Yes the Hobbit was written quite a while (nearly 20 years) before LOTR. I read it after LOTR and was disappointed and have never read it again while I have read LOTR at least half a dozen times. I bought the Hobbit a few weeks ago. I am hoping the movies will regenerate interest in it for me. I have quite a few Tolkien books but some are a bit hard going.
That was my reaction to the trilogy when I read it back in my college days, and Tolkien completely lost me when I got to the talking trees.
Made me think of the talking apple trees in
The Wizard of Oz. Nevertheless, I slogged my way through to the end of the trilogy. But
The Hobbit I've always found quite charming, and, oddly, my memory is that I also enjoyed
The Silmarillion. I might actually consider rereading
The Silmarillion some day. But I saw the trailer for
The Hobbit when I saw
Lincoln Saturday night, and it also looks charming.
A tad OT, but since I mentioned
The Wizard of Oz, I will also mention that Saturday I also saw the trailer for
Oz, the Great and Powerful, which looked like lots of fun.