How Hippies Saved the Lord of the Rings

Once upon a time, the Lord of the Rings was a little known book written by a stodgy British professor. We have hippies, Beatle fans, and slimy publishers to thank for the cultural phenomenon it is today.
*Correction*: I misrepresented the anecdote about TheOneRing.net founder sneaking onto the LotR set. She already lived in NZ, and only wrote a joking article about sneaking onto set. She was issued a restraining order by overly zealous studio execs, something later corrected by Peter Jackson and his team, when they welcomed her to set. Sorry about the confusion!
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Sources:
Liptak, Andrew. “Looking Back on What Made the Lord of the Rings Trilogy Special, 15 Years Later.” The Verge, 23 Dec. 2016,
Resnik, Henry. “The Hobbit-Forming World of J.R.R. Tolkien.” Saturday Evening Post, 2 July 1966.
Ripp, Joseph. “Middle America Meets Middle-Earth: American Discussion and Readership of J. R. R. Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings, 1965-1969.” Book History, vol. 8, no. 1, 2005, pp. 245-286.

[@Jess_of_the_Shire]

Correction: I misrepresented the anecdote about TheOneRing.net founder sneaking onto the LotR set. She already lived in NZ, and only wrote a joking article about sneaking onto set. She was issued a restraining order by overly zealous studio execs, something later corrected by Peter Jackson and his team, when they welcomed her to set. Sorry about the confusion!

[@TrueBlue475]

Yes of course the success of the Lord of the rings books is due to American Hippies loving it and sharing it with the world, that has to be the most arrogant and retarded opinion I've ever heard, what an idiotic thing to think let alone say . I suggest you change your KZbin name to Fulltime Retard, The Lord of the rings is massively successful all across the globe , most of which has never experienced a hippie cultural movement because the themes in the story are recognised by all nationalities and cultures, not just a bunch of tripped out, high as a kite american hippies

[@thomasbaader6629]

Funny. A catholic, conservative, monarchist author (and a very likeable one) wrote a book loved by hippies.

[@ZrodyApo]

@@TrueBlue475 yes, not to forget a certain german ideology around the 40s that tried to appropriate the themes of the books to further their own "superior" ideology of which Tolkien was firmly against and opposed publicly. What's funny is that the same "superior" ideology still wants to appropriate Tolkien writings to this day 😇

[@marykayryan7891]

@@thomasbaader6629 Very good point. Just goes to show you that art is bigger than the artist necessarily intends.

[@simontmn]

@@ZrodyApo I think you have the timeline mixed up. LOTR published 29 July 1954.

[@judithgockel1001]

I was born early in America’s entry into WWII, and by the time Tolkien came to my attention, the parallels to the world’s experience of battling good versus evil were in our bones. To me, it was originally a ‘war story’. These perceptions extended and grew into appreciation of the simple and potentially joyous lives of un-powerful folk, and the burdens of those tasked with greater fates. Re-reading today, none of the richness and the power has been lost. Long may it flourish.

[@globalist1990]

It also served both sides of ww2, depending which side would be the victor. It could be read differently on both outcomes. Imo.

[@derekatkins4800]

When asked whether World War I and World War II influenced his books Tolkien denied this being the case, but when one looks at the stories themselves, I think it’s pretty obvious that those two wars very much influenced Tolkien’s work. I believe Tolkien was sincere in his denial, but it is hard to believe that the two World Wars didn’t have some kind of influence on Tolkien’s thinking and outlook on the world, much less on his stories.

[@toweypat]

I firmly believe LOTR is the definitive novelization of World War Two.

[@threeofeight197]

@@globalist1990 To me it was also general. The “everyday” person versus the “military industrial complex”. Sauroman pumps out his new improved soldiers and clears the forests for war, no matter the cost because Sauron told him to. All for one man, one entity, to gain power at the cost of everyone and everything.

[@user-vj2wt7jh7j]

I remember people thought Sauron was actually representing Hitler which Tolkien denied but it was an odd coincidence that the evil villains were in so many ways similar. Just replace the Nazgul with the SS or the Gestapo.

[@StephenKnight-sv3sl]

I was 20 years old in 1973. I was in the Army and stationed in Michigan. All my friends and family were in the South. I was married at the time and my so-called wife came up from Tennessee, stayed a few weeks, got homesick and left. To say the least, I was in a depressive state. An Army buddy of mine told me about the Lord of the Rings. I remember how vividly he described the Ring Wraiths. I borrowed the books from him and absolutely devoured the novel. It was the ultimate escape for me. It was therapeutic. I now reread the LOTR every ten years. The books helped me through a difficult part of my life.

[@thomashancock4102]

I am 70 years old and I first read the books when I was in my teens and fell in love with them. Everything you mentioned about the original fandom I did. I was a member of the Tolkien Society, went to the first convention, wrote my sister letters in “elvish “, bought all the books and posters, the record of songs with the professor reciting his poems, etc. I even still have my Frodo Lives and Go Go Gandalf buttons. You must understand that at that time (the 70’s) this was all considered “weird “. It wasn’t until much later it became mainstream. I think the Star Trek and Star Wars fandoms and especially D&D made it acceptable. Of course all those boomer hippies growing up and having kids helped too,

[@FaithfulHorrorhound]

You just beat all us nerds! 😂

[@19mindmechanic55]

I would suggest that the popularity of the Harry Potter books and movies also helped prepare the ground.

[@superhetoric]

​@@19mindmechanic55definitely

[@Theomite]

Mostly Star Trek and STAR WARS. D&D was never cool for the mainstream until at least the late 90s because by then, CCGs like Magic: The Gathering were starting to gain traction. It was mostly the sci-fi movies of the late 90s that laid the groundwork. The STAR WARS prequels were HHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHUUUUUUUUUUUUUGE in 1999. It was virtually all anybody could talk about until EPISODE I was released.

[@carolinec3951]

I was a child in the 1970s and remember the paperback editions. I read them. My family and friends poured over the books, passing them around. In fact, my much older cousin was basically illiterate, but taught himself to read so he could read those books. Afterwards he loved language so much that he began writing poetry. Strangely endearing for a Midwest farmer’s boy. The impact of these books on people’s lives cannot be overstated.

[@jamiephillips5350]

Lovely elucidation. I read Tolkien first in 1977 and he changed my life. I was poor and moved by chance to a town with a library and read a free copy as a result. It set my mind in fire and I began reading everything I could to get that hit again. It never quite happened, but in the process all this reading altered my brain for the better and gave me a chance to break out of poverty. I am now a Professor of Philosophy and teach a course on the Philosophy of Tolkien. It is one of the honors of my life that I can now honor him and keep his thoughts alive in the young. Thank you for this video.

[@bcaye]

Same here, it was '75 in my elementary school library. Enjoyed those books, Madelyn LeEngle and the Lion,Witch and the Wardrobe series. I always have enjoyed scifi, fantasy and alternate worlds.

[@BC-ui9yt]

I would love to have the chance to study Tolkien's philosophy. I am insanely jealous that you get to do so! (In a good way, of course)

[@jeffreyjeziorski1480]

I hope you have read The Count of Monte Cristo. I read it in 5th grade, and I was hooked on reading for the rest of my life.

[@Javaman92]

I had read the books a few years before you, they also changed my life. My leaving home with nothing but a pack on my back on a 800 mile adventure I believe was a direct result of the fire the books ignited. It seems I have finally settled down now. At least I think so.

[@revbenf6870]

Thank you for posting your very moving story. Tolkien has shaped my life too in significant ways.

[@gregbrooke3945]

The Hobbit was assigned reading for high school freshman (1969 for me). Through that, the LOTR became part of our spaced out, collected unconscious.

[@stefanlaskowski6660]

We read it as a class in 7th grade, the teacher reading part of each chapter and then having students finish the chapter. I liked that part because I've always been a good reader and could sight read easily. I read it again, along with LotR, a couple years later and have reread it all many, many times

[@masonthomas6147]

I also grew up with the Peter Jackson films in the 2000s, and while they were absolutely foundational to my childhood, I almost wish I didn’t know how the story ended so young. When I was a teenager and started to realize how deep the story is, especially Frodo’s character and why he had to leave to the west, it made the final scenes so much more impactful. Part of me wishes I had the understanding to get that all the first time, but that would also mean missing Legolas taking down an Oliphaunt by himself so you win some you lose some

[@toweypat]

A great work such as this requires multiple revisitations, so either way you were going to miss something.

