The Hobbit first, but if you only want to read Lord of the Rings then read the Fellowship of the Ring, then The Two Towers and finally Return of the King

Read The Hobbit first. IMHO, it's not the best of Tolkien's works but it is the perfect introduction into the world of Middle-earth, and it sets up The Lord of the Rings nicely. After The Hobbit, read LOTR. If you've finished LOTR and are still hungry for more, and have stomach for a lot of background and lore, I highly recommend reading The Silmarillion (be warned that many readers find The Silmarillion rather confusing. 🙂) I hope this helps, and happy reading!

Thanks so much ! :) @Evangelinethefirefly @ARoyalPrincess

There are two ways to read Tolkiens works. Here is the first way: The Hobbit, then The Lord of the Rings trilogy, then The Adventures of Tom Bombadil (if you like poetry), The Silmarillion, The Great Tales Trilogy (which is three books, The Children of Hurin, Beren and Luthien), and finally Unfinished Tales. If you like some less complicated works by Tolkien I would recommend reading Tolkiens books this way: The Hobbit, The History of the Hobbit, Roverandom, and Tales from the Perilous Realm.