J.R.R. Tolkien

The Hobbit

J.R.R.Tolkien's The Hobbit or There and Back Again (The Deluxe Edtion of The World's Most Beloved Fantasy)

Eneko Uruñuela

For trolls, as you probably know, must be underground before dawn, or they go back to the stuff of the mountains they are made of, and never move again.

Marshie

Songs have said that three parts of the goblin warriors of the North perished on that day, and the mountains had peace for many a year.

'There is more in you of good than you know, child of the kindly West. Some courage and some wisdom, blended in measure. If more of us valued food and cheer and song above hoarded gold, it would be a merrier world.'

... and the elf-lords were at bay about their king upon the southern arm, near to the watch-post on Ravenhill.

The elves were the first to charge. Their hatred for the goblins is cold and bitter. Their spears and swords shone in the gloom with a gleam of chill flame, so deadly was the wrath of the hands that held them. As soon as the host of their enemies was dense in the valley, they sent against it a shower of arrows, and each flickered as it fled as if with stinging fire. Behind the arrows a thousand of their spearmen leapt down and charged. The yells were deafening.

But the Elvenking said: 'Long will I tarry, ere I begin this war for gold. The dwarves cannot pass us, unless we will, or do anything that we cannot mark. Let us hope still for something that will bring reconciliation. Our advantage in numbers will be enough, if in the end it must come to unhappy blows.'

The Elvenking himself, whose eyes were used to things of wonder and beauty, stood up in amazement. Even Bard gazed marvelling at it in silence. It was as if a globe had been filled with moonlight and hung before them in a net woven of the glint of frosty stars.

The Elvenking had received news from his own mess- engers and from the birds that loved his folk, and already knew much of what had happened. Very great indeed was the commotion among all things with wings that dwelt on the borders of the Desolation of the Dragon. The air was filled with circling flocks, and their swift-flying messengers flew here and there across the sky. Above the borders of the Forest there was whistling, crying and piping.

Fili and Kili were almost in merry mood, and finding still hanging there many golden harps strung with silver they took them and struck them; and being magical (and also untouched by the dragon, who had small interest in music) they were still in tune. The dark hall was filled with melody that had long been silent. But most of the dwarves were more practical: they gathered gems...

With that he put on Bilbo a small coat of mail, wrought for some young elf-prince long ago. It was of silver-steel, which the elves call mithril, and with it went a belt of pearls and crystals. A light helm of figured leather strengthened beneath with hoops of steel, and studded about the brim with white gems, was set upon the hobbit's head.

'Thrushes are good and friendly - this is a very old bird indeed, and is maybe the last left of the ancient breed that used to live about here, tame to the hands of my father and grandfather. They were a long-lived and magical race, and this might even be one of those that were alive then, a couple of hundreds of years or more ago. The Men of Dale used to have the trick of understanding their language, and used them for messengers to fly to the Men of the Lake and elsewhere.'

'Well, he'll have news to take to Lake-town all right, if that is what he is after.' said Bilbo; 'though I don't suppose there are any people left there that trouble with thrush- language.'

He at any rate did not believe in dwarves fighting and killing dragons like Smaug, and he strongly suspected attempted burglary or something like it - which shows he was a wise elf and wiser than the men of the town, though not quite right, as we shall see in the end. He sent out his spies about the shores of the lake and as far northward towards the Mountain as they would go, and waited.

In the meanwhile the Wood-elves had gone back up the Forest River with their cargoes, and there was great excitement in the king's palace. I have never heard what happened to the chief of the guards and the butler. Nothing of course was ever said about keys or barrels while the dwarves stayed in Lake-town, and Bilbo was careful never to become invisible. Still, I daresay, more was guessed than was known, though doubtless Mr Baggins remained a bit of a mystery. In any case the king knew now the dwarves' errand, or thought he did, and he said to himself:

'Very well! We'll see! No treasure will come back through Mirkwood without my having something to say in the matter. But I expect they will all come to a bad end, and serve them right!'

