This is one in a series of posts where the content is provided by a guest who has graciously answered five questions about their experience as a Tolkien reader. I am very humbled that anyone volunteers to spend time in this busy world to answer questions for my blog, and so I give my sincerest thanks to Andrew and the other participants for this.

To see the idea behind this project, check out this page

I want to thank Donato Giancola for allowing me to use his stunning portrait of J.R.R Tolkien as the featured image for this project. If you would like to purchase print of this painting, they are available on his website!

If you would like to contribute your own experience, you can do so by using the form on the contact page, or by emailing me directly.

Now, on to Andrew Higgins’s responses:

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How were you introduced to Tolkien’s work?

My father Robert Higgins was a lover of Tolkien and member of the New York Tolkien Society.  He read my brother Tom and I The Hobbit when I was about 7 and The Lord of the Rings when I was 8.  This was usually after dinner and I can still hear my father doing all the voices – he was a great Gandalf! 

What is your favorite part of Tolkien’s work?

No surprise it is Tolkien’s invention of languages and how they are intertwined with his myth-making.  From the earliest time I can remember I was fascinated with the Appendix on languages and the writing systems.  

What is your fondest experience of Tolkien’s work?

My dad reading the final “Grey Heavens” chapter [from The Lord of the Rings] and meeting him years later at the Medieval gate of The Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York when he presented my brother and I with our own copies of the newly published The Silmarillion (which I went home and tried to read in one night).

Has the way you approach Tolkien’s work changed over time?

Yes, I have become much more interested in the art of both myth-making and language invention that make up the world-building of Tolkien’s legendarium.  I have also become more interested in how Tolkien’s love and passion for primary world myth and language – through philology – informed his creative building of his legendarium.  

Would you ever recommend Tolkien’s work? Why/Why not?

OF COURSE!!!!  Tolkien’s creativity has given us a world with a depth of reality we can enter into (from various points) and explore – through which Tolkien tells some really brilliant stories which reflect in the secondary world the hopes, fears, and dreams of our own world.   

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You can find more from Andrew at his Facebook page!

This is one in a series of posts where the content is provided by a guest who has graciously answered five questions about their experience as a Tolkien reader. I am very humbled that anyone volunteers to spend time in this busy world to answer questions for my blog, and so I give my sincerest thanks to PL and the other participants for this.

To see the idea behind this project, check out this page

I want to thank Donato Giancola for allowing me to use his stunning portrait of J.R.R Tolkien as the featured image for this project. If you would like to purchase print of this painting, they are available on his website!

If you would like to contribute your own experience, you can do so by using the form on the contact page, or by emailing me directly.

Now, on to PL’s responses:

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How were you introduced to Tolkien’s work?

A friend of my parents (English professor) gave it to me for my 10th birthday.

What is your favorite part of Tolkien’s work?

I used to say it was the Lord of the Rings but as I have grown older I have come to appreciate The Silmarillion far more. It is epic in scope, rich in description and full of complex, nuanced characters. Each time I read it I seem to find something new to explore–a character I may have overlooked, a turn of phrase that did not catch my attention on an earlier reading, details about a favorite character that I had not fully appreciated.

What is your fondest experience of Tolkien’s work?

Sharing my love of Tolkien with my children and having them share this love of Middle-earth with me.

Has the way you approach Tolkien’s work changed over time?

Yes. I used to reread it purely for enjoyment of the story and reunion with beloved characters. But now I have delved further into the scholarship and Christopher Tolkien’s later publications: HoME, Unfinished Tales, Letters, Hammond and Scull’s work, the Tolkien Professor and more. On first encountering Tolkien I was a child–the story and characters of The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings appealed to me. I had a hard time with The Silmarillion initially–I was so excited to buy it when it first came out. I was 11 and I found it a difficult read at that time.

Would you ever recommend Tolkien’s work? Why/Why not?

I recommend it constantly. To children, young adults, adult friends. These stories are epic in scope but the characters are timeless. Flawed, funny, brave, grim, faithless, loyal–all characteristics humans share. The friendships in these tales are so uplifting.

