Memories of the First Time You Discovered the Hobbit & Lord of the Rings/Middle Earth

[Glorfindel]

I and my then girlfriend went to see a film in 1979 - can't remember what it was, but during the previews on comes this amazing looking trailer for the Ralph Bakshi version of The Lord Of The Rings. Never even heard of it before then. Got to go and see this I told her. We did, and I loved it, despite the abrupt ending.
Went out and bought the paperback copy film edition cover. Read it and never looked back.

[Ithildin]

That was it, who knows anything when you’re 8 years old! I remember the smell though! And the feel, the cover was rough and slick at the same time.

what I’d give for that exact book now

You never forget that musty smell.