There were guards at the head of it, but they were not keeping very careful watch, for it was long since there had been any real need. Except for occasional squabbles about river-tolls they were friends with the Wood-elves. Other folk were far away...

'I hope I never smell the smell of apples again!' said Fili. 'My tub was full of it. To smell apples everlastingly when you can scarcely move and are cold and sick with hunger is maddening. I could eat anything in the wide world now, for hours on end -but not an apple!'

With the willing help of Fili and Kili, Thorin and Bilbo at last discovered the remainder of the company and got them out.

Soon men would come up from the South and take some of the casks away, and others they would fill with goods they had brought to be taken back up the stream to the Wood-elves' home. In the meantime the barrels were left afloat while the elves of the raft and the boatmen went to feast in Lake-town.

... The Running River came down into the lake from Dale and with the Forest River filled with deep waters what must once have been a great deep rocky valley. At the southern end the doubled waters poured out again over high waterfalls and ran away hurriedly to unknown lands. In the still evening air the noise of the falls could be heard like a distant roar.

They still throve on the trade that came up the great river from the South and was carted past the falls to their town; but in the great days of old, when Dale in the North was rich and prosperous, they had been wealthy and powerful, and there had been fleets of boats on the waters, and some were filled with gold and some with warriors in armour, and there had been wars and deeds which were now only a legend. The rotting piles of a greater town could still be seen along the shores when the waters sank in a drought. But men remembered little of all that, though some still sang old songs of the dwarf-kings of the Mountain, Thror and Thrain of the race of Durin, and of the coming of the Dragon and the fall of the lords of Dale. 

After a while, however, the river took a more southerly course and the Mountain receded again, and at last, late in the day the shores grew rocky, the river gathered all its wandering waters together into a deep and rapid food, and they swept along at great speed. The sun had set when turning with another sweep towards the East the forest-river rushed into the Long Lake. There it had a wide mouth with stony cliffike gates at either side whose feet were piled with shingles. The Long Lake!

The marshes and bogs had spread wider and wider on either side. Paths had vanished and many a rider and wanderer too, if they had tried to find the lost ways across. The elf-road through the wood which the dwarves had followed on the advice of Beorn now came to a doubtful and little used end at the eastern edge of the forest; only the river offered any longer a safe way from the skirts of Mirkwood in the North to the mountain-shadowed plains beyond, and the river was guarded by the Wood-elves' king.

The talk was all of the trade that came and went on the waterways and the growth of the traffic on the river, as the roads out of the East towards Mirkwood vanished or fell into disuse; and of the bickerings of the Lake-men and the Wood-elves about the upkeep of the Forest River and the care of the banks.

Very soon there was a fine commotion in the village by the riverside; but Bilbo escaped into the woods carrying a loaf and a leather bottle of wine and a pie that did not belong to him. 

'Small wonder,' said they, 'when the explanation stands close at hand in a jug! Come give us a taste of your sleeping- draught before we fall to! No need to wake the turnkey yonder He has had his share by the looks of it.'

Then they drank once round and became mighty merry all of a sudden. But they did not quite lose their wits.' Save us, Galion!' cried some, 'you began your feasting early and muddled your wits! You have stacked some full casks here instead of the empty ones, if there is anything in weight.'

'Get on with the work!' growled the butler. 'There is nothing in the feeling of weight in an idle toss-pot's arms. These are the ones to go and no others. Do as I say!'

'Very well, very well,' they answered rolling the barrels to the opening. On your head be it, if the king's full buttertubs and his best wine is pushed into the river for the Lake-men to feast on nothing!'

A great modern classic and the prelude to The Lord of the Rings. 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. “A glorious account of a magnificent adventure, filled with suspense and seasoned with a quiet humor that is irresistible . . . All those, young or old, who love a fine adventurous tale, beautifully told, will take The Hobbit to their hearts.” – New York Times Book Review

Itzel

A much lighter reading that Lord of The Rings, I think I enjoyed The Hobbit much more because of that. Not many long descriptions, made a quicker reading.
The way in which Bilbo changes through the story was adorable, and, from someone who read Lord of The Rings first, it was really interesting to see how the small hobbit progresses from being someone who is suddenly thrown into an adventure to someone more akin to his LOTR self. 
Reading more about the Middle Earth is always fantastic, and now I'm left with desire to reread Lord of The Rings, or find The Silmarillion or read it.