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This is one in a series of posts where the content is provided by a guest who has graciously answered five questions about their experience as a Tolkien reader. I am very humbled that anyone volunteers to spend time in this busy world to answer questions for my blog, and so I give my sincerest thanks to Richard Rowland and the other participants for this.

To see the idea behind this project, check out this page

I want to thank Donato Giancola for allowing me to use his stunning portrait of J.R.R Tolkien as the featured image for this project. If you would like to purchase print of this painting, they are available on his website!

If you would like to contribute your own experience, you can do so by using the form on the contact page, or by emailing me directly.

Now, on to Richard Rowland’s responses:

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How were you introduced to Tolkien’s work?

An English teacher (Mr Coot) I had for one term in 1965 read to my class for one period a week from The Fellowship of The Ring, by the end of that term he had finished reading the book to us. Sadly we got a new teacher the next term so this was not continued, however two of us got hooked.

What is your favorite part of Tolkien’s work?

This is a difficult one to answer. My favourite story from the First Age is “Of Tuor and his coming to Gondolin” – its a great pity this was never finished. Re: his non legendarium books my favourite is “The Fall of Arthur” and of course a favourite is Lord of the Rings.

What is your fondest experience of Tolkien’s work?

I guess this must be the first time I read Lord of the Rings in 1965.

Has the way you approach Tolkien’s work changed over time?

Yes definitely my approach has changed. As I have got older I have wanted to read more of Tolkien’s work – I only have Sir Garwain still to read, however my main interest is the Legendarium and not so much his other books.

Would you ever recommend Tolkien’s work? Why/Why not?

I always recommend Professor Tolkien’s work and have compiled a suggested order for reading his books. In my opinion no one else has ever compiled a fictional world that has so much depth – this is hinted at in the Lord of the Rings – however this only scratches the surface and any serious study of the legendarium must include the Silmarillion (although admittedly I still battle with the creation section). Also I strongly recommend people should see his paintings and sketches as Professor Tolkien was a very fine artist as well as being a good author. I recently showed my copy of J R R Tolkien Artist and Illustrator to a friend who only has a passing interest in Tolkien’s work and he commented that he was impressed with the variety of styles Professor Tolkien used depending on the context of the painting or sketch – something that I had not thought about before.

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For more Middle-earth fun with Richard Rowland, check out the Middle-earth themed Facebook group that he moderates!

This is one in a series of posts where the content is provided by a guest who has graciously answered five questions about their experience as a Tolkien reader. I am very humbled that anyone volunteers to spend time in this busy world to answer questions for my blog, and so I give my sincerest thanks to BlueberryMuffins76 and the other participants for this.

To see the idea behind this project, check out this page

I want to thank Donato Giancola for allowing me to use his stunning portrait of J.R.R Tolkien as the featured image for this project. If you would like to purchase print of this painting, they are available on his website!

If you would like to contribute your own experience, you can do so by using the form on the contact page, or by emailing me directly.

Now, on to BlueberryMuffins76’s responses:

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How were you introduced to Tolkien’s work?

My mother has owned the [LotR] trilogy, The Hobbit, and The Silmarillion ever since her teenage years and has always been fond of the latter four. In fact, I had to check out The Fellowship of the Ring from the library before I finally obtained my own copy because her copy (a paperback) had been loved and read so much it was missing the first fifty pages! So I became interested in them when I was in my early to mid teen years and have enjoyed most things Tolkien ever since!

What is your favorite part of Tolkien’s work?

Choose just one favorite part?!? As far as an entire book goes, I must say The Two Towers is my absolute favorite. However, my top two favorite stories are The Adventures of Tom Bombadil (one of my favorite characters) and Beren and Luthien as found in The Silmarillion, not The Lost Tales. I really enjoyed finally buying the book Beren and Luthien; having the various versions in one place is awesome!

What is your fondest experience of Tolkien’s work?

Again, that is a tough question! My favorite memories are writing fanfictions with my best friend, particularly about Dirhael and Ivorwen.(Their story is the third installment of our Legends of Love short series).

