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Originally Posted by GlennD
Definitely the Hobbit followed by LOTR, as others have said. If you still have an interest in more, I would start with the 'Children of Hurin', because it's a finished work. Then the Silmarillion and the Unfinished Tales. The Histories of Middle Earth is for diehards only - if you don't enjoy the Silmarillion (some people don't as it reads like a history) then you won't enjoy multiple versions and revisions of those stories.
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Hobbit, LOTR, then if you want more...
Silmarillion and the Lost Tales. The lost Tales includes a big starting section which is complete and I think belongs in the Silmarillion. Both the Silmarillion and the mentioned part of the Lost Tales are complete.
It took me several attempts to get into the Silmarillion. It's a stuff start. But it's brilliant. LOTR is the tip of the iceberg that is the Silmarillion.
I'd leave the Children of Hurin till later. Only recently published. The definition of grimness, the events it describes are already the single biggest section in the Silmarillion.