The Hobbit: An Illustrated Edition of the Fantasy Classic

by J.R.R. Tolkien and Chuck Dixon

Book Overview

An illustrated, expanded edition of the enchanting prequel to The Lord of the Rings, The Hobbit--the classic fantasy that inspired Peter Jackson's major motion picture trilogy. When Thorin Oakenshield... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• ISBN: 0385365322
• ISBN13: 9780385365321
• Release Date: January 2016
• Publisher: Ballantine Books - Del Rey
• Length: 144 Pages
• Weight: 1.15 lbs.

Customer Reviews

Check Before You Buy!

Love the Hobbit, been wanting the book a long time. Was not however expecting the graphic novel edition. (Guess that was on me for not reading the fine print.)

Will donate to school library

This is a great graphic novel of a classic, however, I intended to order the novel.

Missing Pages

The book sent is missing pages 1-14.

The Hobbit: An Expected Review

Wizards, wars, wicked dragons, warrior elves, and a gentlemanly hobbit from the Shire. J.R.R Tolkien’s children’s fantasy novel, There And Back Again, or more famously known as The Hobbit, throws his readers into this fish-out-of-water journey. It opens with a prosperous clan of dwarves in The Lonely Mountain. These dwarves amass a ridiculous amount of treasure from their mining of the mountain and they hoard it as dwarves do. The straw that breaks the camel’s back is when they dig up “the Arkenstone,” and the wealth catches the desire of a fearsome, greedy dragon Smaug. The dwarves fight for their home but are no match for the beast. Thorin, Prince under the mountain, loses his kingdom and his people are scattered. Years later, an ominous evil permeates across the land. Gandalf the Grey, a wizard, must enlist Thorin, the remaining dwarves of the Lonely Mountain, and one unlikely thief to aid in the reclamation of their home and end their exile. The novel received wide critical acclaim and was nominated for a Carnegie Medal, but most today know it to be a film called, The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey. While the book itself may be ‘an unexpected journey’ for the main character, Bilbo Baggins, the structure certainly was not for modern-day readers. J.R.R Tolkien’s actual story is the direct reflection of a typical monomyth. The hero, in this case proper hobbit Bilbo of The Shire, is called and refuses the call, he meets a mentor —Gandalf—to help crossover into this quest, yada yada. As the father of fantasy, Tolkien cannot be separated from his accolades due to his works having helped to develop this structure to begin with. But what is the lure to modern-day readers who have grown up with this same story their whole lives? In The Hobbit, readers get to eat from every food group theme of fantasy. There is friendship which builds from the camaraderie of the dwarves, Gandalf, and Bilbo as they narrowly escape giant talking spiders, trolls, and goblins. There’s a theme of bravery from unlikely places; the smallest of people, the most overlooked save the day. Tolkien emphasized this with Bilbo’s wizard mentor, Gandalf. Gandalf is the voice of wisdom and power, yet he is constantly surprised by the perseverance and strength of Bilbo. When asked why he chose a hobbit, one of the smallest in stature and peaceful of the races, to embark on this dangerous quest, Gandalf replied that seeing him try, despite his disadvantages, gives him hope—Bilbo makes him feel brave. Tolkien gives a timeless representation of overcoming the odds and reclaiming home. In this season of loss, sickness, and fear of the future due to COVID-19, The Hobbit tells the tale of endurance and triumph through the darkness of uncertainty. So, why the continued cycle of love and success for this same old story? It’s simple. Because readers find themselves relating to the same old cycle of life: hardships, triumphs, and a hope for an unlikely reprieve.

Wrong book sent

The book that was sent WAS NOT the one that I ordered. I specifically selected the cover of the book my child is required to read and a comic book was sent.

One of the best comics ever made

The art is fantastic the story is more complete than one would expect.This is the trade paperback version of a 3 issue set that came out about 12 years ago. You would have to go to Tim Truman's Wilderness or Lone Wolf and cub to find a better comic. As an adaption of a book, no other comic compares. Buy it.

Really, the best way to read The Hobbit

Okay, so I say that this is the best way to read The Hobbit. And I am dead serious. I know that annotated books can be difficult to navigate, filled with useless, pointless, or just plain boring information, and can be grossly oversized. That is not the case here.So - here's the scoop.The original story is very nicely presented, with all original illustrations in color when possible, and in black and white elsewhere. The type is nice and clear, very easy to read. (Many cheaper editions are also rather hard on the eyes. Check the print before you buy, folks!)The illustrations are printed very clearly, and with very good notes on what they are. And then the annotations - useful, engaging, and very well done. You will WANT to read these. We discover how the book was written, and what was changed between editions. (There were many changes made so that The Hobbit would conform more easily to the Lord of the Rings trilogy.) There are fascinating tidbits about Tolkien's life and the experiences that made their way into the story. The forward tells about the writing of the novel, and the appedices give additional details about the text. There are also many illustrations from other editions of the book. These are varied, from thought-provoking to not-provoking. And the book is not too big. Some editions are simply too big to be read, but this book is reasonably sized so that you can actually READ IT! In fact, I have not read any other edition of The Hobbit for years, since the original annotated version came out. The new edition is very much worthwhile. Enjoy!

The best book ever written published in a beautiful format

Tolkien's Hobbit takes the imagination on a wonderful flight of fantasy. I read this book on a yearly basis and each year I am delighted and captivated by the world of Bilbo Baggins. Bilbo is a reluctant member of an adventure that will forever change his life and the lives of those around him. He accompanies 13 dwarves on a mission to reclaim the gold and mountain kingdom of their ancestors from the dragon, Smaug. They have many adventures and mishaps on their journey to the lonely mountain including the climactic battle of five armies. Bilbo finds a magic ring along the way which leads, not only to a rise in his stature, but also to a new adventure for his friends in "The Lord of the Rings." Tolkien is a master storyteller and the depth of his skill is best seen in this tale. In the following trilogy, "The Lord of the Rings" the story is continued, but the sheer delight of "The Hobbit" is never fully recaptured. This collector's edition is beautifully bound. Even more enjoyable are the illustrations and paintings by the author himself.