My earliest memories of Tolkien's works are of the Ballantine Books 1977 Tolkien Calendar, illustrated by the Brothers Hildebrandt, and of my mother reading The Hobbit to me and my siblings. I also saw the animated versions of The Hobbit and The Return of the King, but they had less of an impact on me than the books themselves and the illustrations of the Brothers Hildebrandt. My memory of reading Lord of the Rings is less clear. Probably my mother read it to me and my siblings at some point. I read it on my own probably around age 10, and also The Silmarillion, probably as a pre-teen.
Favorite Tolkien character:
Éowyn, Shield-maiden of Rohan. I think she embodies the heroic spirit more than anyone else in Tolkien's works, except perhaps some of the hobbits.