Hanna Rybchynska

This was amazing! So sad that I haven't read this book when I was 12, I would love it even more. 
Definetly it is the best for children, but it is still a great book

literauri

3.5*

I didn't love it, but i also didn't hate it. It's my age, your honor! It's a me problem. 

I'm gonna say this but i really hoped i read this when i was younger. i don't know but I just had a feeling that this really didn't suit my taste in books right now, but i'm still really glad I read this.

Not only is tolkien a good writer, he's also a great lyricist! I enjoyed reading them so much! His writing is also magical, this piece was beautifully written. I haven't read many epic high fantasy yet, and the few that I read was not as epic as this, so sometimes I just can't fully grasp the whole situation (it's like imagining the unimaginable, and forgive my poor imagination rn, if that even make sense) and I really loved this aspect. It's so good for escapism.

I can’t believe it took me so many years to get around to reading this! Absolute classic and brings new life & meaning to the movies!

Kiera

amari

i did not want to commit to Lord of the Rings so i decided to read The Hobbit to get a taste of the lore and writing style. I liked it as a cozy read. Although i am not jumping into the Lord of the Rings quite yet I liked this book and the world building a lot.

Sean Wilson

Noble, good for the soul.

(view spoiler)[Maybe the real dragon was the friends we made along the way? (hide spoiler)]

Bilbo Baggins enjoys a quiet and contented life, with no desire to travel far from the comforts of home; then one day the wizard Gandalf and a band of dwarves arrive unexpectedly and enlist his services - as a burglar - on a dangerous expedition to raid the treasure-hoard of Smaug the dragon. Bilbo's life is never to be the same again.The Hobbit became an instant success when it was first published in 1937, and more than 60 years later Tolkien's epic tale of elves, dwarves, trolls, goblins, myth, magic and adventure, with its reluctant hero Bilbo Baggins, has lost none of its appeal.Bilbo Baggins has taken his place among the ranks of the immortals of children's fiction. Written by Professor Tolkien for his own children, The Hobbit met with instant critical acclaim when published - it was the Harry Potter of its generation. With new Lord of the Rings movies around the corner, this special Children's edition is designed to put the book back where it belongs - at the top of every child's 'must-read' list.

I too am just a little fellow in a big wide world 😭😭 this is what i thought all LOTR was going to be like

Isabella

(5/5) después de tres años volví a releer esta novela y no tengo palabras para expresar lo distintas que fueron ambas lecturas, e incluso aunque hace una semana que lo terminé, todavía no sé como explicar todo lo que sentí al volver a este mundo. 

en mi primera lectura, allá por diciembre de 2021, acabé este libro sintiéndome increíblemente decepcionada. se me había hecho una lectura lenta y muy densa para ser una novela de fantasía de alrededor de trescientas páginas, no había logrado conectar con los personajes ni con la trama, me perdía de la acción debido a las largas descripciones y acabé el libro sintiéndolo como si fuera un peso que me sacaba de encima. en cambio, en esta segunda lectura, no lo sentí para nada así y es porque, en lugar de leer una traducción, me remití al libro en su idioma original, el inglés. y debo admitir que fue la mejor desición que pude haber tomado, porque ese simple cambio volvió a la lectura una experiencia completamente diferente. Tolkien tiene una manera de narrar muy fluída, tanto por la elección de palabras como en la manera en que intercala las descripciones con la acción. me sentí sumergida en la historia completamente, como si yo también fuera parte de la expedición hasta la montaña solitaria para derrotar a Smaug. me encanta la manera en que los hechos están narrados, así como también la elección de narrador, en tercera persona y omnisciente, pero que no se remite simplemente a narrar los hechos sino que en muchas ocasiones se dirige directamente al lector, haciéndolo uno con la historia. por momentos, la lectura se tornaba tan inmersiva que se sentía casi como si me estuvieran contando todas las vivencias del hobbit y su companía de forma oral, sin duda ayudado por la narración tan lírica, que mezcla canciones y rimas en todo momento (y si como yo, ustedes también sufrieron de las canciones en español, los animo a que le den una nueva oportunidad en inglés, porque no son nada similares y les acabás tomando cariño).

