Captain Harlock

I started reading this almost two years ago. And finally last night I have finished the main body of the trilogy (I haven't touched the Appendecies yet that's why I say "main body").

My question is for those who've read it; how long did it take you to finish the trilogy?

mattc_85

I read The Hobbit and LOTR last November and December. I think it took a little over a month to read all of it. I loved it!!

Jason

I read the entire trilogy and the Hobbit during a month long break in college one fine June too long ago. This was after several false starts throughout high school. A wonderful experience.

I've reread it a couple times since then, most recently around the theatrical release of The Two Towers.

MrN

I started in Dec '98 with 'Hobbit' which was an easy read. Got stuck about 1/3 into Fellowship and finished it after watching the first film. Right now I'm in the 'Scouring of the Shire' chapter - I'll probably be done with the main body by this weekend.

So, almost exactly 5 years I guess. Of course, I have read other books in the interim.

Samuel

It took me about three weeks to read both the Hobbit and the Lord of The Rings. I owned both books for almost a year before I started them, I always thought they would be difficult to read but they flowed quite well, always kept me entranced and wanting more. I was both happy and depressed when the story ended. Also after reading the book I think Peter Jackson did a quite a good job. Anyway, congrats and I haven't touched the appendix yet either but someday I'll venture there.

PalmerJoss

I first read The Hobbit almost 15 years ago, and I try to read it once every year. It usually takes me 2 or 3 days to plow through The Hobbit.

I first read LOTR in high school back in '96, and I've read it a few times since then. I take my time when reading it because I visualize everything that Tolkien writes and I love letting my imagination wander when reading it.

drunkrob

I've just reread the Hobbit and LOTR this summer over a month or two. I then read the Silmarillion which is very good but is a much harder read than the others. The LOTR is a great piece of work. The books just flows so easily and it is a joy to read and not a chore.

Lastblade

Took me about 2 months to finish the trilogy.

Beaver

Took me about a month and a half for all 4 books.

jmj713

As shameful as it is to admit it, I've never read Lord of the Rings. This Christmas I'm giving myself a big present though. A leather-bound single volume Collector's Edition of The Lord of the Rings and a matching edition of The Hobbit, a Second Edition hardcover of The Silmarillion, and finally, from Amazon.ca, the three-volume hardcover Complete History of Middle-Earth. All in all, around $240...

dcswirl

It took me about 3 weeks total The Hobbit about a week. Reading LOTR again now, but going at a slower pace this time.

silentbob007

The first time I read The Hobbit (in 10th grade), it took me one weekend. I then read the Lord of the Rings in about a week over Christmas break. I have reread them several times, and can read both of them in ~20 hours.

shrike

My 8th grade english teacher had us read The Hobbit in class. When we finished it she told us that if we had enjoyed the book, we should read The Lord of the Rings trilogy. So, that year I asked for the books for Christmas. Was thrilled when I got them Christmas day, and started reading them the day after. I read them non-stop and finished them a couple of days before school started back after New Years. So, I think it took me just over a week. I had lots of nice gifts that year, but hardly touched them until I had finished those books.

littlefuzzy

It looks like the last time I read this was back in January 2003. I spent 2 days on each book, including the Hobbit. I know I had read them all around the time the first film came out, but it doesn't look like it was in 2002 (the first year I started keeping track of my reading.)

I have read the individual books in a single day per book before. I think I have probably read them at least 10-15 times in my lifetime.

B.A.

I read all four over a few months during the Fall of 2001, just before FotR was released into the theaters. I re-read them again this fall over a couple of months. Like PalmerJoss said, I took my time to enjoy them and visualize it - I really got it into them, more than the first time through.

AGuyNamedMike

I read the whole kit and caboodle a couple of times, first in middle school then again in senior year high school and college (note that I am a bit of a natural speed-reader and can finish a 1k page book in a long weekend). The first time through I was captivated by the completeness of Tolkien's worldcraft. The second time I was a bit bored as I slogged through long-winded descriptions and extraneous genealogies of random passers-by. I will probably crack those tomes again just to do my own analyses of the book-to-film translations. I have been rereading a lot of stuff lately, and am fascinated by the different perspective on a book a few years of living can bring.

Groucho

Good for you, I guess. I don't touch movie novelizations myself.

costanza

i just finished it the other day too. now i can finally go see return of the king, woo hoo!

QuiGonJosh

I've read the LOTR about 6 or 7 times...during my 4 years of High School...the LOTR was in my book bag the whole time...I love it to death and I'm gonna read it again soon...

Patman

I started FOTR around December 2002, and have only gotten through 100 pages of it...

Gig

my english teacher first read it to the class in 1997 which was my first year of high school. My friends were all keen fantasy readers at the time too. My teacher then said read the lord of the rings if you enjoyed the book. So that weekend me and my dad went to whsmiths and bought the lord of the rings trilogy as one big book for £12. I had never read a book really in my life and i was 11. I was faced with over 1000 pages of reading. My mum said that i would never read it. I proved here wrong and read the trilogy in 1 month. Ive only read it once since then.

Josh H

I've read the "main body" twice. Took a little over a month each time.

Haven't read the appendices.

jayson1017

Congratulations

silentbob007

For me FOTR is definately the hardest read in LOTR just because so much has to be set up.

Jepthah

Once you get into Book II in FOTR, the rest is gravy. (At least I think so.)