The Hobbit

By J.R.R. Tolkien

Book Overview

In a hole in the ground, there lived a hobbit. So begins one of the most beloved and delightful tales in the English language.

Set in the imaginary world of Middle-earth, at once a classic myth and a modern fairy tale, J.R.R. Tolkien's The Hobbit is one of literature's most enduring and well-loved novels. This edition of The Hobbit has been specially formatted for young readers and features cover art by Caldecott Honor-winning illustrator Peter S?s.

Bilbo Baggins is a hobbit who enjoys a comfortable, unambitious life, rarely traveling any farther than his pantry or cellar. But his contentment is disturbed when the wizard Gandalf and a company of dwarves arrive on his doorstep one day to whisk him away on an adventure. They have launched a plot to raid the treasure hoard guarded by Smaug the Magnificent, a large and very dangerous dragon.

Bilbo reluctantly joins their quest, unaware that on his journey to the Lonely Mountain he will encounter both a magic ring and a frightening creature known as Gollum.

Written for Tolkien's own children, The Hobbit has sold many millions of copies worldwide and established itself as a modern classic.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 061815082X
• ISBN13: 9780618150823
• Release Date: September 2001
• Publisher: Clarion Books
• Length: 352 Pages
• Weight: 0.81 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.1" x 4.9" x 7.7"
• Age Range: 12 years and up
• Grade Range: Grade 7 and higher

Customer Reviews

Holds its own through the test of time.

Enjoyable as it was when it was first printed nearly 90 years ago. Hard to put down once you started and leaves you on the edge of your seat throughout.

This is a story that grows with the reader.

In a mythical or maybe just forgotten time, many creatures lived in places like the Shire, home to Bilbo Baggins, the Hobbit. Hobbits are comfort-loving creatures with no real sense of adventure. A knock on the door, and Bilbo's life is about to change. Calling this book a children's book is like calling "Alice in Wonderland" [see "The Annotated Alice"] a children's book. Yes, children can read this book, and it is fun. However, there is a lot more to this book than a cute story. And it has all the depth of the other Tolkien works, except for being shorter. Many people look at this story as a prequel to "The Lord of the Rings", where in reality it is a stand-alone story with a perfectly good beginning, middle, and end. When you read "The Lord of the Rings," there is enough description to forgo "The Hobbit." Personally, I find that reading The Lord of the Rings first gave me an in-depth background to better appreciate The Hobbit. Many of the creatures and adventures will put you on the edge of your seat. You will recognize the personalities and grow along with Bilbo as he faces new challenges and learns to deal with life. A good book to read first would be "The Power of Myth" by Joseph Campbell. Then you get a clearer picture of why the story progresses as it does.

Read this before you read LOTR

I say to read The Hobbit first, not because it is the prequel to LOTR, but because it is a much softer start to the Tolkien universe. The language of JRRT is much easier to follow and provides a good pathway for those new to the LOTR series. That being said, please understand that The Hobbit, for some reason, perhaps from being rushed, is not written as well as the original series. That does not mean it is poor, but rather there are a few mistakes missed by the original editors that make certain sections a little odd. But regardless, it will definitely open the fantasy world up to those curious about the stories. It is overall an entertaining read and filled with beautiful descriptions that being the characters to life. Read it and enjoy!

I love this story!

I love, love, love "The Hobbit," and the other stories of Middle Earth by J.R.R. Tolkien! He has a nice writing style, easy for school-aged readers to enjoy as well as adults. This is the story of the hobbit, Bilbo Baggins (Frodo's uncle), and precedes the tales of the "Lord of the Rings" trilogy. This book introduces Gandalf, Gollum, and the ring, and informs the reader of other peoples and histories: the dwarves, the dragon, Smaug, and Wood-elves. The heroes in this book are varied and well written. The copy that I received is older and has maps, illustrations, and songs, which are all interesting and part of the story. If you liked the books or movies of "Lord of the Rings" or the movies of "The Hobbit" than this book is for you! You will not be disappointed!

Great Book!!!

I absolutely enjoyed this book - a great world and beautiful characters. I would suggest reading it before the Lord of the Rings.

decent translation, still a great book.

I must admit at the outset that I haven't finished reading the German translation yet (I'm referring to the paperback here), but so far it's as fun a read as the English. I've had a couple minor issues with the translation so far, but they're fairly trivial and may be perfectly justified by parts farther on in the book. I really enjoy reading English-language books in translation (from Watership Down to Red Dragon) and have also read a good deal of German lit in English, and as translations go this seems to have lost little of the "feel" of Tolkien. That means it can be both dense and playful at once without being tiring. A masterful "Erzählung" in any language (that I can read, at least)!

the Hobbit

The book the Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien is an adventurous, fantasy tale that takes place in the land of the middle earth. However, even with many "nail-biting"/ action sequences, this story reveals tender and moving themes. Courage, trust, and friendship are the three most dominant themes projected in this tale of adventure. On their quest to restore the dwarves wealth and pride; Bilbo, Gandalf, and the 13 Dwarves encounter numerous challenges of both the emotional and physical nature. Bilbo's revelation from a timid, do-gooder hobbit to a daring thief is the most exciting transformation experienced. Though the story seems to take off at a slow pace, Tolkien's descriptions really pull the reader into the action. If you wish to read of battles with goblins, wargs, spiders, trolls, and the occasional dragon, then don't be turned off by what seems like unnecessary detail in the beginning. The Key, However, is to keep reading, it gets better.