[@mikhailjeffers7378]

I I'll😅

[@bobnolin9155]

I spent a summer in the early 70's putting a roof on with an older kid, a hippie, and he told me the story of LOTR little by little, until I had to read it myself. Nobody had heard of it, back then.

[@Jess_of_the_Shire]

That sounds like a great summer!

[@goldenageofdinosaurs7192]

Yeah, when I 1st read LotR, it was around 77-78 & I was in junior high. All through Junior high & high school, LotR, Elric, Conan, Shannara & Fafhrd & the Gray Mouser stories weren’t the kind of books you wanted to get caught with, as most people, even the stoner kids, would make fun of you for reading a book about elves & dwarves. Don’t even get me started on D&D, lol..

[@The_Gallowglass]

Bob Nolin what did you think of the book after you read it?

[@RoelvanDeventer]

I'm still stunned dnd is somewhat mainstream now.

[@Historian212]

Nobody had heard of it in the early 70s? Absurd statement. I was in high school in 1970. LOTR was very popular. What’s now called “the sixties” actually encompassed the early 70s, and my nerdy, sci-fi loving, sword-and-sorcery friends and family were all into it. A few years on, we started something called fantasy roll-playing games, which was popularized by the makers of D&D-which games continued to be popular in the 80s. Which were the precursors to fantasy-themed video games and all that’s come since. If your “hippie” friend (real hippies didn’t use that term until they adopted it from establishment journalists who first coined it) told you that, he was mistaken.

[@nordicsoundchannel]

As a hippie who loves Tolkien, I've never actually considered drawing the parallel you have here and I feel more self aware. Great video.

[@itsirrelephantman]

@@inzane1260 lotr has always been part of stoner culture.

[@dickrichard626]

​@@inzane1260 A hippie that doesn't smoke weed is not a very good hippie. 😂 There has never been hippies that don't do drugs. Your trippin'. Real Hippies that are commited to being a hippy always smoke weed and has a hook for psychedelic.

[@Misses-Hippy]

@@inzane1260I am from the 50's - still a hippy.

[@beeeeeesbury]

​@@inzane1260 real hippies don't gatekeep the culture based on age... 🙄

[@NerdySabbath]

​@@inzane1260 You seem like a lame hippie my man. Alota of wallflowers either sold out & become bootlickers in the 80s or got put away. But even them would judge you for being uptight ta bud

[@chibip6]

I remember going to see the LOTR trilogy in the theaters and how proud and nostalgic I felt. My mom read me the books as a child in the early 90s. I was a late in life baby and she was one of the hippies you spoke of who was introduced to Tolkien’s works in the 60s. It’s been something very formative for me, influenced my interests and even my morals to some degree. I can never thank you enough Mom. You shared everything with me.

[@bradwitt4672]

My first connection with LOTR was at age 23 in 1968 in Dong Tam, Vietnam. I came across a 105 Howitzer artillery crew. They had painted "Frodo Lives" on the barrel of their cannon. I first read The Hobbit & the trilogy in 1970 when I returned to college. I'm currently on my 6th reading and although I really enjoy Peter Jackson's work, I enjoy the books more. After all, he couldn't film everything and left out characters like Tom Bombadil and much of the minutiae that makes this epic... well, epic.

[@l.e.b.3541]

I'm not a very sentimental man. But the first thing in my live - that I really remember - is my father sitting on a big desk in my room reading Lord of the Rings to me. I know it was not the first book he read to me, but it was the first one where I vividly remember everything. I never read Lotr myself (since I can recollect it almost from memory) When someday I'll have kids myself, I'll do the same for them. I'm also too young for the original Tolkien-craze but heard alot from Paps about it. In Austria, Tolkiens works were almost nonexistent, so most of my friends where baffled when the movies came out that I already knew all and anything about it :) Well anyway: Have a nice day & greetings from Austria!

[@Jess_of_the_Shire]

This is so sweet! Thanks for sharing!

[@Serai3]

_don't say it, don't say it, don't say it..._ 😆 Seriously, though, that is so cool. Being read to is one of the great joys of childhood; it must have been amazing to have this book be the first you remember.

[@rikk319]

@@Serai3 I read it to my brothers when I was a teen, to my wife when we were dating, and to my son when he was 9. Sharing Tolkien is definitely one of life's pleasures.

[@pendragon2012]

I remember when you had to go to the back of the bookstore to Fantasy and Sci-Fi and look under Tolkien to find the books. There were no Tolkien Tables up front or movie tie ins, lol. I'm glad the work got its recognition--I actually read it in 6th grade because I'd heard it was 9th grade required reading and needed to prove I could do it! Another great video, Jess!

[@aaronbecker5617]

As a longtime fantasy fan who was often disappointed I wasn't expecting much. Went to the show with my wife at the time and my brothers and this wasn't long after 9/11 and people were really looking for a hopeful escape and boy was I blown away by the first film. I've seen a lot of movies but going to the Fellowship of the Ring was an experience

[@fredbays]

yes

[@Theomite]

I was shocked at how immersive the film was. I disagreed with some of the filmmaking techniques, but there was no denying that you felt that Middle-Earth was a real place and there was very little suspension of disbelief required. That was a very pleasant surprise.

[@johngrenier3265]

im a last year boomer (64) and i first read LotR as a middle schooler, so did most of my friends , from books passed around in school. these were books well beyond our years , and the was a lot of struggling to understand , and referring to the dictionary , yet through it all , i believe that my reading level and comprehension soared as i poured over these books... and while i feel the movies were awesome , i also feel that there is something missing , while at the same time being all too present. fantasy is really just a shadow until you see it on a screen. my daydreams were better. anyways i left the rings , still hungry , i found stephen r donaldson (dark) , and later terry pratchett to take up the torch and pratchett added a thick humor that was just what i needed. ive also been led to study history and lore from this .... and i am very happy to see a young person eagerly delving deep into this mythos

[@cyberoptic5757]

I still to this day, re-read the LOTR. One startling point: each and every time I read I find new words to learn and look up. One example is gorse. How about rill? Each word precisely placed and doing a pinpoint description of a locale. The depth and detail continue to amaze

[@seldom7veils623]

1969 is the date on my well-worn paperbacks. It was also the year my older brother told me about The Hobbit. Immediately charmed, I ultimately read the entire series 7 times and saw the Bakshi movie on the big screen at a midnight cinema. I was convinced that no one could ever make a worthy LOTR movie. Then Peter Jackson rocked my world. Your attractive presence and extraordinary talent for such engaging and enlightened videos have made me a real fan. Thank you for being here!

[@NickBR57]

Well, every Tolkien fan should read all the books really. Tree and Leaf, The Adventures of Tom Bombadil, Farmer Giles of Ham etc. Most of all, The Silmarillion. When I first read The Silmarillion I found it hard to get into but it has given me much insight. Now, I read The Silmarillion, The Hobbit, The Lord of the Rings at least every 18 months. The History of Middle Earth is essential reading too. I am so glad your channel came up in my feed yesterday.

[@mikearchibald744]

The Children of Hurin was on the NY bestseller list for half a year.

[@mizzlchieizzl]

The Silmarillion is challenging but reigns as my top favorite fantasy work by far now, for sure.

[@NickBR57]

@Matt Chiesi I would not disagree. Yes it takes some effort first . boy is it worth it!

[@Serai3]

One cannot say one is a Tolkien fan without reading the books. They are what his work is about, and he turned down movie offers himself. The story in the movies is a wonderful _version_ of The Lord of the Rings, but it is not Tolkien's story. So the books are necessary, and the ancillary ones, like the biography and _Letters_ add a lot to one's understanding as well.

