J.R.R. Tolkien

Celebrating 75 years of one of the world's most treasured classics with an all new trade paperback edition. Repackaged with new cover art. 500,000 first printing.

The Hobbit, Or, There and Back Again

Alan Lee

Hobbit

anne

Er hatte keinen Hut, den er abnehmen konnte, und die vielen fehlenden Knöpfe waren ihm sehr peinlich.

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.

The Hobbit

Come on Gandalf 😂 you are in Bilbos home, don’t shush him 

Liv Gliese Johnsen

“Hush!” said Gandalf. “Let Thorin speak!” 

Dylan Williams

Pocket Edition

Laura

...till suddenly his hand met what felt like a tiny ring of cold metal lying on the floor of the tunnel. It was a turning point in his career, but he did not know it.

Now it is a strange thing, but things that are good to have and days that are good to spend are soon told about, and not much to listen to; while things that are uncomfortable, palpitating, and even gruesome, may make a good tale, and take a deal of telling anyway.

Then something Tookish woke up inside him, and he wished to go and see the great mountains, and heare the pine-trees and the waterfalls, and explore the caves, and wear a sword instead of a walking-stick.

This is a story of how a Baggins had an adventure, and found himself doing and saying things altogether unexpected. He may have lost the neighbors' respect, but he gained - well, you will see whether he gained anything in the end.

Katy Schwarz

He charged the ranks of the goblins of Mount Gram in the OIse, Battle of the Green Fields, and knocked their king Golfimbul's head clean off with a wooden club. It sailed a hundred yards through the air and went down a rabbit- hole, and in this way the battle was won and the game of Golf invented at the same moment.

Liz Griffin

The Hobbit, or There and Back Again

Emma Hak-Kovacs

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

jana 

Shari Ilg

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.

Noah Cross

Eilidh 

The Hobbit is set within Tolkien's fictional universe and follows the quest of home-loving Bilbo Baggins, the titular hobbit, to win a share of the treasure guarded by a dragon named Smaug. Bilbo's journey takes him from his light-hearted, rural surroundings into more sinister territory.

Or There And Back

Anna with an A

Or There And Back Again

Abby Lane

Emily Perkovich

I wanted to like this sooooo much more than I did. There were definitely parts I liked. The writing is not bad in itself. But so much is unnecessary that it became boring quickly. I found many times where I was not taking in any information. I had heard over and over again that Tolkien is overly descriptive, but I had also heard this about other writers that I ended up enjoying. I can say without a doubt that this book could be cut in half and I’d enjoy it far more.

I read this as a child and it had been far too long since I had re-read it .

I was a nice balance of humor and seriousness. I love the way it is written, taking more of a "you are being told a story" type of style. The characters are entertaining and believable. 

It is a good classic fantasy story and I highly recommend it.

Alex Landau

I read this as a child and it had been far too long since I had re-read it .

I was a nice balance of humor and seriousness. I love the way it is written, taking more of a "you are being told a story" type of style. The characters are entertaining and believable. 

It is a good classic fantasy story and I highly recommend it.

Hardik parmar 

Reading "The Hobbit" was an enrapturing experience which rides you directly to the well and rich imagined world of J.R.R. Tolkien. Bilbo, a hobbit who loves NO adventures and always seeking for comfort went to an actual horrified adventure to win the dragon guarded gold treasure for the dwarves. And the adventure changes hobbit in many ways. It somehow quotes to let life take its remote in some situations and stop living so acquisitive life. It was the first Tolkien book of mine and as I expected at the start, it ends leaving a deep pleasure inside you.

Sophie

Vond het wel een leuk boek om te lezen nadat ik de film eerst heb gezien.

partially listened to the audiobook for this; andy serkis' narration is realy wonderful. wish i read this when i was younger; i think i would've enjoyed it then. to be honest, didn't enjoy it as much as i'd hoped to, but it was a breezy read.

morgan

Sarthak Verma

No doubt that its a great and a well-written book but, I can't exactly say I loved it. I mean I certainly enjoyed reading it and indeed it was adventurous, but it is also true that I just didn't get hooked to it, and it's a personal thing.
I liked how simple and short this book was, even after containing all these adventures it was really concise. It was perfectly elaborate even after being a short (305 pg) read. Except some parts were very slow and made it not very interesting, which is why it took me almost 1 month to complete it.

Conclusion: I think anyone who wants a fantasy book with lots of adventures, happy memories, loves reading magical stories consisting of a large number of characters and detailed history behind them would love it.

I am the biggest fans of the films and felt that I wasn't a real fan unless I read the books. I can understand the allure of Tolkien and why people are such big fans of his writing but I found it very dull. His style of writing is extremely descriptive and beautiful however I think so many people read things because they think they should, rather than because they want to. This is what I did in this case, I can definitely appreciate why people enjoy it and I do feel it is a very cosy read, however I personally found it very slow. I prefer action and I think you can still be very descriptive without completely loosing all sense of excitement and interest.

Molly Allchorn

Anna Ureta

I'm sad I didn't wait to read this to my own children but it was just as amazing as I thought it would be!

It’s good, and it feels very fantastical. But it’s very repetitive and the characters are all a bit flat. There’s nothing particularly unique about any of the 12 main dwarfs. 

