How Did YOU Get Started?

I got the computer game of The Hobbit for the ZX Spectrum in 1982 (This one: https://www.mediasuite.co.nz/blog/porting-zx-spectrum-hobbit-osx/) and it came with a copy of the Unwin Paperback book.

The rest, as they say, is history.

(Edit: and I ported it to the Mac a long while back - https://sourceforge.net/projects/spectrumhobbitforosx/ JavaScript port on the cards when I have a giant number of hours to spare again)

Stu wrote:

I got the computer game of The Hobbit for the ZX Spectrum in 1982 (This one: https://www.mediasuite.co.nz/blog/porting-zx-spectrum-hobbit-osx/) and it came with a copy of the Unwin Paperback book.

The rest, as they say, is history.

Ditto. Exactly the same with me.

But did not start collecting until 2002

[Edit: Had read the Hobbit 2 years prior in 1980 but bought the game for the Spectrum in 1982 which came with the book]

I am not a collector so I guess my response here is not needed but I wanted to offer my experience, at least from the the POV of this site and its members. I originally joined here with the intention to start collecting seriously but after interacting a little here and following the collectors I realized I was most unsuited to the hobby so stopped where I was. I made a little money from it though which was not a bad thing.

I am primarily a text hunter. I just want every Tolkien text I can find. Be that books, minor pieces found in other works, letters, quotes, artwork examples. Whatever it be. I have spent years digitizing the texts (which we won't go into detail here) and am slowly bringing it all together into a searchable database (that is the long game).

I imagine I am almost alone in that I frequent this collectors site without really being a collector.

onthetrail wrote:

I am not a collector ... I am primarily a text hunter.

I don't really see how the latter is not a subtype of the former. Do you have to care about editions to be a "collector"? If so, then you're definitely not alone.

Philomythos wrote:

onthetrail wrote:

I am not a collector ... I am primarily a text hunter.

I don't really see how the latter is not a subtype of the former. Do you have to care about editions to be a "collector"? If so, then you're definitely not alone.

That is a fair point and I hadn't considered it that way. I've paid a fortune for digital texts over the years, equipment, physical books to digitize, plus the large number of books I buy related to Tolkien. So yeah I get your point. I may not be interested in collecting a certain edition but I certainly care enough to track down hundreds of texts, visit libraries and archives to find what I am looking for.

I personally (and this could be wrong) consider a Tolkien collector to be someone that has at least two editions of the same title. Even if that title is the only one you have multiples of.

For instance, I've got Ken Follett's Century Trilogy....but, by owning them, does that make me a collector? I wouldn't say so.

That's just how I see it, but might be wrong!

I don't agree with that at all. Yes, I have mutiple copies of single titles for Tolkien; but I don't collect H. P. Lovecraft and "books about books" (& other areas I collect) in the same manner. Scope, range, focus; these are all different. But I absolutely collect books in all these areas. If you start buying books for any reason other than reading, then I think you're basically collecting.

I'll just say that how much someone spends and how one is defined as a collector is most definitely a moot point. Some of us can't really spend large amounts of dosh on our hobbies so we have to be careful. That's royal we, just in case someone doesn't realize.
That said, it doesn't mean I care any less about Tolkien or about any of my books than you do, I wouldn't be here if I did. There are some books I'd like to own down the line though I tend not to stress about it - if it happens, great; if not - c'est la vie. This is a fun community, a place for all of us to enjoy our Tolkienses. That's what it is, or that's at least what I think it is. I'm hopeful that won't change any time soon.

Besides - I'm a Tolkien collector according to insurrbution's definition so... happy days.

A collector is someone who acquires books (in this case) and then doesn't get rid of them. I don't think it needs to be any more than that.