How were you Introduced to Tolkien's works?

[Ilúvatar]

How were you first introduced to Tolkien's world of Middle-earth? Feel free to share your story.

[Boromir]

Many years ago, in the land of the Shire- oh...

When I was about 10, I found out about the Hobbit somehow (don't remember). And I checked it out at the library. I've since read it 2 other times and I now own it. I did not read LOTR till this year.

[Elenawen]

I saw it @ my grandparent's house. I thought it looked cheesy, but I began reading The Hobbit and loved it! I've been obsessed ever since. ;D

[Lady of Light]

My friend said I should read it...so I did and loved it.

[Ilúvatar]

Well from my early reckoning - I was in Grade 7 or 8 and some Grade 6 kids in my school were playing D&D (I believe that was when D&D first became popular) and their leader was using The Hobbit as a guide. All I remember was thinking - how dumb. I mean there were better things to do, like go outside and play.

Then when I was a teenager, I saw a bit of a cartoon and loved it. I don't remember which one it was but the hobbits were cute (like baby duckling cute).

Fastward to college where friends were playing D&D and I became involved. I didn't really get into it, but was told to read Tolkien - it might help me understand better.

Well I'm still not into D&D but I love Tolkien writings!

So anyway I voted for friend/relative introducing me. It was many friends, but eventually I got it.

[Aislinn]

It was the movie for me. I feel into the whole hype i admit. It was online that i read about the books. And I am currently in the middle of the FOtR.

[Ilúvatar]

There is nothing wrong with falling for the hype - it lead you to a whole new world - Middle-earth!

[ShadowNinja]

Well the first I heard of it was my freinds telling me it was a great book. I never took the time to read it though and then one of my other freinds told me about the movie and let my family barrow their tape. After watching it I liked it alot although I've never been obsessed.

[Pandora]

My brother read the books but he only told me that when the first film was about to coming!
I watched the Fellowship of the Ring and I just loved! The next day I started to read the books...!!
And I've been a fan of LotR since that....

[Gil-galen]

I think my very first exposure to Tolkien was as a child in the late 70s. It was of course the Rankin/Bass cartoon production of 'the Hobbit'. I have a very distinct recollection of sitting in front of the TV entranced. I must've only been 6 or 7 years old. I think that very early impression and the feeling I got from the experience is ultimately what drew me irreversably to that imaginary world. In my twenties that interest blossumed into full blown fandom that at times probably approached addiction.

[Melime]

My ex-boyfriend (boyfriend at the time) loved LotR and he brought it one time he came to my house. I thought he was crazy because of how long the book was. Then..about two years later, FotR was about to come out and my brother worked at a theater..so I got my b/f all the free stuff I could since he loved it. He made me watch the movie with him when it came out and I loved it. And then I read LotR, The Hobbit, Sil, and anything else Tolkien I could get my hands on. So I voted family or friend recommended it, but it was the movie too. Later when we broke up and i had given him all this sweet LotR stuff I was mad cuz I could have kept it for myself! lol

[WitchKing]

I must admit I found the movies before I ever found the books, When I first saw the fellowship of the ring's preview on a monitor in a supermarket I could only stop and gape, I had been writing a story early before i ever knew about Tolkien's works and found the 'Dark Riders' far too similar to the group of horse men in my story, though so much better written.
Seeing them on the screen before my eyes was intriguing, beautiful, and just a little bit scary.
After that I read all the books -Simarilion, and am a slight fan of the Nazgul and their King...
but only slightly... *winks*

[Elanor]

Weeellll...I read LOTR at around the age of 10 (in my own language, icelandic) and I vaguely remember liking it quite much. The Hobbit was, and still is I think, a required reading in English courses in college here, so there I read that. I had actually quite forgotten about the books until I read that the movies were coming out. I decided to not read them again before seeing the movies, but after watching FoTR I couldn't restrain myself...

[Manwë Súlimo]

I came across LOTR when I was a little kid, probably 6, when I was watching TV, and the Rankin/Bass The Return of the King was on I and saw a frog-like freak who was obsessed about a ring on a little man's finger bite the midget's finger while inside a volcano. I was scared and that image never left my poor little mind. Later, in 4th grade, I wasn't paying attention in Math cuz I saw an interesting little green book entitled The Hobbit. At Christmas I got that book and read it for hours and hours until I finished it. I immediately made it my fave book (next to The Bible). Then I read the LOTR and as I read about what happened in Amon Amarth (Mount Doom), I discovered the fragment of "horror" I saw on TV years ago replay vividly as ever and realized that that moment I glimpsed (I only saw the above scene cuz thats when I turned on the TV and I got too scared to watch further) was ROTK. I was so relieved I hadn't watched a cheesy horror cartoon and continued my obsession with LOTR to this day, 3 years later. I'm now reading Unfinished Tales and its very informative. Whoo...I've talked long enough.

[TrueElvenWarrior]

i hates tolkiens works until i saw the end of rotk
i absolutly luved it
i went out got ttt and then i read the books
man those are something else arent they?
those are the best books