Arun Khanna

** spoiler alert **
           
Things I found interesting about the Hobbit:

The constant struggle between Bilbo’s Baggins side and his Took side. They are constantly fighting it out throughout the book. A central theme of the story is his evolution from his mostly Baggins side which wants no part in the adventure to his Took side, where he saves the dwarves many times over.
The anticlimactic ending to Smaug. Given that Smaug was the chief villain in the story, I found it interesting how his death took place in a single chapter. Smaug’s death wasn’t even part of Thorin and his friends’ quest! They just wanted to loot as much gold as they could and return back home. Also our protagonist Bilbo had essentially nothing to do with his death which struck me as strange for a children’s fantasy novel. Normally, you would expect our protagonist to bravely slew the dragon, but it turned out that Bard (a complete stranger in the story so far) ended up being the dragon-slayer. 
The fact this is a children’s fantasy. I thought there were some aspects that made the story far deeper than it may originally seem. For example, the amount of death and destruction that took place unnecessarily. Take this paragraph:

“Then dismay fell on the Goblins and they fled in all directions. But weariness left their enemies with the coming of new hope, and they pursued them closely, and prevented most of them from escaping where they could. They drove many of them into the Running River, and such as fled south or west they hunted into the marshes about the Forest River; and there the greater part of the last fugitives perished, while those that came hardly to the Wood-elves’ realm were there slain, or drawn in to die deep in the trackless dark of Mirkwood. 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.”

I find it interesting that Tolkien essentially tells us that the “heroes” of our story aim to kill each and every goblin, in a genocidal fury to establish “peace”. 

When I think about it, there are many aspects in the story that are morally questionable. When the wood-elves capture Thorin and the other dwarves, they essentially stay in captivity only because they didn’t want to share any portion of their treasure with the wood-elves (who probably would have gladly helped the dwarves!). When the dragon is unexpectedly slain by the men after causing significant destruction, the dwarves are unwilling to share any piece of their newly found pie, which wasn’t even in their wildest dreams for the quest.

Dora

3 filma, jedna knjiga... 
(nisam pogledala filmove, jos)

Rachel Kanyid

Listened to the audio book of this today! Was super fun!

The writing style is good when you get the hang of it, a little slow though still good!

That Person

My 3rd reread as a life-long Tolkienist, and just like all his other works I simply love them more for every read

Hogne 

Stef

Second time reading this book and still amaze with billbo and all the dwarfs 💕💕💕💕 A story full of adventure and will make your heart warm with all the kindness. 

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Sebenarnya baca dari desember lalu ketunda gara-gara beresin laporan ppl dulu. Review nyusul di tumblr baru. :)

Elizabeth Denny

Hannah Calverley

I really did enjoy this book, but I did have to take my time with it because it was difficult to read in big chunks. It got quickly repetitive encountering challenges and then resting for a month in some welcoming elf house in the middle of nowhere. Also most of said challenges were brushed over and almost always heavily relied on the powers of Bilbo’s ring, like please give the poor hobbit a break. Gandalf is like the only somewhat intriguing character and he was off on his own quest for half the book. But this was written in what like the 1930s?? What can you really expect. 

Despite this, Middle Earth will forever be a comfort to me buy I already know I’m going to have to read a book along side lotr so I don’t go completely crazy.

Elisabeth Thoresen

J.R.R. Tolkien's own description for the original edition:

"If you care for journeys there and back, out of the comfortable Western world, over the edge of the Wild, and home again, and can take an interest in a humble hero (blessed with a little wisdom and a little courage and considerable good luck), here is a record of such a journey and such a traveler. The period is the ancient time between the age of Faerie and the dominion of men, when the famous forest of Mirkwood was still standing, and the mountains were full of danger. In following the path of this humble adventurer, you will learn by the way (as he did) - if you do not already know all about these things - much about trolls, goblins, dwarves, and elves, and get some glimpses into the history and politics of a neglected but important period."

"For Mr. Bilbo Baggins visited various notable persons; conversed with the dragon, Smaug the Magnificent; and was present, rather unwillingly, at the Battle of the Five Armies. This is all the more remarkable, since he was a hobbit. Hobbits have hitherto been passed over in history and legend, perhaps because they as a rule preferred comfort to excitement. But this account, based on his personal memoirs, of the one exciting year in the otherwise quiet life of Mr. Baggins will give you a fair idea of the estimable people now (it is said) becoming rather rare. They do not like noise."

or, There and Back Again

eliz

if I was mr. Bilbo Baggins you'll never catch me giving the littlest help to these ungrateful bunch

fave parts: riddles in the dark (the one about dark & wind is so cool!) and beorn's hall. thanks to the illustrations as well for making the experience more memorable (I'm obsessed with it).

p. 48 “Now it is a strange thing, but things that are good to have and days that are good to spend are soon told about; while things that are uncomfortable, palpitating, and even gruesome, may make a good tale, and take a deal of telling anyway.”

I don't think I can write anything that hasn't already been said. It's a classic for a reason.

Temperance Branwen

De Hobbit

Iris Wijshof

Ik wilde dit boek al heel lang lezen en ik was dan ook heel blij toen ze hem eindelijk bij mijn bibliotheek hadden. Ik kon niet wachten om te beginnen met lezen.

Ik begon en ik was meteen verrast. Ik had het verhaal me heel anders voorgesteld. Ook vond ik het niet zo fijn dat het vanuit een alwetende vertellen werd verteld. Ik raakte hierdoor voor mijn gevoel minder betrokken bij het boek en het kostte me dan ook moeite om verder te lezen, maar ik was vastberaden om het uit lezen, want ik had hier heel lang op gewacht. Ik bleef mezelf maar voorhouden dat het spannender werd en dat ik even door moest bijten in het begin, maar eigenlijk bleef het een beetje eentonig. