[Morthoron]

Actually, I started somewhat late, considering the era. I was a young teen, it was 1973, and I happened to see Tolkien's obituary in the Detroit Free Press. The obit was a full page with a photo of Tolkien surrounded by illustrations of Hobbits, Dwarves and other various characters of Middle-earth.

I had a natural affinity for mythology as a youth (Greek, Norse, the Mabinogion, etc.), and so I was intrigued. I borrowed The Hobbit from the school library, ran through it in a day and was immediately hooked. Soon I completed The Lord of the Rings and I was well on my way down the endless paths of Middle-earth. I remember waiting with anticipation the publishing of The Silmarillion in 1977 and I purchased a copy upon its release in the States. I still have that hardbound copy.

Is it still fresh? Truth be told, inundated by the various Jackson films I didn't read The Hobbit and LotR for many years thereafter (I needed to eliminate the faces of the actors from the characters they portrayed), and stuck with reading and re-reading the various HoME books, The Letters and other publications from C. Tolkien. I suppose a serious re-read is in order now that I am in my 60s and the glamour of Hollywood has been washed clean -- although the sense of wonder may never return fully from the first time I was enthralled by the series.