I did not mean to imply that I don't like introductions, appendices, etc. Once I have purchased a book (assuming that the book is worthwhile) I'll read everything in it.
I enjoy the appendices in LOTR almost more than anything because they are so historical (and I do love my history).
It is just that if I am making my first acquaintance with a book (say picked up from the shelf in a bookstore) I'll almost always dive into the middle of the story hoping to find something good. I never read the Intro before I get a book. (This was not how I made my acquaintance with Tolkien, by the way).
Of course, I'm kind of weird because I have been known to read an entire series of books backwards or start in the middle and read to the end and then start at the beginning. This naturally leads to a great amount of confusion about the story.
Perhaps I need to mend my ways.
Anyway,
In a loose comparison between the Shire and our world, it strikes me as odd (sort of) that people can be dissatisfied with an imperfect world and at the same time be dissatisfied with a perfect world. In an imperfect world there is too much suffering and hardship and in a perfect world it is too boring. It sounds like we are doomed to dissatisfaction.
(Let's see if that comment stirs things up a little.
)