I read The Hobbit for English class.

By that time I had already read both The Hobbit and Lord of the Rings in Dutch, because back then I still read thick books for pleasure, so it was redundant if anything.

I also remember how much less well put together I found the story having already read Lord. Hobbit almost seemed a bit childish at that point.

Then again, I do not remember any of the big action scenes Peter Jackson found when he read it, so maybe I just remember it wrong.