[@mikearchibald744]

@@mizzlchieizzl Someday there will be a cataclysm and in the future they will find it and think it was one of our main religions. I'm sure one reason he wrote it is that even though a christian he kind of figured "Six days and the world is just made.....thats the whole thing?" They'll start a whole new space race to find that silmaril up in the sky!

[@kellyfrench]

I'm in my 50's and your video moved me to share a Tolkien story from my past. I first read the Hobbit in Jr High / High School and attempted a first read of the Silmarillion after college in the 90's but it took a second try to finish it. I was very wary of the Peter Jackson movies knowing the poor track record the material had in previous attempts but my colleagues at work all looked forward to seeing the story on the big screen. When the Fellowship eased our fears we really jumped into it full blast, even naming our department's local Wiki server "Arda'; so, yes the 2000's movies were a huge thing in culture. We argued about the bits left out and why the scene with Aragorn and the warg (if memory serves) was inserted but still reveled in how such a great story was being greeted by the wider audience. The story from my past is small but I wonder if anyone else experienced something similar. As I was reading TLotR I kept having a strong since of deja vu and couldn't for the life of me figure out why, I knew for a fact that I had never read the story before and there aren't many others like it so there was no way I would have forgotten as a 12-14 year-old that I had read such an epic previously. When I reached the scene where Eowyn strikes the Witch King, it stuck me so clearly that I stopped reading and shouted out loud, "Aaaah, now I know why this is familiar!". In the 70's my parents had many family friends and some would stay awhile with us; one in particular named Tom Tuffin (I couldn't make up a name like that but it was very fitting and I'm not entirely convinced he isn't related to Bombadil) who would read to my and my brothers every night. Even though we were not even 10 yet, he chose Tolkien's epic for our storytime. We were happy to have someone read to use and didn't really attach any significance to which story it was, so I guess he figured why not read something he wanted to read anyway. This is why I jumped at the chance to read the full Harry Potter series to my daughter when she was of that age. Thanks for giving me an opportunity to share this small memory with folks who might appreciate it.

[@LabGoats]

Love this story

[@Zhohan-]

I was late to Tolkien. I only watched the extended trilogy films with my brother at 14 after years of putting it off. We were both completely blown away. Frodo's farewell at Mithlond had me crying as hard as Sam. I knew that Tolkien had put considerable work into making the languages of Middle-earth come to life, and this kindled my immense love for history and later archeology and anthropology. Tolkien took so much inspiration from what we call the Dark Ages. There is a ton of Saxon and Frisian influence in the style of speech of Men and their cultures. Fantasy after all is an inspiration of our past. The LOTR trilogy will forever remind me of the countless human stories that have since been forgotten. We're really not so different from our ancestors. I am sure his work will be analyzed a thousand years from now like Chaucer and epics like Beowulf. It's the most beautiful world anyone has ever dreamed of.

[@Draconisrex1]

Also, you are really, really good at this. Much better many bigger channels that go into Tolkien literature. You're the first one whose actually said something I didn't know (the Tom Bombadil book).

[@Jess_of_the_Shire]

I really appreciate that!

[@JeanZGerman]

I was around for the Peter Jackson Trilogy. I believe what made the hype at that time so different was that everyone said that a proper adaptation of LOTR could never be filmed. Everyone thought that it would be too expensive and not feasible. So essentially, this was the book that everyone had in their head, finally brought to life. Even for me, I had never heard of LOTR until the movies, but when I saw them, they looked like the world of the fantasy video games (that I grew up playing) brought to the big screen. I was blown away.

[@richardjohnston-bell476]

I first read LOTR as an 11 year old in the early 80's. I agree that the prevailing thought at the time was that it could never be put into a proper film. I was so excited when it was finally done. Although I had to admit it was hard to watch at first because the missing parts were distracting - no Old Forest, Old Man Willow, Goldberry, Tom Bombadillo or barrow wights, like WTF, it took me half the film to come to grips with that. It also didnt quite match what had been in my head for 18 years. I also played a lot of D&D as a kid, which was like living in LOTR and I was probably influenced by that art imagery of what the LOTR world looked like.

[@korganrocks3995]

Yeah, I first read it in the early 90s and didn't expect to live long enough to see a proper film adaptation, so to get one within the decade was mind-blowing, especially since it actually delivered! There are things about the movies that bother me now, after many years and many viewings, but at the time they exceeded even my wildest hopes.

[@dsvet]

​@@richardjohnston-bell476AD&D kid here as well!!

[@tomenrico6199]

I was born in 1952, just a couple of years before the original publication of “The Fellowship of the Ring.” Thirteen years later, I was in 9th grade when the paperback editions of the trilogy were released in America. I was already a science fiction fan by then, especially of authors like Isaac Asimov, Ray Bradbury, Arthur C. Clarke and Robert Heinlein. I don't remember exactly how I was first introduced to Tolkien's work, but I became a huge fan. I essentially reread the entire trilogy every year for seven straight years, throughout high school and college. LOTR was the subject of two term papers I wrote, one when I was a senior in high school, and the second in a college composition and literature class. I have remained a fan into adulthood, parenthood and now old age. Certainly, it's one of my favorite literary works. (Though not #1. My favorite book and my favorite movie of all time are both “To Kill a Mockingbird.”)

[@korganrocks3995]

Pratchett sure had a way with words, that Fuji quote was great!

[@Draconisrex1]

Yes, it was quite the hippie favored book. So was Heinlien's 'Stranger in a Strange Land.' As for LotR, I had two hippie high school teachers that turned me on the books '76. I had read the Hobbit back in 5th grade but had never heard of the LotR. I also read Farmer Giles of Ham and Smith of Wooten Major. Did not read the Tom Bombadil book as I'd never heard of it until a week ago when I ran into you channel.

[@alansalmi]

A friend of mine actually found a religion based on Stranger, in a strange land. Look up “the church of all worlds “!

[@grokeffer6226]

I started reading Tolkien in about "67 or "68 at the age of seven or eight. My older brothers were Tolkien reading, Led Zeppelin/Beatles listening, Long Hairs. I immediately became hooked and gobbled up anything similar as soon as I could acquire it. Robert E. Howard, L. Sprague de Camp, Michael Moorcock, and Fritz Leiber were amongst my favorites, with a few titles from other writers. I still enjoy re-reading from the genre fairly often, although I don't read nearly as much as I used to, and I tend to read Science Fiction more than Sword and Sorcery these days.

[@Catherine_Longstaff]

As a Tolkien nerd, I love your channel! I read “The Lord of the Rings” and “The Silmarillion” when I was 14, and it’s safe to say it changed my life. On a different note, a Tolkien adaptation I would love to see you react to is the Russian musical “Finrod the Rock Opera.” It’s really something else.

[@BC-ui9yt]

I started to watch that a few years ago. I don't do enough drugs to have stuck with it :)

[@graemesandstrom5654]

What a wonderful and truly informative lecture. BTW you look incredible. When the first movie “FellowshipOf The Ring” came out my 7yo first born got wind of the fact that his parents were going to see this movie WITHOUT HIM! The next day he was outraged but wanted to know all about the movie. We had previously read the Hobbit to him. As time went on he became very well acquainted with the movies and the novels and the soundtracks - presents were easy to choose - directors cut, extended cuts, all three soundtracks. He even ended up with a girl (and her parents) who was also massively into it. It’s certainly added depth to all of our lives - even holidays in New Zealand seeking out film sites….. and it goes on. I love your Chanel - you are amazing!

[@edwardmeade]

So I was in high school during the late-1960's and read the Ballantine-published trilogy. One thing you left out was that it's popularity was crowned with the publication of its parody, "Bored of the Rings" by Harvard Lampoon. The hobbits, Frito, Moxie, Pepsi following GoodGulf (a gasoline brand) the Wizard and lines like ""Fordor was a bleak and airless place: not unlike Hackensack NJ."

[@1pcfred]

Pity stayed his hand. It was a pity he'd run out of bullets.

[@robertgerrity878]

Thanks! After an Ace copy, 2nd LOTR was the parody 1st pb edition already a bit worn. Silly fun. I'd forgotten!!!!

