J.R.R. Tolkien discussion

almost 6-7 times

I have read LOTR more times than I can count.

No less than 20 times in italian (i'm italian) and another 10 times english. From 1986 to 2006 I read it at least once a year

I have read it and The Hobbit once a year for the last 20 years

I think I'm on my 8th or 9th time all the way through. I've referred to it countless times. I've only read The Hobbit about 4 times or so. The Silmarillion about 3. Lost Tales, 2 or 3. Children of Hurin, twice. Love them all. I have not, however, read the History series, something I hope to remedy soon.

I first read The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings in 1968 when I was sixteen. Since then I have read The Hobbit at least four more times and The Lord of the Rings three more times. I rarely read a novel more than once, however much I like it. There are other books to read, worlds elsewhere.

I think about seven or eight. Need to read it again this year.

On my 15th time through. Ever since I started reading it, every time I get to the end I just start at the beginning again. I've read the Hobbit probably 6ish times and the Silmarillion 4.

I'm still working on reading the series as a whole for the first time. I have the last chapter of "The Two Towers" and all of "The Return Of The King" left. I've read all the others and seen all but the last Hobbit movie though and I was in a school production of "The Hobbit" as Gollum so not too shabby!

The trilogy? Over 40 times. It's been many years since I've read it though, but I read it 3 or 4 times a year until I was fifteen. That sounds pretty crazy to me now. ;-)

I'm not sure how many times I've read The Hobbit or The Silmarillion. I remember when I was 11 or so writing a story about how the Elves that stayed on in Middle Earth, hidden as a shadowy people, had their own history separate from man. I wish I had kept it.

I haven't really kept count. I actually read LOTR out of order the first time I read it (my school library didn't have Fellowship so I picked up Two Towers not realising it was the 2nd one and just read from there) so I've read Two Towers and Return of the King more than Fellowship, which I think was actually a really good move because I instantly identified with Aragorn and was very much invested in his story (and loved the Tale of Aragorn and Arwen when I found it in the appendices).

I've probably read The Hobbit hundreds of times, LOTR dozens, The Silmarillion a bunch of times, parts of the History of Middle-earth many times as well.

Heh, I've only read the Silmarillion twice.

I have read the Silmarillion and the Children of Hurin so far. I had read the Hobbit couple of years ago, and currently am re-reading it. The trilogy is next on my radar. Then, the History series which for me is the main target for this year.

Anne Marie wrote: "Michael wrote: "The trilogy? Over 40 times. It's been many years since I've read it though, but I read it 3 or 4 times a year until I was fifteen. That sounds pretty crazy to me now. ;-)

I'm not s..."

Thanks! I definitely will one day. I'm working at becoming a better writer first so that I can give it a fair treatment.

Kris wrote: "I'm still working on reading the series as a whole for the first time. I have the last chapter of "The Two Towers" and all of "The Return Of The King" left. I've read all the others and seen all bu..."
Well, the hobbit movies completely ruined the entire story, so don't put any of your time on them. The third one is not worth the time it takes, let alone the money.

I've read the LOTR twice and the Hobbit three times.

I have read The Hobbit and LOTR 12 times each.

The others in the series only once.

I have read The Hobbit and LOTR at least 20 times. I used to read them every year. Now I read them every other year but will also break them out whenever the need strikes me. My paperback copies are so worn the covers and pages are falling apart but luckily a friend gave me a new set of hardbacks this year! I also have them on my Kindle.

Every January, I re-read LOTR. It's been at least fifteen or so, but I seem to find new jewels each time that I'd overlooked before, so I keep at it.

LoTR was read about 4-5 times, Silma the same, Hobbit less than that, Unfinished Tales 3 or 4, Húrin 2. I already have the box from the HoME but not read it yet.

Three times from cover to cover. Countless chapter re-reads.

I've read the LotR 12 times, the Hobbit 2-3, the Sil 5, Children of Hurin 3, Unfinished Tales 2 and the HoMe set of 12 all the way through once. I also used to read the LotR every year but have been every other for the last couple reads.

Oh, I read the "Letters" once.

I recently finished reading LotR for the 3rd time (and reviewing each volume here on GR). I've read The Hobbit once, the Sil 3x, the Unfinished Tales once and the following volumes of HoME:

The Book of Lost Tales, Part One
The Book of Lost Tales, Part Two (I really like "The Fall of Gondolin" in this one, it's the reason I prefer Pt 2 to to Pt 1)
The Lost Road and Other Writings
The Lays of Beleriand
Morgoth's Ring (The real highlight here is "Athrabeth Finrod ah Andreth" of course)
The War of the Jewels

and:
The Tolkien Reader
The Children of Húrin
Beren and Lúthien

Beth wrote: "I recently finished reading LotR for the 3rd time (and reviewing each volume here on GR). I've read The Hobbit once, the Sil 3x, the Unfinished Tales once and the following volumes of HoME:

[book:..."