Has the way you approach Tolkien’s work changed over time?

I think my approach changed a little when I started writing fanfictions in college. I began researching more, finding I needed to learn more in order to make my stories accurate (although I will say I take a lot of license with some of them!). As I learned more about Tolkien’s life, it helped me to understand his writing a little more, especially why he seems to kill off so many people. He was certainly a gifted author and a very brilliant man!

Would you ever recommend Tolkien’s work? Why/Why not?

Yes! I quite frequently suggest people read the books since the films are so popular. While I do enjoy the movies, the books are ever so much better and contain a depth that the films do not and cannot accurately portray. The films even changed some of the characters’ personalities, so seeing the deviations from Tolkien’s written works are interesting. As I said before, Tolkien was quite a gifted author and certainly deserves his place in the classics!

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For more great insights from BlueberryMuffins76, you can find her on The Council of Elrond and on FanFiction.net

This is one in a series of posts where the content is provided by a guest who has graciously answered five questions about their experience as a Tolkien reader. I am very humbled that anyone volunteers to spend time in this busy world to answer questions for my blog, and so I give my sincerest thanks to Joe and the other participants for this.

To see the idea behind this project, check out this page

I want to thank Donato Giancola for allowing me to use his stunning portrait of J.R.R Tolkien as the featured image for this project. If you would like to purchase print of this painting, they are available on his website!

If you would like to contribute your own experience, you can do so by using the form on the contact page, or by emailing me directly.

Now, on to Joe Hoffman’s responses:

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How were you introduced to Tolkien’s work?

A classmate showed up with the Tolkien Calendar (Tim Kirk, 1975). I was curious, so he lent me the books on a Tuesday. I read The Hobbit in a couple of evenings, and inhaled the entire Lord of the Rings over the weekend.

What is your favorite part of Tolkien’s work?

It changes every time my life enters a new stage. At the moment, I enjoy imagining how Bilbo lived in the Shire in the years between The Hobbit and The Unexpected Party. I too am a sort of old man, happy with his books and his gardens. When I find likely youngsters, I make sure they‘re made aware of a wider world than the one about which their schools tell them. I too get occasional sidelong looks from my more respectable neighbors.

What is your fondest experience of Tolkien’s work?

In college, I loved to talk about books. But I’m a scientist, so my views about them were idiosyncratic and ignorant. I met an English major who thought my ideas were amusing, and who showed me there were other, much better ways to read books. Tolkien was the only author we both enjoyed. She married me.

Has the way you approach Tolkien’s work changed over time?

Of course! You can’t step into the same river twice, and you can’t read The Lord of the Rings the same way twice.

Would you ever recommend Tolkien’s work? Why/Why not?

I would recommend his books to anyone. Different ones first, depending on the person. Some people don’t like them; they are not of our Fellowship; no harm done. It would be a tragedy, though, if someone were a lover of Tolkien who never read him.

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You can see regular blog posts about Tolkien and many other subject from Joe on his website: www.idiosophy.com

This is one in a series of posts where the content is provided by a guest who has graciously answered five questions about their experience as a Tolkien reader. I am very humbled that anyone volunteers to spend time in this busy world to answer questions for my blog, and so I give my sincerest thanks to Geoffrey and the other participants for this.

To see the idea behind this project, check out this page

I want to thank Donato Giancola for allowing me to use his stunning portrait of J.R.R Tolkien as the featured image for this project. If you would like to purchase print of this painting, they are available on his website!

If you would like to contribute your own experience, you can do so by using the form on the contact page, or by emailing me directly.

Now, on to Geoffrey B. Elliott’s responses:

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How were you introduced to Tolkien’s work?

There’s not so much one watershed moment as a slow realization of and acclimation to the work. My local bookstore, Books to Share in Kerrville, more or less introduced me to the genre, and the shop’s owner, Gloria, made several suggestions that slowly spurred me to pick up Tolkien–beginning a series of re/readings that has continued for more than twenty years, now. (And which reminds me: I need to do the re-read again.)