[@Mr.RobotHead]

This isn't the first time I've heard about hippies "saving" Lord of the Rings, but it is possibly the best overviews of how it happened that I've read/watched. Also, since I only stumbled across your channel a couple of weeks ago, and since you mentioned my all-time favorite Tolkien work, I'm gonna go watch your video on Farmer Giles of Ham now.

[@stevenhill2204]

Your knowledge of, and appreciation for Tolkien's works is nothing short of inspiring and hopeful. I was first introduced to Tolkien and the Hobbit in AP English in 8th grade in 1973. (Seems weird to write that. I was an otherwise pretty poor student) The following year brought The LOTR, and it was literally life-altering. Our teacher truly understood the magnificence and brilliance of the works, and the deep humanity of them, which not only gave us full appreciation of Tolkien; but also taught us how to comprehend and relate to other great pieces of literature. I've read The Hobbit and The LOTR at least 14 times, The Silmarillion probably 6, and some of Tolkien's lesser known works a few times each as well. Every reading continues to unveil greater texture and depth of the worlds, peoples, cultures and histories he birthed. It's simply astounding what he accomplished. It's been over 10 years since I last delved into those worlds. Like Bilbo in the films who stated as he boarded the Elven ship to the West: I think I am "quite ready" for the adventure of immersing myself in these books yet again.

[@josephkelly6681]

I think King has a story where friends read LOTR to a friend who is in a coma over a summer and he recovers and remembers nothing.

[@michaelfisher7170]

Too young to be a hippy...but was introduced to Tolkien when my fifth grad teacher read The Hobbit to the class. I loved the story and bought my own copy. Then in junior high my best friend let me know he was reading another Tolkien story. Went to the same small town used book store and purchased the Fellowship of the Ring. Those old paperback copies were my constant companions and I read them over and over till they fell apart. Personally, middle earth became my vibe and Tolkien a hero for showing it to me. Now I'm pushing sixty. Tolkien channels fill my KZbin subscription list, my daughter is a confirmed Tolkien nerd like dad, and it still ranks as my favorite work of literature...although I do nod toward Frank Herbert for his Dune world building genius. And too this day I still envy youth who are just discovering Tolkiens works and experiencing them for the first time. Huh...nostalgia!

[@jeri-annabbott1896]

I was introduced to the world of Tolkein and the planet Pern in high school when a classmate loaned me copies of the LOTR trilogy and the Dragonriders of Pern initial trilogy. My older brothers were also Tolkein fans and I loved discussing the books with them. When the Ralph Bashki LOTR movie came out I begged my brother to take me to see it. I didn't read The Hobbit until several years later. I estimate that since those initial reads I have read the Hobbit and LOTR close to 25 times each. I can still lose myself in Middle Earth, and today still read a lot of fantasy and sci-fi.

[@rikk319]

I read the first 3 books of Pern not long after LOtR. Dragonworld, too, which was a nice novel, though not in the same category as LotR.

[@richardjohnston-bell476]

I just noticed your Tom Bombadil video had 250k views, which is ridiculously huge relative to your other videos. That was the first video yours I have seen, I guess the algorithm suddenly decided to throw your channel my way? I subscribed immediately because I thought you had a wonderful perspective that differs from the other Tolkien channels that I belong to. Insightful and informative, but also light and cheerful with a pleasant demeanour. Being outdoors also I think also enhanced this effect. Good luck with your channel. I think its wonderful and will have to watch some of your backlog.

[@mikedelgrande5296]

I’m so happy I found this channel. I love your approach to LOTR content. I’ve been a huge fan of Tolkien my entire life and it’s always nice to find a new space like this. Thanks for all the great content!

[@pamelawelch5955]

I got chills watching this video. Good chills. Remembrance of some of the most important parts of my childhood. I have those ACE paperback books when they first came out. My father ( English Literature professor) got them for me and I was immediately hooked. I remember having the second book open and ready to continue the next part and then being horrified that I had to wait. And then being so immersed in that part that when the narrative moved to the next part I was mad to leave the previous part. AMAZING writing!!! Kept me on the edge of my seat and loving every moment. This video reminds me of that joy...that love....that total immersion. Such a good feeling. Thank you!

[@Jess_of_the_Shire]

I'm so glad I could remind you of some of that joy!

[@SveninColorado]

I bought my first copy of Tolkien's LOTR trilogy in 1967. I was immediately hooked. Since then, an Autumn does not go by when I don't pull out "The Hobbit" and the trilogy for a good read. I've read and studied"The Silmarillion" and most all of Tolkien's adjunct writings. Reading Tolkien nudged me into reading C. S.Lewis and George MacDonald fantasy works... To say that Tolkien has influenced my whole adult life is an understatement. Thank you for adding your studies and interpretations to the continuing life of Middle Earth!

[@retcutter10]

We probably bought the same copies.

[@NocandNC]

Was saving watching this for the weekend here - perfect way to enjoy my morning tea!! Informative and delightful as always ^^

[@danielmejorado6098]

This was a real treat. Your research, your cadence, andnyour delivery are only overshadowed by your joy and passion for the subject matter. This is an excellent video.

[@mmiller2539]

I did a report on The Hobbit in 5th grade. It was my introduction to Tolkien's imagination. I have been a fan for over 30 years. I am happy that you have found Tolkien and fell in love with Middle Earth like me.

[@obadiah_v]

As a fan who discovered The Hobbit and LOTR in high school in the early 80s I think you did a great job there. I remember when the Jackson movies were coming out they started to advertise which movies would show the trailers for them before hand (internet trailers were slow to download and grainy). I went with friends to one of those films, watched the trailer for Fellowship and left.

[@mikearchibald744]

I hated Jacksons movies, not sure if thats what you meant, but what a butcher job that turned into.

[@catherineleslie-faye4302]

I read The Hobbit in 1974 when I was 13, by 1976 I had Middle Earth maps plastered all over my bedroom walls. I now have a parchment paper map of Middle Earth in my bedroom along with a second rate set of Legolas's daggers well worn from use... with a new plastic set of elven daggers for use at cons & fairs because steel elven daggers are too sharp and dangerous for con security even when they are peace-tied. Once a Tolkien Fan, Always a Tolkien Fan.

[@TurinTuram]

very interesting. there's something very clinche you could say about tolkien legendarium, it's so deep and so cohesive that everyone will find a niche where the story is appealing to him/her. that's intemporal stuff and will always stay relevant on every layers.

[@swenbos7760]

Would you be willing to also explore another world, just as magical, but flat, and carried by 4 elephants situated on top of a giant turtle? I think you'd do great!

[@Jess_of_the_Shire]

If you're talking about discworld, absolutely! I'm hoping to start talking about some other fantasy universes in a few months

[@superfly2449]

I don’t recall if TP ever parodied or referenced LOTR in his books. It’s possible, though.

[@swenbos7760]

Indeed 😊. Tolkien grounded me in morality as an early teen, while later, Pratchett provided a mirror for humanity, giving us something to ponder, and have a good laugh at.

[@gaebren9021]

@@swenbos7760 I love that you mention morality. I think that this is part of the appeal of Tolkien.

[@evermoremystic17]

Yay Discworld! 😁

[@geraldmcbride1193]

Hey, thanks so much for this really excellent dive into the cultural roots of LOTR. I read it for the first (but not last) time in the early 70's, it's stuck with me my entire life. There are a zillion good presenters covering Tolkien topics, but you really stand out because of your passion, insight, and love of the work. You also stand out because of you bravery and willingness to make an impact on the world. I wish you great success, and with regard to your literary pursuits: May the road go every on and on, out from the door where it began... May you take the road that runs, west of the moon, east of the sun...

[@terryhickman7929]

I read it first in 1968 as a college freshman. Since then I've re-read it between 50 - 60 times, pretty much at least once a year. Obviously, I adore it. I have also read all the other Tolkien books they published, but LotR is first in my heart. Has it affected my life? Well, I don't know, aside from thousands of hours of delightful reading. I wasn't actually a hippie, as I got married very young and had a baby to raise, and later a living for the two of us to earn. But I sympathized very much with the anti-war and racial justice movements and voted accordingly. The themes of friendship and never giving up in the face of evil are very much part of my values. It is by far the favorite read of my life. I love the movies, and I can set aside the changes they made (except for Faramir. They shouldn't have done that to Faramir.) and enjoy the movies for themselves. Very nice essay you've done!

