Oh, this is a bit of a tale, and it is a bit sad. so a warning in advance, Nonnie.

When I was in Year 3 (I was 7), my class read ‘The Hobbit’. I’d read it before, but something about having it read aloud to us set my imagnation ON FIRE. I went BONKERS. I made a Gollum puppet in Art, even (mum still has it). I drew dragons on EVERYTHING, and generally raved on about it to my whole family, and they indugently smiled and nodded and left me (the nerdy, bookish one) to my nascent literary fangirling.

Not so my uncle Puss.

My Uncle Puss was my mum’s brother, and a very intelligent, shy, gentle man. He barely knew what to do with my sister and I, because we were loud and dramatic and theatrical as kids, and he would retreat a lot. But me ranting about The Hobbit drew his immediate and undivided attention, and it was like opening a door into a whole new person. It was Uncle Puss who told me that there was a sequel, and that it was MASSIVE. And that after that, there were whole languages, and a mythology, and so much more!

Tiny me: THERE’S A WHAT???? OH MY GOD, GIMME. 

My Uncle Puss was, in other words, a fellow nerd. And I didn’t know until that moment. It became a thing we shared, this world we loved, and the rest of our family teased us about our nerdery. This awkward shy man and this awkward dramatic little girl, enthusiastically shouting together about Elves and Hobbits and Dwarves.

(He ALSO introduced me to Star Trek TOS.)

He gave me my first copy of LOTR. It was his own, actually, and I treasure it still. I have other copies now, some very pretty and fancy, but his was the first and most special. He gave me all of HOME for my birthday, a volume each year. I am holding his copy of the Silmarillion in my hand. It has his name on the inner cover.

Uncle Puss was not a well man. He was bipolar and schizophrenic, and disappeared about fifteen years ago – just before the films came out, actually. He’s presumed dead now. I miss him still. 

So yeah, it is the books first, for me. Always the books first.