Its a subject I have a personal stake in. You will recall my grandfather was a professional reader, a lector, a man who read aloud to cigar factory workers while they handrolled cigars in the early decades of the twentieth century. He read classic novels, newspapers, even soap operas and political tracts, whatever his audience wanted. He was paid by the workers, so he had to audition against others and be able to thoroughly entertain and inform his audiences, and they were highly demanding and expert listeners. He also worked as a stage actor in classical Spanish theater, dubbing English-language films into Spanish, and as a broadcaster of some note back when radio was really big in the 30s and 40s. My paternal grandfather was also a lector, (my parents met because their fathers were colleagues and competitors), so its in my genes.

My first job after college also involved getting up in front of audiences and giving lectures on science and atomic energy to students. I was thoroughly trained in public speaking techniques by my employers, although I believe I inherited some of the aptitude from my grandfathers. I know it is a demanding and subtle art. I was pretty good at it too, I’m told I put on quite a show!

I once saw a TV documentary about the bards of Afghanistan, illiterate old men who had memorized the tribe’s stories from long ago. One told a long tale of how the foreign warrior-king Iskander and his mighty armies had swept through their country, thousands of years before, on his way to conquer India.

It is an ancient and honorable craft, Men have huddled about the campfire and in smoky halls, listening to tales of gods and ancient heroes, Beowulf and Homer indeed. I am honored to have glimpsed just a bit of that ancient heritage.

I was a bit rambunctious, and was requested to sit in a place of honor, front row center. No chance of getting away with anything there.

Shakespeare was a big part of the curriculum, and he would read it to us. I was required to read a part or two, and he would play off of me.

The guy brought it to life. It was wonderful, and the entire class was entranced when he went through his routines. He played all manner of parts, with no noticeable strain or trouble shifting from one to the other. My readings were the only interjections which seem strange.

I guess my point is that sometimes it may be the reader. On the other hand, Shakespeare was designed to be spoken, so maybe I don’t have a point.

Yet that is also the richness of Tolkien. I’ve noticed that as I mature (Ha!) I notice different aspects of the story when I read it again.

Reading The Silmarillion will change the way you read the Lord of the Rings. A couple of pieces of advice on reading (or listening to) the Silmarillion:

It is not a novel. Tolkien liked to say that the Lord of the Rings was an account of the time as documented in the Red Book, and later translated into English. (Write what you know.) View the Silmarillion in the same spirit. It is Bilbo’s recanting of the tales of the First Age, told by some of those that were there. Therefore, it is very condensed.

I recommend starting with the final chapter. It recounts the events of the Third Age in a few dozen pages. As you are familiar with the events and the characters, reading this chapter first introduces the reader to Tolkien’s more scholastic style, which can take getting used to. Recognize that all of the Silmarillion is a condensed collection of tales.

Do not try to grok it all at once. Keep a map handy, plus the appendix of names, and the family trees, whether you are reading or listening, they’ll help. But be willing to just hear the stories and let them flow, like you were sitting ’round a campfire in the wild.

(If you go to the YouTube page, there’s a link to “download” the full audiobook. It’s just spam exhorting you to enroll in Amazon’s audiobook service.)