[@jasonsmith1375]

I really enjoy your content and presentation. Glad I found your page. Keep making great videos and thank you Jess!

[@leeborocz-johnson1649]

My Dad read Lord of the Rings when he was a kid in the '60s. I was about 9 when the Fellowship came out. My Dad thought it was an event of such major cultural significance that one Sunday afternoon in January 2002, after making my brother and I scrub a toilet to just about brand new condition, he took us to see it. I had no idea what was going on, but it blew my mind anyways. My Dad never really pushed any kind of pop culture on me and my siblings, this was unique. The only other thing he ever really sat me down and told me I absolutely needed to experience was Pink Floyd. He expressed regret on multiple occasions over the years that there would probably never be any opportunity for him to take us to see them in their '70s lineup. In any event, the point is, my memory of first experiencing LOTR was shaped not just by how amazing the thing itself was, but by the fact that my Dad, very unusually, singled it out for me as something I needed to experience. That certainly added to it for me. I have wondered for the last couple years now what, if any, tangible relation the wildfire success of the Jackson LOTR movies had to 9/11 and the early War on Terror years. The release of the Fellowship was perhaps the first post-9/11 global pop-culture sensation. Peoples' reactions to Jackson's trilogy surely must have been partly influenced by the general social/political/cultural atmosphere of that particular moment. Not easy questions to address, maybe not even that worthwhile. I've just had this in my head for a couple years as a line of historical inquiry I'll probably never pursue. Anyways, great work and congrats on your channel blow-up! I will do my part to keep feeding the algorithm likes and shares.

[@Jess_of_the_Shire]

My dad also made sure I got introduced early, even if I may have been a little too young for some of the scarier parts haha. And that's a really interesting observation! I almost feel like we may be a bit historically close to the time all of that happened to get a really good read on how post 9/11 America's attitudes and politics may have influenced LotR's popularity, but I could throw out a couple of theories. LotR is an incredibly optimistic story. Its ending is what Tolkien coined "eucatastrophe," or the opposite of catastrophe, in which everything goes right at the end, even if it seems impossible. The idea of this ending is particularly popular when it seems the rest of the world is going to hell. There's also the strong anti-war sentiments. Well, maybe not anti-war, but understanding war as something necessary, but wasteful and terrible, that would have resonated with many people watching the politics and conflicts of the time. Then of course, there's good old fashioned escapism, where we can go off to Middle Earth for a while when our own world seems too dark. Tolkien thought escapism was a natural and necessary part of the human experience, and I'm inclined to agree. Either way, those are just my first thoughts, but it's a super interesting prompt. That may have to end up being a video of its own.

[@retcutter10]

@@Jess_of_the_Shire After having read the trilogy in '67, before the critics and reviewers and analysts got their hands on it, I asked my uncle, the head of the English Dept. at a large Southern Cal. HS what he thought it was about. He told be about how he had assigned it to his advanced class and accepted their interpretations. Then he gave them his, which I still believe. There is no "meaning". It's a classic storytelling of good versus evil, with the good coming out victorious in the end. Just sit back, read and enjoy.

[@rickjanzen2180]

As usual very well researched. Having been a fan of the Lord of the rings since 1979, there were things in this video that even I was previously unaware of. Thank you for filling me in. By your reckoning, I first became aware of the Lord of the rings sometime after its first hype in the late 60s. however I was amongst a small group of fans amongst my family and friends, that couldn’t get enough of Tolkien’s work. I have read the series between 20 and 30 times. I have read the Hobbit for pleasure, and to my students in excess of 30 times. In addition, I have read numerous peripheral works over the years. It is rare to find someone who knows more about some aspects of the story, or author, than I and my friends do. You are a super fan if I ever saw one. And yes, you did miss miss pronounce joie de vivre. But that is easily forgiven. By the way, the floral wreath was a nice touch.

[@Jess_of_the_Shire]

I'm glad you got something out of this video! I truly appreciate you watching

[@rickjanzen2180]

Are you familiar with the 19th century author, George MacDonald?

[@ebt12]

Fantastic video, and I learned a lot about the history of the books. I knew some of it but the tie in to hippies, and the lukewarm reception soon after publication I didn't. One thing I was waiting for and you never mentioned it: An association between LOTR fans and the culture with renaissance festivals and medieval faires. The first renaissance festival was in 1963 in San Francisco, a counter-culture response to the established order, like so much of the other counter-culture happening at the time. That first faire continues to this day. A nostalgia for medieval and renaissance times, along with fantasy creatures such as faeries and unicorns. LOTR fans are there. In 2019, at the Pittsburgh faire, there was a wedding, and the guy giving away the bride was dressed as Gandalf the Grey.

[@brucetucker4847]

"Remember that there are two books that can greatly influence teenaged boys: Lord of the Rings and Atlas Shrugged. One is about a fantasy world whose unrealism can seriously warp your personality and outlook. The other is about orcs." - Paul Krugman

[@napoleonfeanor]

I can't stand Rand fanboys but Krugman is a clown who said as late as 2000 that the internet will have no big impact on the economy

[@Kunsoo1024]

@@napoleonfeanor Still, it's a great quote.

[@vorkosigrrl6047]

Lol, love this quote!

[@smurphftw2008]

​@deerecoyote2040 I believe the actual quote I think states "the other has orcs in it", but I could be wrong.

[@Kunsoo1024]

@@deerecoyote2040 It was something he said on the fly.

[@mikeMakhno]

I first read LOTR when I was in grade seven. That would have been in the middle 1960s so it was still a pretty new thing, just being noticed in the wider culture. I was enthralled and it totally carried me away into Middle Earth, so much more interesting than my own rather grubby working class world.

[@chadbennett7873]

These reports are simply excellent. A fresh look at the the unique and brilliant creation of a genre of literature that tickles our imagination. Thanks so much for doing these. I appreciate your knowledge and passion in telling the stories. I was somewhat late to the party, reading both The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings in 1974 during breaks at work and at night. It completely changed my life, and began my life as a writer. To that point, I had only written poetry, beginning as lyrics for songs, but eventually more designed as poetry in various forms. LOTR changed my outlook on just about everything in the world, and my story developed, and as I told you before, became a quest that took around 45 years. To be fair, I spent the first 20 of those years reading heroic fantasy to learn how to distill my vision into a story. I learned how to tell my story from great writers, who I contacted and have letters of response hanging on my wall. Michael Moorcock, Piers Anthony, Roberta MacAvoy, Marion Zimmer Bradley, and handwritten letters from Mercedes Lackey (when she still worked as a programmer). I also have a genuine J.R.R. Tolkien autograph hanging in the center of these, along with George R.R. Martin to his side. The two writers who had the most influence were the aforementioned Mercedes Lackey and Melanie Rawn - (The Dragon Prince and Dragon Star series). I have the red leather bound LOTR and the green leather bound The Hobbit, plus the paperbacks from the 60's and 70's (the ones I read). So, reading these books changed my life, changed my purpose and my vision of myself, and who could ever ask for more than that? Yeah, I watched to the end, always will.

[@Jess_of_the_Shire]

Thanks so much! I'm so glad you're enjoying them

[@bionicRod]

I just found you but must say you are now my favorite Tolkein related youtube channel. Your topics are interestint and your scripts are incredibly well written and thoughtful. Kudos.

[@robntricks]

Just found your channel and I love it. I'm going to binge it!!

