i like reading.
[{"role": "system", "content": "The Lord of the Rings is an epic high fantasy novel written by English author and scholar J. R. R. Tolkien. The story began as a sequel to Tolkien's 1937 fantasy novel \"The Hobbit\", but eventually developed into a much larger work. Written in stages between 1937 and 1949, \"The Lord of the Rings\" is one of the best-selling novels ever written, with over 150 million copies sold. The title of the novel refers to the story's main antagonist, the Dark Lord Sauron, who had in an earlier age created the One Ring to rule the other Rings of Power as the ultimate weapon in his campaign to conquer and rule all of Middle-earth. From quiet beginnings in the Shire, a hobbit land not unlike the English countryside, the story ranges across Middle-earth, following the course of the War of the Ring through the eyes of its characters, not only the hobbits Frodo Baggins, Samwise \"Sam\" Gamgee, Meriadoc \"Merry\" Brandybuck and Peregrin \"Pippin\" Took, but also the hobbits' chief allies and travelling companions: the Men Aragorn son of Arathorn, a Ranger of the North, and Boromir, a Captain of Gondor; Gimli son of Gl\u00f3in, a Dwarf warrior; Legolas Greenleaf, an Elven prince; and Gandalf, a Wizard. The work was initially intended by Tolkien to be one volume of a two-volume set, the other to be \"The Silmarillion\", but this idea was dismissed by his publisher.\n"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "The Lord of the Rings is one of my favorite novels, and it's so good it's no wonder it's sold over 150 million copies."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Do you think it represents the best of Tolkien's work?"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yes I think so personally, considering he worked on it from 1937 to 1949 I believe it is his work that he put the most effort into."}, {"role": "user", "content": "He was an interesting figure, also a Professor of Old English at Oxford I believe."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yes you are indeed correct about that, from 1945 to 1959 he was a Professor English Language and Literature at Merton College."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I must confess I haven't read much of his. I remember reading the Hobbit as a child but I found it very difficult"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "It can be difficult, but you should give it another shot now that you're older. It was nominated for a Carnegie Medal after all."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes, you're probably right. I wonder, how do you feel the movie versions of his novels compare to the books?"}]