no hay mucho que pueda decir de la historia que ya no todos sepamos. el despliegue de creatividad de Tolkien para crear un mundo tan profundo en una novela tan corta es inigualable, a pesar de ser una novela infantil y de que apenas nos da una leve probada del mundo enorme que es la tierra media. por sí mismo, marcó las bases de la fantasía moderna tal y como la conocemos, con tópicos que ahora nos parecen trillados como el viaje del héroe, pero que en ese momento eran inexistentes. si uno no lee la historia teniendo eso en mente, puede llegar a sentirla similar a muchas de las novelas fantásticas actuales, pero no hay que perder de vista que una inmensidad de estas toman como punto de arranque las ideas de Tolkien. 

hablando un poco más de la historia en general, tengo que admitir que la disfruté inmensamente de principio a fin. Bilbo es un personaje increíblemente carismático y con el cual es fácil encariñarse; y ver su desarrollo a lo largo de la novela, de pasar a ser ese hobbit hogareño, despreocupado y temeroso a enfrentar a Smaug por su cuenta y sin estremecerse es increíble, me encantó su crecimiento y al llegar a las últimas páginas no pude sino sentir una inmensa nostalgia por todas las situaciones y vivencias que estos personajes llevaron a cabo para cumplir su objetivo. es una historia llena de acción y aventura, y me fascinó que cada capítulo en su unidad pueda leerse como una historia corta de una situación particular que vivieron. entiendo que esto es así porque en principio Tolkien lo concibió como un compilado de historias para sus hijos, pero me agradó muchísimo pues cada capítulo se cierra completamente por sí mismo incluso aunque la historia apenas esté comenzando. algo que también disfruté mucho es el tono infantil que tiene, cómo las motivaciones de los personajes se sienten tan pequeñitas e incluso inocentes a lo largo de la mayor parte de la historia. muchos de los peligros que se enfrentan no son por el hecho de que los enemigos sean malvados y quieran ver destruidos a nuestros heroes, sino que en la mayoría de los casos las razones son el hambre. incluso Smaug, que en su corta participación se muestra como un personaje imponente y aterrador, y sentimos su temible presencia incluso antes de conocerlo, no tiene intenciones maquiavélicas de destruir por completo la tierra media y poner a sus habitantes bajo su yugo: él solamente quiere estar en paz con su botín, aunque haya sido tomado por la fuerza. siento que hace del libro un tipo de literatura escapista muy interesante, estamos en un mundo que es diferente no solo por los seres que viven en él y por la magia que lo impregna todo, sino también porque nos alejamos un poco de las típicas intenciones humanas de destrucción, egoísmo y barbarie, —excepto, quizás, por la ambición de Thorin y sus enanos llegado el final del libro—y eso me pareció un punto a destacar porque le da a la historia un tono dulce e inocente incluso frente a la violencia y adversidad (que apenas es detallada, sin presentar el morbo al que estamos acostumbrados). en general disfruté cada capítulo, cada nueva vivencia, y acabé la novela sintiéndome nostálgica y sabiendo que volveré a sus páginas más temprano que tarde.

lo recomiendo muchísimo, es un libro hermoso para fanáticos de la fantasía de cualquier tipo porque estoy segura de que van a encontrar al menos una cosa que los lleve a pensar en los libros que disfrutan actualmente, así de grande es el legado de Tolkien. no puedo esperar a comenzar por fin la trilogía de el señor de los anillos, que si es en algo parecida a este libro estoy segura que también la voy a disfrutar completamente y seguramente aún más.

river

these dwarves were fake as hell......... (not you balin bombur kili and fili)

akynn 

3.5 stars

i mightve been just be a tad bit too dumb for this

“You are a fine person, Mr Baggins, and I am very fond of you; but you are only quite a little fellow in a wide world after all.”

