Order of Reading Tolkien books

[Strider1212]

:confused: OK, I just read the hobbit, and I loved the story. So, now that I read this, I thought that I was going to read the Lord or the rings trilogy. However, I now see that there are many other books that tell about the stories of middle-Earth. e.g.
The Silmarillion, The History of Middle Earth, The Hobbit, The Lord of the Rings, any others I missed?, etc.
So, I want to get all I can out of these books, and I wanted to know the order I should read these books in. So I kind of had one lead into the next. If you could help that'd be cool Thanks.:D

[Courtney]

If I were you, I'd read LOTR, the Sil, and then LOTR again. I think that would be best. I think it's nice to read LOTR once without knowing all the background stuff. I didn't really care for the histories of ME.

[Grond]

Personally, I'd start with the Hobbit. It's a fairly fast and easy read and will get you into Tolkien's world without being totally inundated with a whole new world with the confusion of the Ring you know nothing of yet.

Then read Lord of the Rings. Next would be the Sil. Read the Sil. slowly, over a number of weeks reading only a chapter or two a day. It is a more difficult read but one that is more enjoyable as you get more into the world of Middle-earth. If you become addicted then the Unfinished Tales, Histories of Middle-earth and Letters of J. R. R. Tolkien are a must to complete any Tolkien library. I also have Farmer Giles of Ham and Smith of Wooten Minor. They are very short books and not necessarily about Middle-earth but are fun reads all the same.

And, by the way, Hail and well met. Welcome to our humble forum.
:)

[goofoofighter]

Okay... I am almost done with The Hobbit, but my friend is borrowing Part One of the LOTR trilogy. I've seen the movie, is that enough to just move on to Part Two and still understand it? Or would it be best for me to wait? *hopes waiting is not needed* Could I, when I finish the Hobbit, skip to Part Two of LOTR, and then read Part One when I get it back (Then, of course, move on to Part Three)?

[Ciryaher]

No! The movie left out a lot of stuff. READ THE BOOK! :D

Would you rather use fresh herbs in a recipe or processed chemical flavorings?

A movie is never a substitue for a book :)

[goofoofighter]

The only problem with that is that my friend is borrowing LOTR: Fellowship of the Ring. She's had it for some time now, and is still somewhere in the beginning and won't be done anytime soon. I don't have the patience to wait... What should I do??

[Grond]

Go buy another copy right now or check one out from the library. Do not progress to book two only having seen the movie. It doesn't give you the whole story.:)

By the way, welcome to the forum.