Reception of J. R. R. Tolkien of "The Hobbit" appeared in 1957 (translated by Walter Scherf), and that of "The Lord of the Rings" in 1972 (translated by Margaret Carroux and Ebba-Margareta von Freymann). The Deutsche Tolkien Gesellschaft (DTG) is a German association dedicated to the study of the life and works of J. R. R. Tolkien. Founded in 1997, it is based in Cologne. The DTG has more than 500 members (as of 2005) and is organized in a widespread network of local chapters. It is the main driving force of Tolkien reception in the German speaking countries (c.f. Honegger (2006); the first Swiss Tolkien
Reception of J. R. R. Tolkien web site which in 2002 founded an official group of fans under the name The Prancing Pony. The group is unofficially divided in two 'smials', in Athens and Thessaloniki. During and after the release of the movies, further Tolkien-related literature was published in Greek (both original and translations) including biographies, reading companions etc. The Bulgarian Tolkien Society was officially established in 1998 when the Bulgarian Tolkien Fan Club "Rin Ennor" was first registered as a non-profit non-governmental organization by a few students from the Sofia University. Apart from the larger communities in the big cities, the Bulgarian Tolkien Society includes