Dan Dugan

julia

Bilbo Baggins, a respectable, well-to-do hobbit, lives comfortably in his hobbit-hole until the day the wandering wizard Gandalf chooses him to share in an adventure from which he may never return.

Love it, just a bit more Thorin would’ve been nice🙏🏻❤️

I never would've finished this this early if I didn't, on a whim, intend to watch its film adaptations asap. But I was really fascinated (save the fatphobia) at how unpretentious Tolkien's prose is. I also like how he wrote with verisimilitude sparingly, (very unlike A Little Life that came off to me as too much, which thus "unsuspended" my disbelief). I wonder if TLOTR gets better than this.

El Hobbit

Rebeca Keren Nuñez

"El Hobbit" de J.R.R. Tolkien es un cuento encantador que ha cautivado a lectores de todas las edades desde su publicación en 1937. Esta obra, que precede a la monumental trilogía de "El Señor de los Anillos", se destaca por su narrativa envolvente, personajes entrañables y la rica creación del mundo de la Tierra Media.

La historia sigue a Bilbo Bolsón, un hobbit apacible y hogareño, que se ve arrastrado a una aventura épica después de ser reclutado por el mago Gandalf y un grupo de enanos liderados por Thorin Escudo de Roble. Juntos, emprenden un viaje peligroso para recuperar un tesoro custodiado por el feroz dragón Smaug.

Lo que distingue a "El Hobbit" es la habilidad de Tolkien para combinar elementos de fantasía, acción y humor en una narrativa cohesiva. Su prosa es rica en detalles y evoca una sensación de asombro constante a medida que Bilbo y sus compañeros enfrentan peligros, desde trolls y trasgos hasta elfos y arañas gigantes.

El personaje de Bilbo Bolsón es el corazón de la historia. A medida que evoluciona de un hobbit cómodo y relajado a un valiente aventurero, Tolkien captura la esencia del viaje del héroe. Bilbo demuestra que la valentía y la sabiduría pueden surgir de los lugares más inesperados, y su transformación es conmovedora y universal.

Tolkien también introduce en "El Hobbit" elementos que luego se convertirían en sellos distintivos de su obra, como el Anillo Único y la conexión con la trama más amplia de "El Señor de los Anillos". Estos elementos agregan profundidad y cohesión al legendarium de Tolkien, haciendo que la obra sea aún más fascinante para aquellos que continúan explorando su vasto universo.

La escritura de Tolkien es accesible y atrapa a lectores de todas las edades. La trama cautivadora y el ritmo ágil hacen que la obra sea ideal tanto para jóvenes como para adultos. Además, la creación de canciones y poemas dentro del libro añade un toque poético que enriquece la narrativa.

En resumen, "El Hobbit" es una obra maestra de la literatura fantástica que ha resistido la prueba del tiempo. J.R.R. Tolkien crea un mundo mágico que invita a los lectores a embarcarse en una aventura inolvidable. Con su prosa imaginativa, personajes memorables y temas universales, "El Hobbit" sigue siendo un clásico atemporal que continúa encantando a generaciones enteras de lectores.

Der kleine Hobbit

Der Humor ist großartig und Gandalf ist einfach der Coolste 🧙‍♂️

Tabea

Bilbo Baggins is a hobbit who enjoys a comfortable, unambitious life, rarely travelling further than the pantry of his hobbit-hole in Bag End. But his contentment is disturbed when the wizard, Gandalf, and a company of thirteen dwarves arrive on his doorstep one day to whisk him away on an unexpected journey ‘there and back again’. They have a plot to raid the treasure hoard of Smaug the Magnificent, a large and very dangerous dragon…

The prelude to The Lord of the Rings, The Hobbit has sold many millions of copies since its publication in 1937, establishing itself as one of the most beloved and influential books of the twentieth century.
--back cover

or There and Back Again

Carmen Maria

El Hobbit / The Hobbit

Anddy G

Empecé con el mundo de Tolkien con este libro y quedé encantada. El mundo del señor de los anillos se me reseteo y viví pegada al libro porque quería saber que iba a pasar, como, quien iba a ayudar... ¡Todo!
Fue de los mejores libros de ciencia ficción que pude haber leído en mi adolescencia.

