The Tolkien Coming of Age Club

[Child of the 7th Age]

I will be curious to see who posts here!

Let's see. I read the the Hobbit in 1961 when I was 13 years old. Then I read the Lord of the Rings when I was 15 in 1963. So that's 41 years for the hobbit and 39 for the Ring quest. I can remember reading the Lord of the Rings over the summer. I barricaded myself in my room and didn't come out for several days except for brief breaks to assure my family I was still alive! Those were library copies.

I went out and bought the LotR Ballentine books in 1966, my first year of college. I still have those, very used and dog earred. They are still useful, since the Tolkien thesaurus has page numbers that refer back to that edition. I also picked up a garage sale hardcopy --Houghton Mifflin--(Library edition?) of the Hobbit about that time, a "twentieth printing". It does not have any indication of year or edition. (Anybody know what this is?) It seems to be early since there's a note that talks about the changes made to the Riddle Game, and a comment about Bilbo's lies:

This departure from truth on the part of a most honest hobbit was a portent of great significance. It does not, however, concern the present story, and those who in this edition make their first acquaintance with hobbit-lore need not trouble about it. Its explanation lies in the history of the Ring, as it is set out in the chronicles of the Red Book of Westmarch, and it must await their publication.

sharon