I've had the 3-books-in-one since 1997 and I haven't got passed page 180 or so, where Tom Bombadill comes into it. I've tried at least half-a-dozen times.
Finally got my wife to read Lord of the Rings and look what she did to it
Oh no sacrilege
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I've had the 3-books-in-one since 1997 and I haven't got passed page 180 or so, where Tom Bombadill comes into it. I've tried at least half-a-dozen times.
Agree H the part with Tom Bombadill and the old forest is a challenge to get through but if you can get past that it's well worth it
Yeah my wife and her family are book destroyers. I had some pristine Dune books back from when I first read them in the early 80's and lent them to my father in-law and they came back in a distressing state.
I read a lot on the iPad now and there is no way I'm lending that to them
I'm a bad one for this too. I read the covers off all my favourite books.
Therefore whenever I'm out, I'll trawl the 2nd hand book stores for more copies. (all of Heinleins work is out of print now) I picked up a box full of brand new Heinleins printed in the 70's off Ebay. Ended up costing around $8 a volume landed, from the US.
Hmmmm, I wonder if I should start collecting them in other languages too?
Read LOTR series twice at least, The Hobbit a couple of times, Dune about 3 times ( all of them including the ones the son put out after his death) . William Gibson's Neuromancer, Idoru, Burning Chrome and others. Still got most of them in one piece. How come some people destroy them by just reading them?
I've had my hardback LOTRwith simarillion (4 books) since 1979 - I've read them several times - I must admit, the paper fly cover is missing from one of them but otherwise they are internally pristine.
My paperback copy of Pride and Prejudice (printed 1989) has been read at least a dozen times and is starting to show some wear. but the spine is still not broken.
What did you think of the Silmarrillion Jen ?
Kind of confusing, seems to be more of a reference book to events and things but it doesn't really connect with LOTR or The Hobbitt. Almost like Tolkien was building a whole new culture just for the heck of it.
Avatar before Avatar ...
Sillmarillion was the collection of notes that JRR made to hold the concept together as he wrote The Hobbit and the Trilogy.
After his death his boys tried to get it together into a book - but of course it is a history book and not a story.
I suppose one could call it background. I found it boring and read it in patches over a period of several months. It did show how thorough JRR was though. The detail is just amazing.
It's not -all- bad. It's actually a number of books of varying quality and completeness. If you know how it came to be written you will understand why it tends to be disjointed. And Tolkien's sons didn't inherit their fathers literary style. However there are some good tales and, more importantly perhaps, it fills in a lot of the background for LOTR. It answers questions like:
Who are the Valar, what is the undying land and why can't mortals go there?
What are the origins of Elves, Dwarves and Men?
Who is Sauron, who was his master?
Who are the Wizards?
Who is this Elbereth that the Elves sing of and why is the mention of her name more dangerous to a Nazgul than a sword?
Why are the Elves leaving Middle-Earth and why must they all make a final choice when Elrond leaves?
What were the 'seven stars, seven stones and one white tree'?
What is that light in Galadriel's phial and why is it so powerful?
What is the origin of dragons and balrogs?
It's been years since I read it - it looks like it's time again.
Read LOTR series twice at least, The Hobbit a couple of times, Dune about 3 times ( all of them including the ones the son put out after his death) . William Gibson's Neuromancer, Idoru, Burning Chrome and others. Still got most of them in one piece. How come some people destroy them by just reading them?
Because I read in the bath, while I'm eating, on the bus, plane etc.
I've been known to read in the shower if there is a really good bit in the book!
but if you can get past that it's well worth it 
