: Furthermore LotR is a special kind of literature which can only be fully appreciated if the (sometimes complex) mythology is also thoroughly devoured.
: : At any rate it ranks in my top ten list for certain.

: IMHO that isn't supported by the history of publication. As we know the Hobbit and LOTR were published first. Due to the reader demand for more information, the mythos began to be released. Prior to that, what made LOTR so great? What continues to make it so great? More copies of The Hobbit and LOTR have been sold then HoME, Lost Tales or Sil. That should discount the belief that LOTR "can only be fully appreciated if the (sometimes complex) mythology is also thoroughly devoured".

: -RR

In order to not be misunderstood I am not claiming that the book is unenjoyable without the mytholgy. I only feel that without the accompanying appendixes one can easily get lost in the multitude of names and history. Without the surrounding mythology would this chat room exist? Tolkien does not spend the time within his story to fully develop his charectors he depends once again on his mythology to do that for us. It is as a previous contributer wrote, Tolkien is an wonderful storyteller with an amazing ability to evoke an emotiónal response in the reader through the use of colorful adjectives and a perfect mastery of the written language. Tolkien does not attempt to change the way we think, or the way we see the world, these are what reviewers look for when judging if a book is the best ever written. Furthermore one day I would like to read all of the contributing mythology such as the Lost tales, or Sil. Till now I havent most of the mythology which I have wondered about I have learned in theis chat room. Tolkien makes many of his readers actively search for it, without the appendixes, I would have finished the book with the feeling that something was missing.