{{ “B000MGVFWY” | amazon_mediumleft_image }} I first read The Fellowship of the Ring in about 1974 or 1975. My father, who traveled for work, brought home a copy of The Hobbit which he had picked up in an airport but didn’t like. I devored it and then went in search for more by J. R. R. Tolkien. The entire Lord of the Rings series has long been one of my favorites. I’ve lost count of how many times I’ve read these books. My copy of The Fellowship was broken in two with pages falling out until Sibylle mended it for me.
The movies are an entirely different telling of the story. One that I enjoy very much. I have fallen into the habit of watching all three extended movie versions somewhere during the Christmas break. This year I watches all three in one marathon day. Rereading the Tolkien books so soon after watching the movies I can see where Peter Jackson and company altered the story to fit their needs. I know many Tolkien purists bristle at these changes, but I find the movies enjoyable and well done. Yes, they dramatically altered the story. But who’s to say that Tolkien’s version of the story is accurate either?
There are newer editions than the one I’ve linked to here. This happens to be the edition I own.