What is your favorite part of Tolkien’s work?

Hm. Really hard to say with that one. I suppose the easy answer would be to cite some passage in Lord of the Rings, but, in truth, I’ve gotten more use out of “On Fairy-Stories” than just about anything else he wrote. While incomplete in itself, the essay forms a useful starting point for criticism of fantasy literature, one I’ve deployed on several occasions.

What is your fondest experience of Tolkien’s work?

Reading The Hobbit to my daughter. It was the first book I read to her (and I need to do so again), and having her infant self contentedly cooing and gurgling at me as I did…yeah. Good times.

Has the way you approach Tolkien’s work changed over time?

It could scarcely not. I went from being a passive consumer of the work to an avid devourer of it as I came up through high school. In college, Tolkien was a source of comfort, something of a cultural touchstone and a springboard for undergraduate research. In graduate school, it undergirded my early efforts and led to my MA project on Robin Hobb; as I have moved into and through my PhD and onward, it has fostered the Tales after Tolkien Society, which remains my primary engagement with the better parts of academe. Even now, Tolkien’s corpus continues to be a reference point for how I read fantasy as a genre.

Would you ever recommend Tolkien’s work? Why/Why not?

Clearly, there are problems with the writing. That the Middle-earth corpus arises from Tolkien’s linguistic project is clear, and the man’s poetry is not the best. Too, there are time- and place-of-composition-specific concerns that end to make modern readers cringe. But Tolkien’s work in fantasy is pivotal to the genre, and his work on older Germanic languages remains useful, so he still needs reading–with eyes open, of course.

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You can see regular blog posts from Geoffrey on Tolkien, as well as other writers and education topics, on his fantastic blog: https://elliottrwi.com/

Full disclosure, I also work on the leadership team of the Tales After Tolkien Society with Geoffrey!

This is one in a series of posts where the content is provided by a guest who has graciously answered five questions about their experience as a Tolkien reader. I am very humbled that anyone volunteers to spend time in this busy world to answer questions for my blog, and so I give my sincerest thanks to Olga and the other participants for this.

To see the idea behind this project, check out this page

I want to thank Donato Giancola for allowing me to use his stunning portrait of J.R.R Tolkien as the featured image for this project. If you would like to purchase print of this painting, they are available on his website!

If you would like to contribute your own experience, you can do so by using the form on the contact page, or by emailing me directly.

Now, on to Olga Polomoshnova’s responses:

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How were you introduced to Tolkien’s work?

Looking back, it now seems that Tolkien’s books found me, rather than I was introduced to them by someone. In my second year at university, studying English philology, I bought three volumes of The Lord of the Rings at a book sale in the main hall. I cannot explain now what made me pick up these books: I was aware of Tolkien’s work, of course, but did not consider reading it at that time. But when I saw these volumes in the box I just took them and that was it.
I did not read the books at that time, though. It was only many years later, long after my graduation from university, when I finally took them from the shelf and was able to enjoy the beautiful language and the story created by the author. However, I do not consider those years as lost (I could have read so much Tolkien so much earlier!) because I am sure his mythology entered my life exactly when it was meant to.

2. What is your favorite part of Tolkien’s work?

I love how many-layered and dimensional Tolkien’s stories are. You can re-read his books every year and still find a lot of things you did not notice before. There is great depth in his works that shows in shorter stories and poems, too. Tolkien’s world feels and appears real due to how greatly detailed, worked out and thought out everything about it is.

3. What is your fondest experience of Tolkien’s work?

Reading The Silmarillion for the first time. It was at the very beginning of January 2013, right after the New Year’s celebration. I had ten days off work and spent them all reading The Silmarillion non-stop while the world outside was quiet and covered with snow. I still remember the feeling of awe, enchantment and excitement on gradually discovering the tales while curling up on the sofa.

4. Has the way you approach Tolkien’s work changed over time?

I think it has, in a way. Now I like looking closely into the tales, legends and verse that Tolkien loved alongside reading and re-reading his own books. Learning more about Anglo-Saxon, Old Norse or Finnish ancient literature helps me understand Tolkien’s work better, adds a new dimension to my appreciation of his stories.

