asymptotes

Tolkien and The Lord of the Rings are now household names thanks to the huge success of Jackson's film adaptation of the Trilogy.   The Hobbit will soon follow, as Jackson finishes another film trilogy adaptation for it. However The Silmarillion , the book which provides the backdrop for the stories of The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit remains out of reach for many people, even among Tolkien fans. One of the main reasons given is that The Silmarillion is a difficult book to read. I think I agree with that claim, although I would also add that the enjoyment I got from The Silmarillion surpasses that which I got from The Lord of the Rings (LotR) . I read LotR before Silmarillion .  I almost gave up reading LotR... twice. But once I got to the Mines of Moria chapter, I couldn't let go of the book.  I am already a Tolkien fan when I started reading the Silmarillion , so perhaps that eased out a bit the effort of reading a "difficult book". But the question