[@CaliNux.]

really enjoy your content. you are a great storyteller

[@ElrohirGuitar]

You do a wonderful job of understanding the phenomenon of Lord of the Rings. One of the things you missed was that we Hippies were actually Hobbits. We realized this through reading the books and seeing the world we were made to live in. Another oversight was the love of pipeweed, which allowed us to see the world as it really is instead of our more industrialized surroundings. We had our muses like Donovan, Uriah Heep, and Led Zeppelin who sung to us the music of the Ainur. I took a Tolkien course in college. When D&D came out, we started playing it before the rule books had come out. We made our own world of adventures that were not covered in Lord of the Rings. I played CCG games of Lord of the Rings, played Middle Earth miniature games and painted them to bring them to life. I've played Lord of the Rings Online for sixteen years. Most of all, I have tried to live my life with an appreciation for what life can be and brought a daughter up to see that world as well. Of course, you know all this since you were one of us that was sent forward in time to enlighten your generation. Keep the Hobbit spirit alive.

[@victordonavon292]

More like bastardization of what Tolkien described as hobbits.

[@rudista10]

You do realise that Tolkien made hobbits to resemble ordinary English folk and Shire was countryside he grew up in?? They weren't hippies, pipeweed wasn't weed, just stop.

[@ItsJayCross319]

Wow! I am so glad I stumbled upon your channel today. Your presentation of information is so refreshing, and the thought you put behind each point is insightful and inspiring to those who want to dig deeper. I am very much in your same boat where I was born just a bit too late to enjoy all the megahype. Of course, the films and books were a cornerstone of my childhood, but now that I'm an adult rekindling my passion for the gargantuan impact that Tolkien generated for the fantasy genre, I'm learning a much deeper appreciation for what the Lord of the Rings means to me as an individual and the global cultural zeitgeist as a whole. I am an active member of my local SCA group, a medieval fantasy fanatic, an RPG enthusiast, an avid reader, a linguistics degree holder, a history nerd, and more; and my life wouldn't be enriched every single day by these things if it weren't for the influence that Tolkien's works have had on my life. Becoming a sort of hobbyist Tolkien scholar recently, I've come to find an appreciation and understanding amongst Tolkien fans that I believe will last through many ages. Your research and commentary accurately represent the undying enthusiasm, passion, and hunger for knowledge that makes being a Tolkien fan so special. It is truly amazing what one man's perspective on life and his fairy tales have done to represent so many people for so long, and I hope it continues to be that way. "May the blessing of Elves and Men and all Free Folk go with you. May the stars shine upon your faces!”

[@scottreynolds7014]

Thank you - you have a wondefull channel and just a collection of terrific passionate and best of all engaging and accessible content on a very life-changing world for me. Really well done!

[@RUAChristian]

For some reason your wonderful account of The Lord of the Rings books/movies/cultural impact almost brought me to tears several times. I think it’s because this trilogy impacted me so deeply as a young person in the 60’s and 70’s. Have you touched on Tolkien’s faith and his relationship with C.S. Lewis in previous videos? Excellent video! Thanks so much. Keep it up. 👍👍

[@Jess_of_the_Shire]

I'm so glad my video was able to move you! And I haven't, but it's a topic I plan to cover pretty soon.

[@brendanmooney7607]

Thanks for telling the ironic tale of how a loophole in US-copyright law that cost LOTR's author & publisher a lot of money actually ended up contributing to LOTR's author & publisher making a LOOOOTTT of money - but what I really want to know is... *Who is Tom Bombadil?* 😁 Congrats on all the views & new subscribers!

[@Jess_of_the_Shire]

You know, I actually have a video answering that very question! You might have missed it, it really underperformed haha. Thanks for always watching my content, I appreciate you!

[@johnnym2503]

I got your Tom Bombadil video recommended, so I'm one of the people your channel blew up to, and I'm so grateful for that. I've loved Lord of The Rings all my life, re-reading the books every now and again, although like you, I first fell in love with the movie adaptation. Now I'm binge-watching your videos, your analysis, thoughts, and commentary has brought me back to revisit Tolkien's work, and marvel at how after reading it so many times, I can still discover new themes, details, and keep enjoying one of my favorite works of art with a peek through someone else's eyes. I hope your channel keeps growing, and you have the most happy, hobbity time making these videos!

[@extrakryspy6309]

I whole heartedly echo this sentiment. I'm am also a new subscriber and love love love this channel!

[@B-RollBooks]

This is a fascinating story told compellingly. I can't tell you how much I enjoyed this video. Such a delight!

[@cynthiajohnson9412]

I have to say, my first experience with LoTR was in elementary school, probably circa 1971, when my older sister having received the book set from my aunt for Christmas HAD TO share it with me by reading the whole set out loud. Wow, was that great! Secreting ourselves in an upstairs bedroom every day after school to disappear into that breathtaking world. It's doesn't get any better than that! By high school I was wearing a Gandalf t-shirt to school and we were passing around a copy of 'Bored of The Rings'. I wanna say that was '78. Of course it smarts a bit to see something loved so deeply and reverently mocked, but hell you had to laugh in spite of the sting. It's only right and healthy to be able to laugh, and it never dimmed the books in my eyes to read about the exploits of Arrowshirt and Farrarslacks (60s brands of cheap, loud, polyester men's clothing). Oh come on that's funny, we all gotta learn to take a joke.

[@davidsachs4883]

If you enjoy stupid LotR satire, there’s “lord of the G-string” a soft porn video

[@bernielamont825]

I read "Bored Of The Ring" also. Mad Magazine nailed that satire, what I remember most was when they said that if they would have rode the Eagles into Mordor, it would have been a short story. LOL

[@cpfraghead]

I was a young adult when the Peter Jackson trilogy came out and I remember all the hype surrounding it. It was so much fun getting drawn in to this entire world Tolkien created. Having never been a big reader, I hadn’t read the books before seeing Fellowship but it was so good I couldn’t wait to find out how the story unfolds. So I devoured anything written by Tolkien and I fondly remember, to this day, the excitement I felt cracking into each of the LOTR trilogy books, one after the other. And I want to thank you, Part Time Hobbit, for putting out such well-researched and enjoyable content. I look forward to each one of your uploads. Cheers.

[@Jess_of_the_Shire]

There's no feeling more magical than immersing yourself in fantastical worlds!

[@Historian212]

The term “hippie” wasn’t used by members of the counterculture until long after popular media (aka print and broadcast) made it a household word. Like the earlier term “beatnik,” “hippie” was used by journalists, mostly, and not by those to whom it was originally applied. Taking off from the word “hip” (which was originally used in jazz culture of the early 1900s by African Americans, later adopted by others), “hippie” was a way of minimizing the movement and the people who supported it, by those who didn’t. (Again, much as the Beats were mocked in the term “beatnik.”). Kids who were slightly too young to actually participate in Beat culture (mid- to late-Boomers like myself) started to use it because we picked it up from the media, as did our “square” parents. Our older siblings gradually accepted it , grudgingly, although some never did. The so-called neo-hippies of recent years seem largely unaware of this history, adopting a lot of the styles of the older era, but not always with a real understanding of the origin of the term. Once advertisers co-opt a term, and politicians use it as a buzzword to target a group, as happened in the 60s and 70s, it’s no longer relevant to the struggle for a better way of life. It becomes a brand. The Beatles became superstars in ‘64, which is “by 1965,” but that phrase bypasses arguably the most seminal year for popular music of that time. The Beatles appeared on the Ed Sullivan Show in early ‘64, which was *after* the Beatles broke through on American radio in late 1963, with their earliest hits. If you listen to interviews by rock and pop musicians who became famous in the later 60s and into the 80s, virtually all will say their lives changed forever when they saw the Beatles on TV that night. This includes influential stars like Bruce Springsteen, Billy Joel, and many more. In the UK, members of groups like the Who and guys like Eric Clapton inevitably cite the Beatles’ earlier influence, even as they built on the Beatles’ success in new ways. The Beatles’ movie “A Hard Day’s Night” was released in ‘64 - made because they were already the biggest band in the world. So really, their fame hit by 1964. Modern hipsters wear Doc Martens. Hipsters back then wore construction boots, army boots, and such, but Doc Martens weren’t a thing until the late-70s/early-80s punks. Speaking of the 80s: why do you pass that decade by, as though that New Age-infused era didn’t happen? The first post-60s revival of fantasy stuff happened in the 80s, with books like the LOTR trilogy - which I first read in the early 80s, when fantasy roll-playing games arose - surging in popularity, followed by books like Marion Zimmer Bradley’s “Mists of Avalon,” (which took off from the great Merlin trilogy written by Mary Stewart in the 70s, starting with “The Crystal Cave”), among many others. The neo-pagan resurgence of the 80s popularized astrology, tarot, and all the associated media - which, like the similar Romantic revival you talk about in your video, was rooted in the British Romantic interest in idealized (not real) medieval culture and imagery, that was picked up in the early 1900s by people like Crowley, Yeats, and their circles, some of whom started amongst the Theosophists. This was a big deal in the 80s, with crystal shops and healing centers popping up all across the country. And terms like “manifestation” and “creative visualization” all around. It was, in many ways, a reaction to Reaganism and to the AIDS crisis - interestingly paralleled by the surge in political conservatism and widespread fear of a pandemic we see currently. Yes, these things cycle around, usually connected to larger societal events. The most accurate, yet brief, history of the term “hippie” I’ve seen so far: www.britannica.com/story/where-did-the-word-hippie-come-from

[@VintageCarHistory]

This video just popped up in my feed for some reason. And I'm liking it. This is well done!

