the books. That's good enough for me! My heart trembles at the thought of discussing Tolkien w/o a computer or a long distance phone call! [img]smilies/biggrin.gif[/img]

[Kransha]

I'm no prodigy, but I think I capably understood the Hobbit when I read it at age 9. I didn't know there was more for a year, when I discovered the trilogy. I spent a two weeks at age 10 reading some every night for almost three hours and finished the three of them (times probably inaccurate). Now I re-read every year. The Silmarillion came at 11, since it didn't seem as good. It turned out that it was even more epic, but still not as great as the trilogy itself.

[Tasslehoff_55]

i read the hobbit when i was young so one day i decided to start the fellowship. i finished the trilogy and i've read the trilogy last ones over and over since then! i'm obsessed with them!!!!! [img]smilies/biggrin.gif[/img]

[Samwise]

I was 12, in Jr. High. A friend left a copy of TTT in my lap after explaining to me a bit about the story. I took it home, read it really fast (it was a library book) and returned it to her. She said, "well, you have to read the [SIZE=3]First[/SIZE] book!" and lent me FOTR. The rest, as they say, is history.

[Alexus Varus]

I was fourteen and I was looking in my aunt's library for a book on fairies, surprise! It was the best accident that i ever had.

I was 7 when I read The Hobbit and i started LotR straight after. My mum couldn't believe that I'd read them and she used to give me pop quizzes on the books to see if she could catch me out..needless to say she never caught me out!!
I've since lost track of how many times I've read LotR, I'm usually constantly reading it. As to TolKiens other books I've managed to read most of them, I just can't get enough.

[TheLadyAerowen]

I think I first read the Lord of the Rings trilogy in..fourth grade. I'm trying to remember how old that would have been... maybe not. That would have been like, 9 or 10. That seems too young I then read the trilogy in sixth grade, and then eighth grade, and twice more during high school. They're just the kind of books that never get boring.

[Arcuwen]

I read The Hobbit at 12 years, the LOTR trilogy at 13, and I am now reading the Silmarillion at 14 years of age. When should you introduce kids to Tolkien? It all depends on the child's reading level and appreciation for books and fantasy. I think I read each book at good age, where I could understand all the aspects of the story and really enjoy them. If your child is dying to read them, let them! But if they're really young, read it to them or let them read it to you. That way you can spend time together and you can help them understand everything.

[Eorl of Rohan]

I believe I learned English with LOTR, since it is not my native langauge. Maybe three years ago?

[galadriel'smaiden]

I was 4. (yes, 4, i learned to read early.)

To date, the trilogy has been read 16 and 1/4 times!!!

I read the hobbit when i was six, and i read LOTR when i was 8..



P.S
i am now 16

[Leyrana Silumiel]

Well, I first read The Hobbit in seventh grade (1997--I was...11) and Lord of the Rings in eighth grade (when I was 12). I didn't really get interested in The Silmarillion, Unfinished Tales, etc. until 2000.

[Galadel Vinorel]

I first read LOTR when I was 14 years old. I loved it so much that I read the rest of J.R.R. Tolkien's books as soon as I could get my hands on them. They were the greatest books that I have ever read, and still are.

[Lhundulinwen]

I read the hobbit for a book report in 7th grade. I devoured it! I was 12 (it was before my birthday) and when I presented it too my classmates, they looked at me like I was insane. And I explained it pretty well. I think it depends on the emotional age of the person. Well, I got the LOTR one volume edition for my 13th b-day, and really was going to read it, and got about 1/2 way through the FOTR before my backpack (and back!) just about broke from the weight. So, I decided to get the single volumes out of the library. Finally, this year, I'm 15 now, my high school library got the FOTR in (someone "lost it") so I devoured it, And went and bought the other two. Read all in under two weeks, about two months ago. So, I'm a newbie to the Tolkien world, but am very much in love with it. I plan to reread it multiple times, to understand even deeper the subplots and enjoy the characters. (Next pet I get will be called Frodo or Legolas or Arwen. Not sure yet!)

[Eorl of Rohan]

I can't believe people read LOTR when they were seven or so! It is a very difficult book - or is it so because English is not my native language?

[ArathorofBarahir]

I was 15.

[Lalwendë]

I was 12 - so it says in my very first message, just posted - and I won't ever forget first reading it! I pinched it from my brother, and it took me a couple of weeks because I enjoyed it so much I made sure I read it really slowly, so as not to accidentally miss anything!

I used to take it to school and sneak into the cloakroom and hide every break so I could read in peace. When I emerged from the book, my friends were horrified to find I had been changed utterly! I got so much from it - I got into linguistics, mythology, folklore, weaponry, the list goes on... I also got into bother for spoiling the book spines...

[Lindalirien O Lorien]

I was nine when I first read the Hobbit. When I was ten I picked up the Fellowship of the Ring for the first time. I have read all three of the books over the past four year several times. Now I am fourteen and just picked up the Silmarillon yesterday. (I know it took me so long to finally start it but I've been reading other books lately) I am on chapter five or six (can't remember at the moment) and love it already.

[mark12_30]

Hobbit: 11. LOTR: 12.

That was thirty years ago.

Middle-Earth was my "neighborhood" that I grew up in. Good neighbors.

[Fingolfin II]

I was 10 when I first read the Hobbit and 12 when I read LoTR. I read The Return of the King first, then the Fellowship, then TTT. I only read RoTK because of Gandalf and Frodo, so I abandoned it. When I turned 13 I read all the books again and loved it. I read the Sil when I was 14, as well as Lost Tales and the Quenta. I'm 15 now.

haahaa im still on the 4th chapter of the fellowship... ...i liek the movie better

[DarkRose]

I was about.. 11 when my dad first tried to read FotR to me. (It sort of a family tradition to read the LotR books to the kids when they get old enough. ;D) We got a bit into it, up until the Tom Bombadil area, when I decided to quit. I know, I know. I suppose I just wasn't ready.

After seeing the FotR movie a couple of years ago, I was inspired to give the books another try. I was 13, then. I picked up Fellowship, finished it, loved it. Picked up Towers, finished it, loved it. Picked up Return, loved it, finished it. This took about a year.

So, I read LOTR from age 13 to age 14. It was a marvelous experience.

[Miriel Undomiel]

I bought LotR after my confirmation. I had then just turned 14. Read the Hobbit and the Silmarill right after I finished LotR.

[starkat]

I didn't read the LotR until this past December. I have since read The Hobbit and The Simarillion and am working on The Unfinished Tales.

I read the FotR at 14 as a liturature project in High school. That was quite a few years ago. Managed to get one of the First Printing, First Edition hard bound Silms when they hit the shelves, actually had one pre-ordered at the book store, got the 4th one out of the box! Have not read much in the HoME set yet.

[Mad Baggins]

In eighth grade, when I was 13, my teacher had the books. Unfortunately, the first one was snatched up by my friend so I had to start with Book One of Two Towers. Of course, I had no idea whatsoever about anything that was going on, so I set it aside. Then I found a box set in my basement and got to work on the Fellowship.

I read the Hobbit in like 6th grade and then again in 8 grade and I realzed that I didn't understand a bit of it the first time around. And I think that I started the books in like 7th or 8th grade. My friend got them for me for Christmas.