Lord Of the Rings: Questions

[DarK SagE]

I deicided that i wanna read LOTR and I have some questions. First of all what eddition should i pick up? I heard that ilustrations and maps are important for this book and given the book's nature i would prefer something that has a nice (for lack of a btter word) fealing to it.

Also shold i read teh Hobit first? I remeber my mom read it to me when i was like 5 but im sure that does not count

 

[Zeeliv]

I'd read the hobbit first. I think reading a version with just maps, no other pictures is better. The descriptions in the books are so great I think some things would be ruined by any artists view of them...as far as I know Tolkien never did pictures for any version and he's the only person I'd trust to depict anything how he meant it to be.

 

[DarK SagE]

yeh true the artists depiction of dune in the movie ans miniseries realy fvcked it up for me.

 

[Midnight Rambler]

Zeeliv is right, first read The Hobbit, then LOTR.

I'd buy one of those special millenium edition sets.

 

[yakko]

One with maps would be good. If you get one with pictures make sure the artwork is by the Brothers Hildebrandt. They did an awesome job of depicting the characteers and scenery.

 

[Aquaman]

I read the Hobbit first then the LOTR A real good read then I thought I'd read Tolkiens other books (Silmarian sp?) and I got lost

Cheers,
Aquaman

 

[unxpurg8d]

If possible, find a copy of the BBC's broadcast of The Lord of The Rings. It's 13 CDs long and absolutely perfectly done. It will bring the books to life for you. I probably listen to my set once a month while I'm doing things around the house. It's THAT good!! Well worth the $40 or so you'll end up paying for it.

 

[Harrald]

You should read the Hobbit first. You have to remember that the Hobbit was written as a childrens book though. Try to keep that in mind since it is a easy and quick read. The LOTR books are much better. Also don't worry about pictures or maps. It's a book not a TV show or movie. You can just use your imagination.

Enjoy!!


And as always this is just MHO.

 

[Athanasius]

If you really want to understand Tolkien's world, read the Silmarillion first.

Or, read The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings, then read The Silmarillion.

Then go back and read the LOTR again, including all of the appendixes after The Return of the King.

Remember, as others have said, The Hobbit is written specifically for children. It's an awesome story, but I got a different flavor about dwarves, elves, etc. from the other books than I did from The Hobbit.

EDIT -typos

 

[syf3r]

agreed, the silmarillion is a must-read. the silmarils were, if i remember correctly, the jewels in the various rings... there were 7 rings given to humans (or was it 9?), three for the dwarves, five for the elves... etc etc... the silmarillion tells you a lot of background info, like the fact that gandalf, the wizard, is actually a demigod and not a human... he has one of the rings.. so does galadriel..

anyway, the silmarillion is a very difficult book to read, written in an arcane sort of style.. it was the first book he wrote and the last one he finished, begun when he was recovering from shellshock from being in the trenches in WWI.

-syf3r.

 

[DarK SagE]

See, thats the only thing thats turning me off from reading The Hobbit, it has a very cartoonish flavor to it (if i remember correctly) it's gonna have me thinking about WarCraft to much

Kthanks for the advice guys ill chaeck out amazon.

 

[syf3r]

yeah but it lays the foundation for the trilogy that follows... the fact that gollum used to be a hobbit and he found the master ring, it corrupts him, and he spends the rest of his life trying to reclaim it after it's taken from him... he's actually an important character in the story. he's captured by sauron and then released, because sauron knows he will lead him to the ring he needs.
and yeah, it's a little catroonish, but if you look at wehy it is so, then the rest of the trilogy is also... the rest of the trilogy also has elves and dwarves and dragons and living trees... in any case, it *is* considered a classic of literature, so read it for that reason alone. it'll help you understand the rest of the story. then read the trilogy. then read the silmarillion, twice, and everything will snap into place.

-syf3r.

 

[Shalmanese]

this is very nice

bit expensive tho

 

[unxpurg8d]

No, go get a beat up set of the paperbacks so you can read 'em in the bathtub, bed, etc. 'cause once you start reading them they're addictive and you drag them EVERYwhere.


You can get the pretty set to LOOK after you've read the paperbacks to death.

 

[Midnight Rambler]

Good grief syf3r, you just gave away the story ... :Q

Also, excellent point about buying a set of cheap paperbacks for everyday reading. Then if you like it, buy a nice edition and put that away for display/collecting/whatever.

 

[zogar]

download the hobbit off napster. I did, and I enjoyed listening to it.

 

[kduncan5]

Even though The Hobbit was intended for a decidedly younger audience, you really need to struggle through it first. I just re-read The Hobbit, and am now reading LOTR. I got the Houghton Mifflin One Volume Edition (a large economy size paperback) of LOTR. It's got a few illustrations, but not many. It has the full Appendices in the back. Right now, I'm in the Mines of Moria -kd5-

 

[Demosthenes]

Youch.. I made it through the first few lines of syf3r's post before I realized what exactly I was reading:Q I'm usually not one to whine about spoilers but these books are loong, and it's taken me a while to get as far as I am (not even through the first book yet..)

 

[Triumph]

<< as far as I know Tolkien never did pictures for any version and he's the only person I'd trust to depict anything how he meant it to be. >>



incorrect. for the older releases (paperback), with the tan covers, the paintings on the covers of all three books were done by Tolkien. i like having these versions, although i've torn them up pretty good. i should try to find them again in better condition.

i found a near mint 50th anniversary edition hardback copy of the Hobbit in box at a yard sale for a dollar once. verrry nice copy, has more maps and some more general information. i gave it to a very good friend for christmas though. she'd have to be, for me to give that up.

 

[ForeverSilky]

Listen to the hobbit on cd like I did .

 

[NesuD]

Read the Hobbit that will get you going then read the LOTR after you have finished that read the Silmarillion It is a sort of history of middle earth and recounts many of the tales and legends that are referenced in LOTR. Hope you enjoy them as much as i did 25 years ago. Still have my first american printing of the Silmarillion. Just turned my 11 year old on to Tolkein and he is really entranced by the whole thing. I guess that real classics are timeless.

 

[apoppin]

No need to read The Hobbit first. The LOTR is pretty clear without reading it first. There are plenty of references that explain the finding of the Ring.

But if you really like LOTR, read the Appendixes and The Silmarillion. If you're inspired, read his Unfinished Tales. These works get progressively more difficult reading.

Drawing are unnecessary. Maps are helpful.

 

[Shalmanese]

dont you get hand cramps from a all-in-one paperback? even clancy novels hurt after a couple of hours so how the hell do you read that thing. IMO the best thing about the millenium edition after the stylish looks and boasting rights is that it comes in 7 rather than 3 volumes.