[@dongray9852]

Really liking your content... enough to want to help if I may? The Hough in Houghton rhymes with through, not rough... "English is a difficult language, it can be understood through tough thorough thought though!"

[@Jess_of_the_Shire]

Yeah, my mom called me out for that as soon as she watched the video...That's on me for not looking it up beforehand haha. Thanks for the correction, friend

[@domenicomiletti7366]

I started to read the book a year before the movie came out. When "Fellowship" came out, I was halfway through TTT. let me say this, if LOTR gets ruined cinematically speaking, it won't matter because Tolkien left us his lengendarium. I can always go back to the books and make the cinema in my head go brrrr

[@magicgadget]

Appreciate the approach and presentation. Came here after watching your Tom Bombadil vid which I really loved. You’re now in my LOTR KZbin rotation with the likes of in deep geek and nerd of the rings. Thanks for the excellent content

[@hendrikm9569]

I am very happy to see, how much your channel has grown in the last few days, it is very well deserved :)

[@Daniel-uu9td]

Another great video… congrats on your recent well deserved popularity surge… The teacher that got me hooked on Tolkien’s work had a number of beautiful art work on calendars by the brothers Hildebrandt.. my favourite was Galadriel and her mirror (1975 calendar I believe ). I would love to see a video exploring the various artist interpretations of Tolkien’s characters. Just an idea… congrats again!

[@gaebren9021]

Daniel. I love this idea about the artwork. I am on pinterest and I get to see a lot of artists put their artwork up of Tolkien's characters. Many of these characters look like the characters out of the films. I often wonder how the actors feel about their images and faces in fandom artworks depicting characters that they played. That is one interview I would love to see. 🙂

[@gaebren9021]

Daniel. Another thing I thought of was that Tolkien was an Artist himself. I loved a lot of his illustrations of the Hobbit. There was also an Artist from the 50's Pauline Baynes. She also illustrated C.S.Lewis. She brought to life the stories of Tolkien and Lewis. She had a medieval influence on her illustrations.

[@Jess_of_the_Shire]

This is a super fun idea!

[@1pcfred]

I went to an art gallery once that was doing a sale of Hildebrandt work and got to see the original calendar art in person. The paintings were going for about 5 grand each. Which I didn't have on me at the time so I just bought a lithograph. Still, I thought the prices were very accessible considering they're commercial works of some fame.

[@thecaveofthedead]

I was born between the original fandom explosion and the movies. I wouldn't say LOTR was really mainstream. Most big readers gave it a shot, but the stigma that fantasy wasn't for adults remained pretty strong into the '90s. You definitely were at least nerd-adjacent if you were a fan (and being considered a nerd then had no whimsical, positive connotations to the wider world). A note on paperbacks. It always amuses me when people put down ebooks and gush about their physical paperback collection when I'm old enough to remember when paperbacks were considered the cheap-and-nasty versions for those who couldn't afford real books. Turns out the value of a book is in the text, not in what format it's read.

[@Lightraymuse]

Cheers for a well researched presentation. I got acquainted with Tolkien in the 1970's while at school by which time Tolkien had become more main stream. I recall going to a screening of the animated movie Lord of the Rings movie in 1978, which sadly never got a second part to conclude its story-line. .

[@revbenf6870]

I've watched two of your videos and thoroughly enjoyed them, the first one on Sam brought me to tears. From discovering the Hobbit tucked into a bookcase in a guesthouse all the way in Africa, I was about 10 or 11 years old, to the heartbreak of it ending, to the great joy of being told that the story continued and there were 3 more books. I devoured them and reread them many times much to my family's confusion and even dusgust, and I now also love the movies and regularly watch them. Thank you for the research you've done and the clear and compelling content of your work. Keep it up!!!

[@Thelaretus]

Fun fact, Tolkien was very fed up with the hippy idiots who seemed to follow him everywhere.

[@alang.bandala8863]

It's funny cause the same happend to Robert Heinlein

[@jamieparry6420]

Cymru am byth!

[@ArcanoSilverwind]

Just came across your channel, pretty interesting stuff being covered here that other lotr channels dont bother with. Its great! Subscribed. Best of luck.

[@TheRealWoTcher]

The "hook" for me was reading the Silmarillion after reading The Hobbit and the Lord of The Rings. The foundational knowledge that the Silmarillion provided grounded those stories in a world with histories, mythologies, and legends, that are hinted at and alluded to. This of course inspired re-readings which in turn, over the years as I matured, led to new understanding and insights. And undeniably a love of the world that Tolkien created. Thank you for the time you spend creating content that resonates with me and provides a place to reminisce.

[@agesflow6815]

Thank you, Part Time Hobbit.

[@germantoenglish898]

I'm sure Leonard Nimoy's song "The Ballad Of Bilbo Baggins" helped too. Live long and prosper.

[@renaissancesage]

I thoroughly enjoy your videos. it’s good to see enthusiasm in a KZbinr. You are the most articulate person I have ever heard and I’m an old college teacher. Your diction is precise. It is a pleasure listening to you. Be well.

[@kevinmcgrane4279]

Very much enjoyed your video here. I learned of LOTR from a middle school English teacher when the Ballantine edition was published. I was captivated by it. This was in the mid 1960’s. I’ve re-read the trilogy multiple times since, along with many of Tolkien’s other works. I ended up majoring in literature at university and graduated with a BA in English/American lit with a minor in linguistics. It was LOTR that laid the foundation for my education and personal outlook on life. Just subscribed to your channel. Well done!

[@CamoGreg]

First read the Hobbit and the trilogy in 1968. I was 10 years old and fascinated with the adventures. It shaped much of my own wandering in life. With the other Tolkien need friends of those years, we discussed the characters. Coincidentally, we were all top spelling bee contenders. I try to read the trilogy again every few years. Peter Jackson did a fantastic job bringing middle earth visually to life. I've seen to it my own children and grandchildren have had the opportunity to read these timeless treasurers. Kudos to your dedication to the researching all things Tolkien. It makes me smile to see someone close to my grandchildren age so involved it these wonderful stories.

[@katheryns1219]

My mom died in January at the age of 101, and I am coming to understand the feelings she had about times in her life being described by those who didn't go through the experiences themselves. Making extremely general conclusions without the emotional fire that lit people's minds at the time. This is inevitable since historians usually go back to times before their birth, so I can't really complain, but it does give me pause now when I read history books. I started high school in the late 60's, and you cannot imagine the excitement of this "underground" set of books. We loved them and were thrilled to be like cool college students. I did not associate it at all with nostalgia to medieval times. Nor the hippie movement. Yes, part of that was about going back to the land, but despite the protests, it was often a sweet and gentle time of trying to base your life on love. (I did, in fact, enjoy medieval history, but that grew from the beautifully written historical novels I read in grade school and the Oregon Shakespeare Festival.) I introduced my younger brother, Tom, to the books after I joined the Army. I was seven years older than he, and we'd discuss it while I was home on leave We both had a favorite memory of talking about the story in front of a blazing hearth fire at home. He died unexpectedly three years ago leaving his widow and two small girls. A few days before he passed away, when he it was difficult for him to talk, he asked me to talk about LOTR while he listened. I told him I'd heard once that when you die one of the things you can do in the afterlife is to engage in the stories you love while playing any part you wanted. This cheered him greatly, and we talked about which parts we'd want to play - I thought he should be Gandalf. On his deathbed, he gave the Vulcan salute to my mom, who was a great Star Trek fan. She never read the books but liked the LOTR movies declared the orcs, however, just "Klingons on steroirds."

