Let us know what you’re reading in the comments below or by using #TolkienReadingDay on Twitter.
What’s going on?
Tolkien Reading Day is held on the 25th of March each year. The date of the 25th of March was chosen as the date on which the Ring was destroyed, completing Frodo’s quest and vanquishing Sauron.
It has been organised by the Tolkien Society since 2003 to encourage fans to celebrate and promote the life and works of J.R.R. Tolkien by reading favourite passages. We particularly encourage schools, museums and libraries to host their own Tolkien Reading Day events.
To celebrate this year’s Tolkien Reading Day, the Society is hosting an event a day of events at the Story Museum. As part of the day, the Society has obtained the permission of the Tolkien Estate for live storytellings of Mr. Bliss. For more information, visit this year’s event page.
What can you read
- The poetry and songs in either The Hobbit or The Lord of the Rings;
- The Adventures of Tom Bombadil collection of poems;
- The Lays of Beleriand, which includes the “Lay of the Children of Húrin” and the “Lay of Leithian”, about Beren and Lúthien
- Bilbo’s Last Song, Bilbo’s song as he leaves Middle-earth at the end of the Third Age;
- The Fall of Arthur, an incomplete alliterative verse by Tolkien on King Arthur;
- The Lay of Aotrou and Itroun, a 506-line poem by Tolkien published last year.
How else you can participate
Share you stories and photos either below, on our Facebook page, or by following us on Twitter and using the hashtag #TolkienReadingDay.
You can also view a selection of scholars reading Tolkien’s works, which we produced for our Tolkien Reading Day two years ago, on the theme of friendship.
Whatever you’re doing, take the opportunity to enjoy Tolkien’s works.