5. Would you ever recommend Tolkien’s work? Why/Why not?

I would recommend it gladly. In my opinion, his work is the finest example of fantasy literature written with great depth, in exquisite language, with love and care that few books can rival.

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You can see regular blog posts about Tolkien from Olga on her fantastic blog: http://www.middleearthreflections.com/

This is the third in a series of posts where the content is provided by a guest who has graciously answered five questions about their experience as a Tolkien reader. I am very humbled that anyone volunteers to spend time in this busy world to answer questions for my blog, and so I give my sincerest thanks to Old Badger-brock and the other participants for this.

To see the idea behind this project, or if you are interested in sharing your own, visit the project homepage. If you enjoy this series, please consider helping us fund the project using the support page.

I want to thank Donato Giancola for allowing me to use his artwork for this project. Prints are available on his website!

Now, on to Old Badger-brock’s responses:

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How were you introduced to Tolkien’s work?

My mother introduced my brothers and me to The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings with a set of paperbacks when I was age 11. I recall her reading portions of The Hobbit to us.

What is your favorite part of Tolkien’s work?

I’m not certain how to interpret “part”. Do you mean which work, what particular scene in that work, or what aspect or attribute of Tolkien’s works? I’ll answer the first two.

My favorite work is The Lord of the Rings. It’s a wonderful work from beginning to end, but my very favorite scenes are “The Bridge of Khazad-dûm” (especially Tolkien’s use of the drums to build and diminish tension) and Éowyn’s encounter with the Lord of the Nazgûl in “The Battle of Pelennor Fields” (especially Éowyn’s speech to him). If I had to choose between the two, I’d pick the latter.

What is your fondest experience of Tolkien’s work?

That’s a difficult question to answer. I love all my experiences with his work! Perhaps my fondest experience is reading portions of it aloud to my wife. Although I’ve read his works many times, I find I still get emotional during certain passages. Tolkien’s words are so beautiful, as are the scenes they describe. C.S. Lewis wonderfully described LotR when he stated “here are beauties which pierce like swords or burn like cold iron”. Being able to share Tolkien’s words with the one dearest to me, and to communicate how meaningful they are to me, is particularly gratifying.

Has the way you approach Tolkien’s work changed over time?

Yes and no. (How’s that for an Elven response!) “Yes” because I first read them as a youth, and now that I am in my mid-50s my understanding of both Tolkien’s works and the world we live in has greatly increased. “No” because Tolkien’s words and what they express are timeless. There should be no change in interpretation from when they were published in the ’50s to when I first read them in the ’70s to now in the 2010s. The only change would be the greater understanding now possible due to the publication of The Silmarillion, Unfinished Tales, Letters, HoME, etc.

Would you ever recommend Tolkien’s work? Why/Why not?

An easy question! Yes, of course I would recommend them, and have. Tolkien’s works have great appeal simply as an adventure story, but the more mature reader finds applicability to their lives and the lives of others. His words stir both the emotions and the intellect. I would not recommend LotR and similar works, e.g., The Silmarillion, to younger readers, but The Hobbit was written with children in mind and should be enjoyed by them.

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You can see regular comments about Tolkien and other subjects from Old Badger-brock by following his Twitter account: @oldbadgerbrock

This is one in a series of posts where the content is provided by a guest who has graciously answered five questions about their experience as a Tolkien fan.

To see the idea behind this project, or if you are interested in sharing your own, visit the project homepage. If you enjoy this series, please consider helping us fund the project using the support page.

I want to thank Donato Giancola for allowing me to use his artwork for this project. Prints are available on his website!

Now, on to Rhiuial’s responses:

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How were you introduced to Tolkien’s work?

Picked up Unfinished Tales in a bookshop aged 18 and got thoroughly hooked!

What is your favorite part of Tolkien’s work?

The Silmarillion, but especially: Of The Fifth Battle: Nirnaeth Aernoediad.

What is your fondest experience of Tolkien’s work?

Too many !