[@tiredman4540]

I’m so pleased to come across this charming little channel. I first heard about The Hobbit in the 70’s via a friend, whose much older half brother was one of those hippies you mentioned. After this Tolkien became the architect of my childhood. We lobbied our primary school teacher to make this our story time book (not a universally popular decision). After a few years I did get a bit tired of people who only read this fantasy book (and sometimes only this book!) However, when I was teaching in a school in the Czech Republic, one of my students pointed out some of the underlying themes in the books, of friendship, loyalty and struggle against the odds. The books are still here because there is so much in them.

[@lmc108]

I could add hours worth of LOTR stories. These have taken up a significant piece of my adult life since first reading in 1972. I just wanted to say I was thoroughly delighted watching this video. You are utterly charming and summarized this amazing phenomenon beautifully. BRAVO!

[@Dundien-ix4kd]

Yeah you tought me that to be a nerd is the better life

[@RP-ve7bl]

now I want to hear your English accent....

[@jakubotevrel5058]

Hello, Jess. As a life-long, hardcore Tolkien fan (and a hippie at heart, just to be not entirely off-topic), let me just say, that yours is the most awesome, entertaining and informative Tolkien channel I have come across (and I have watched quite a few). You are incredibly well-researched (I thought I knew A LOT about Tolkien´s books, philosophy and life, but your knowledge puts me to shame), funny and most importantly, your love for the subject just shines throgh like a sun. I accidently saw one of your videos a week ago and have since then watched like ten more (I just loved the one about Valars, with the costumes!). Please continue doing your thing (following your bliss, as Joseph Campbell put it), the world is so much better with people like you in it. And (if it´s not clear from above mentioned ode), let me close by saying you have made yourself just yet another massive fan and subscriber. Greetings from Czech Republic, Jakub.

[@Jess_of_the_Shire]

This is so kind! I really really appreciate you taking the time to watch my videos. Welcome to the channel!

[@davesafish]

This is only the second video of yours that I've watched. So this may seem odd to say, but you just might be my new favorite KZbinr.

[@steveknows_420]

Pipe weed, anyone?🌿👌

[@jeffreysommer3292]

When I was 13, I took up pipe smoking (English tobacco blends!) because of LOTR. I'm still nostalgic for the first blend I smoked, almost 50 years ago.

[@steveknows_420]

@@jeffreysommer3292 I prefer Cannabis, I also started smoking since I was 13.😁🤙

[@mutterslog785]

When Tolkien wrote pipe weed, he meant tobacco.

[@allenmunich2816]

​@@steveknows_420 still pipe weed

[@allenmunich2816]

​@@mutterslog785 there was many types of pipe weed and yes you are right he meant tobacco but it's fantasy so some of the pipe weed could have been Marijuana maybe the elf or wizards blends

[@the98themperoroftheholybri33]

Isn't there evidence that Tolkien disliked his hippy fans, the whole "free love" and "self love" philosophy is at odds with his tradcath life

[@Jess_of_the_Shire]

I'm not certain if he ever expressed disliking specifically the hippies of his fanbase, but I know he thought of the whole LotR craze as a "deplorable cultus" so it's likely he wasn't a huge fan of them.

[@Scottie_S]

Hi Jessica! I'm one of those "new' subbies to your channel and yes, because of your last video. In 1970, I was 12 years old and picked up 'The Lord of the Rings' for the first time and was so hooked that, when I finished it, I went back to the beginning and started all over again. Funnily enough, I read 'The Hobbit' AFTER TLOTR and was slightly underwhelmed initially, as it was written more with a younger audience in mind I think. However, it would take me no time at all to get into 'The Silmarillion' when it was released in 1977 and, consequently, all other publications from Tolkien after that. Now, I'm 65 and have just finished 'The Fall of Gondolin'. Now I'm loving this journey with you and have gone back to watch your other videos and will continue to do so! You're a wonderful content creator. Keep up the great work!

[@kchabwa]

I found your channel + subscribed last week, and you had 15k then.. nearing 20 now! its easy to see why. Wow. Congrats, and honestly, good on you for the perseverance that led to this success.

[@michaelalderman6815]

The cover story of the July 7, 1967, edition of Time Magazine was “The Hippies.” It contained an off-hand reference to “J.R.R. Tolkien’s Hobbits (with their quirky gentleness and hairy toes,” along with an illustration of a hobbit. That brief reference intrigued my 14 year old self and I quickly acquired and read The Hobbit. I bought the Ballantine paperbacks with their weird covers and devoured them. Here I am, more than fifty years later, and the old professor’s work still speaks to me. I’ve lost track of the number of times I’ve reread The Lord of the Rings. I recently listened to the whole thing (including the appendices) on Audible, and there were passages that made me tear up. It is truly a work for the ages.

[@piovertwoo]

I’m just here for that Tiffany lamp. Plus also y’know, the well written and well spoken historical cultural and literary analysis I suppose.

[@Jess_of_the_Shire]

The lamp belongs to my parents and I'm trying to figure out if there's a way I can smuggle it out with me.

[@rexharrison6827]

A wonderfully presented overview of the Rings phenomenon. Thank you from a new viewer and new subscriber! I first became aware of Tolkien in 1966, maybe 1967, when I found the trilogy in my high school library. This was the hardback Allen & Unwin edition. I was immediately captivated and plunged into this world of fabulous realms at just the right time in my life (things weren't going so well, at all). I happened to grow up in New Zealand's Waikato province, the same general area that, many years later, would be the site of Peter Jackson's Hobbiton set (it's about an hour's drive). The landscape around me was perfect. I could literally step out into Middle Earth! From a willow-fringed river, open fields, swamplands, rugged bush-clad hillsides and high country farms, it didn't take much effort to imagine the world of Hobbits and Elves. About six or seven years later I hitched around the North and South Islands to places that either would later feature in or were close to, the sites portrayed in the films, never dreaming, of course, that such a thing would ever be possible. Ngauruhoe (the stand-in for Mt Doom) actually erupted at the time I was camping on the Western side of the National Park. Spectacular. I never really fully identified with the hippie movement at the time, though I was fully aware of it. Music? For me, Bo Hansson's ethereal "Lord of the Rings" and "Magician's Hat" albums eclipse Howard Shore's often ponderous orchestrations that tend to lose the element of mystery; too much Wagner, not enough madrigal! I'm sure other readers also grew up or lived in areas that mirrored descriptions from passages in the books. There's a tiny patch of park in a reserve that is primarily sports fields in the middle of Auckland City that I swear could be a stand-in for a number of scenes in the Rings; I'm always reminded of Entwood or the area where Boromir is attacked and killed or even parts of the Old Forest. So one doesn't have to go far to discover faerie! I would say that the nearest in spirit to Tolkien in modern writing would be Philip Pullman's "His Dark Materials" and more recent "Book of Dust" trilogies. They're as unique in their way as Tolkien's works are, and are journeys of self discovery and change for Pullman's characters as were the journeys of the Hobbits for Tolkien.

[@kleinowitz]

Thank you for your great videos, they really make the spirit of the story come alive again for me! I am from Austria and around 1990, when I was 14-15 years old, my parents decided it would be a good idea to do some travelling. So we went to Great Britain together several times. Always for three weeks in summer, always by car, always crossing by ferry from Oostende to Dover, always driving around the country between sights we visited (lots of them:), always staying at B&Bs. So.. much time to read and when I came across the Lord of the Rings while we travelled around, I was fascinated and devoured it. Lord of the Rings, together with Musashi, Shogun, Tai Pan .. and the book series about Horatio Hornblower are some the books that I read many times and hold dear until today.