I love "the Fall of Gondolin" too! Idril is such a great leader in it. More strategic insight than most of the rest of the Noldor put together.

Between twenty and twenty-five, I think. I've slowed down a lot since I've started concentrating on specific aspects, like the linguistics and folklore, and in the last few years, the First World War references.

I've read all of the stuff in the Legendarium, and have recently rounded off the children's books by reading "Mr Bliss" which I have to admit was a bit of a slog, but great for his kids I have no doubt!

Hyarrowen wrote: "Between twenty and twenty-five, I think. I've slowed down a lot since I've started concentrating on specific aspects, like the linguistics and folklore, and in the last few years, the First World W..."
Mr, Bliss was my least favorite of Tolkien's children's works as well Hyarrowen. However, I thought both Roverandom and Farmer Giles of Ham were delightful, especially in audiobook format as read by Derek Jacobi. I'm looking forward to reading Letters from Father Christmas for the first time this holiday season!

Tara wrote: "Hyarrowen wrote: "Between twenty and twenty-five, I think. I've slowed down a lot since I've started concentrating on specific aspects, like the linguistics and folklore, and in the last few years,..."

Ooh! "Farmer Giles" as read by DJ? I'm getting that!

Enjoy the FC Letters; I think they're great fun, especially the Polar Bear.

I've read Lord of the Rings each year since I was about 12 or 13 (I may have skipped a few years in there, I can't remember) I'm 26 now. I always start on September 22nd. =D

I usually end up reading The Hobbit ever year too. I think it's been a while since I read The Silmarillion or any of the other books though.

I've read it 3 times, the first time when I was in my early twenties (late thirties now). I'm actually on my 4th re-read now in fact!

I read The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings for the first time when I was a senior in high school. That was more than 40 years ago, and for someone who only read mysteries, it was a wonderful introduction to the world of fantasy! Since then, I have read them aloud with my children when they were young, and lost track of the number of times I've read them by myself. The star of my Tolkien collection is a 50th anniversary, gold, illustrated edition of The Hobbit.

LotR was my Christmas book for years; I always tried to time it so that I finished on Christmas day. I read it every year from the time I was twelve till maybe 2009, and then something unpleasant happened and I haven't been able to read it through since. I've tried starting FotR about half a dozen times - no go. Maybe soon. (The plus side is that when I do reread it again it will almost be like coming to it for the first time!)

I've read this book around 15 times. Almost time to start it again lol. I'm currently into The Return of the Shadow, with the other volumes, concerns the history of the writing of LOTR. Great read if you're into how it all came to be. Someday I hope to completely wade through The Silmarillion. That book drives me to distraction.

Read LOTR about 6 times, that I can remember. I still have my original paperback copies, about 40 years old.

My mother read the Triology to me at age 4 or 5 so I grew up feeling as though I had. I would read bits and peices having access to the books and then finally finished it for myself in highschool.

I'm impressed with anyone who re-reads the triology annually though, but personally I'd rather re-read the Silmarillion.

For a long stretch, I was reading THE HOBBIT and THE LORD OF THE RINGS trilogy annually. Now my re-reading is not quite that frequent. My best estimate is that I have read/listened to audio books perhaps 15-20 times.

Trilogy books, lost track years ago but given it was an annual or more occurrence for years… plenty.

LOTR movies the family does it over Christmas-New Year’s week since I got my hands on (multiple copies) of the extended versions. Played one set so often I have replaced the bad discs from the back up sets until all the original first discs have their own “damaged” box and several unused sets. Started dating each time a disc was played.

Hobbit TBH never counted because at 600 wpm reading in my prime it was a day off read.

Silmarillion a few times but thirsting to read it again.

Lost Tales (both once.)

Unfinished Tales scattered bits and pieces.

Fall of Gondolin stalled out and just never finished, must correct that.

In its entirety about 4 times.

I first read Lord of the Rings when I was eleven, and within a year I'd read the entire trilogy thirteen times. It is probably accurate to say that I was obsessed. I think that may have been all I read. :)

Hobbit - probably nine or ten times.

The Silmarillion - at least ten times.

Other Tolkien books - Roverandom, Smith of Wootton Major, Farmer Giles of Ham, Leaf by Niggle - two or three times a piece.

Lost Tales 1 + 2 - the first, only once (the same goes for Lost Road and Other Writings), but the second, I read several times. As for Lays of Beleriand, Unfinished Tales, and Children of Hurin - I read all those two or three times each.

The Silmarillion and the Trilogy remain my favorites, though.