You could think of a million. The reasons people read Tolkien's works are numerous and differ from person to person, often being a combination of reasons...
Some of the more popular reasons: escapism, love of mythology, love of fairy-tales, the common fantasy features (dragons, wizards, etc.), interest in battles, interst in a somewhat medieval setting, the ideas of creation and the creators watching over it, good always has a way of winning, simple people accomplishing great tasks (the hobbits), etc. Sometimes it is the skeleton of the story alone that keeps people interested. It gives them a reason to hope. Others are just interested in reading a good book.
Tolkien's books satisfy all these tastes because of their spread of functionality. They can work on different levels...myths, history, fairy-tales, epic fantasy, the languages...all that while still being inspirational and thought-provoking.
[ August 15, 2002: Message edited by: Legalos ]
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