Has the way you approach Tolkien’s work changed over time?

Yes. I now much prefer reading the books chronologically.

Would you ever recommend Tolkien’s work? Why/Why not?

I have done frequently, why not?? A great way of developing imagination/escapism

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This is the first in a series of posts where the content is provided by a guest who has graciously answered five questions about their experience as a Tolkien reader. I am very humbled that anyone volunteers to spend time in this busy world to answer questions for my blog, and so I give my sincerest thanks to Tom and the other participants for this.

To see the idea behind this project, or if you are interested in sharing your own, visit the project homepage. If you enjoy this series, please consider helping us fund the project using the support page.

I want to thank Donato Giancola for allowing me to use his artwork for this project. Prints are available on his website!

Now, on to Tom H’s responses:

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How were you introduced to Tolkien’s work?

As a boy I was enchanted by anything to do with the ancient world or mythology. At about 10 I came across Conan the Barbarian, first in some mass market reprints, and then in Marvel Comics. In those days comic books had letters to the editor. People would write in and Stan Lee would respond. A famous example of this is the letter a teenage G.R.R. Martin wrote in about the Fantastic Four, which was published and I’ve seen it, I think, on his website.

The summer I was eleven (1971) I read a letter someone had sent in about a previous issue of Conan, saying that the battle scene in it was the best thing he had read since “The Siege of Gondor” in The Lord of the Rings.  This sounded too good to resist, and I found the three books on a spinner rack at a local newspaper store. I bought Fellowship and burned through it. I did the same with The Two Towers, and literally ran out the door to get The Return of the King after reading “Frodo was alive, but taken by the enemy.” As soon as I finished, I read it again.  For about ten or twelve years after this I read it 2-3 times a year.

I read The Hobbit, too, but only a couple of times. After The Lord of the Rings it just didn’t seem very substantial, though I liked many of the characters. (I have a much higher opinion of The Hobbit these days.) I had probably read The Lord of the Rings fifteen times by the time The Silmarillion appeared in 1977. Unlike many first time readers of The Silmarillion, I had no difficulty with it. I devoured it. There wasn’t anything like the amount of stuff on Tolkien in those days, but I read everything I could get my hands on. I still have these books 40 years later.

What is your favorite part of Tolkien’s work?

A very tough choice, given that I’ve been reading it for over 40 years. Different parts have been my favorites at different ages. When I was a boy, the horns of the Rohirrim were my favorite, and they are still hard to beat.  The courage and love of Merry and Eowyn fighting through their fear, to face the Witch-king. Strider singing of Beren and Luthien. Finrod and Sauron’s duel of song. Luthien’s demolition of Sauron. The leap of Beren. The description of Sam standing by the side of the sea on the Grey Havens far into the night.  Tuor being granted the ability to see with ‘the swift sight of the Valar’ for a moment. The paragraph in Akallabeth describing the wave overwhelming everything, last of all the Queen.

What is your fondest experience of Tolkien’s work?

Taking an hour and a half bus ride across town to buy The Silmarillion the day it came out, and starting to read it on the ride back. I don’t remember if I finished it that first night, but I don’t think I slept a bit. I am pretty sure I read all night long. All of this culminating in the moment when I finally got to learn more about Beren and Luthien. Until that moment, Strider’s song was pretty much all you could know.

Has the way you approach Tolkien’s work changed over time?

I am not entirely certain I know what you mean by “approach.” Nowadays I am more attuned to seeing how Tolkien does things than I was when I first read the text, and I do a lot of browsing in keeping with this. It’s also true that when I used to read it as a boy and as a teenager, I lived in the story, but now the story lives in me. The story, especially The Lord of the Rings, is like a friend I love spending time with. We know each other well.

Would you ever recommend Tolkien’s work? Why/Why not?

Of course. At its simplest it’s a wonderful tale, but it’s also an amazingly rich world that helps to recover my soul from the “real” world, and thus it allows me to face the world better.

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You can see regular blog posts about Tolkien from Tom on his fantastic blog: http://alasnotme.blogspot.com/