Jaden Nelson

Yes! I did it! I read the first book in a series I was ashamed I had not yet read. When I try to rate a book like this, it ends up being a very hard thing. Thinking back on the whole book, I cannot pick a moment that I thought was “bad” or boring to me, yet it did not quite make the cut for my highly esteemed 5 Star book shelf. The Lord of the Rings series is obviously incredibly popular and widely regarded as one of the best fantasy series of all time. Thus, I wanted to love The Hobbit with all my heart. This book tells a story of a nice little hobbit who and the many things that he undergoes on his adventure. It is quite action packed, while also being gentle and wonderfully descriptive (especially with nature). This story is one that I feel may get only better as I reread it, and greet it like an old friend. For now, the book was great and I plan to immediately continue the series!

Salma

I loved it.
I have been in love with middle earth since I was maybe 11 years old I love this book it’s so easy to read and the adventure are good. 

“Farewell Thorin Oakenshield! And Fili and Kili! May your Memory never fade!”

Pocket Edition

Obviously 5/5. A classic worth reading over and over again. 

Brandon Eckroth

I enjoyed the whimsical homely feel the book had - it was very different to the movie (that I watched first), which was more epic. Tolkien's voice in The Hobbit is funny, lighthearted, yet intentional. It was a wholesome experience, I really enjoyed it.

Little Bilbo is a darling and I like him. He goes through much more peril with the dwarves than in the movies, which surprised me. Their attitude towards Bilbo is also more dependent than expected, but it made Bilbo all the more likeable because he struggled with their expectations, and that's something relatable.

The book has proven Very Interesting as far as researching Mirkwood goes. I wish Peter Jackson had explored the Silvan elves and their relationship with the men of the Lake more, but alas, I'm happy I read the book now.

I love seeing all the characters and little details in descriptions come back in The Silmarillion and The Lord of the Rings as expanded and developed concepts - especially Elrond, and the talking eagles & spiders.

Overall I love this book because it's wholesome, a light and fun read, and this book I'll probably reread again next year.

I enjoyed the whimsical homely feel the book had - it was very different to the movie (that I watched first), which was more epic. Tolkien's voice in The Hobbit is funny, lighthearted, yet intentional. It was a wholesome experience, I really enjoyed it.

Little Bilbo is a darling and I like him. He goes through much more peril with the dwarves than in the movies, which surprised me. Their attitude towards Bilbo is also more dependent than expected, but it made Bilbo all the more likeable because he struggled with their expectations, and that's something relatable.

The book has proven Very Interesting as far as researching Mirkwood goes. I wish Peter Jackson had explored the Silvan elves and their relationship with the men of the Lake more, but alas, I'm happy I read the book now.

I love seeing all the characters and little details in descriptions come back in The Silmarillion and The Lord of the Rings as expanded and developed concepts - especially Elrond, and the talking eagles & spiders.

Overall I love this book because it's wholesome, a light and fun read, and this book I'll probably reread again next year.

Presents a box set including the complete "Lord of the Rings" trilogy, as well as its prequel, "The Hobbit."

The Hobbit / The Fellowship of the Ring / The Two Towers / The Return of the King

The Hobbit / The Lord of the Rings

Kendi Dockum

I can't believe I've never reviewed this series... I was literally just thinking to myself, "Hey, maybe I should reread LOTR again." Then the very next thought I had was, "I better make dang sure my schedule is free for awhile before I decide to tackle this series again." It is a commitment, but it is well worth it! I only rated it as such because it takes a while for it to get good, at least from how I remember it.

i loved every second of it, so much better than the movies and soo entertaining and funny without being trivial or ridiculous 

The Hobbit

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