Since we were talking about Lord of the Rings last class period, I went back to my copy and did some rereading of some parts I had marked down as interesting. One of those things was the chapter with Tom Bombadil, who unfortunately, was not included in the films. Here's the part I'm talking about, the four hobbits are at Tom's house and Frodo shows Tom the ring and actually hands it over to him:

"Then Tom put the Ring round the end of his little finger and held it up to the candlelight. For a moment the hobbits noticed nothing strange about this. Then they gasped. There was no sign of Tom disappearing! Tom laughed again, and then he spun the Ring in the air---and it vanished with a flash. Frodo gave a cry--and Tom leaned forward and handed it back to him with a smile. (chapter In the House of Tom Bombadil pg. 132-133)"

The Ring had no effect on Tom at all! It's true that Tom is very ancient and master of the wood, but what kind of power does he actually hold that prevents the Ring from weaving its usual spell on him? At the council of Elrond they briefly talk about this, but I don't think any conclusion was made. Has anyone read anything else by Tolkien that might explain this strange character and his mysteriousness?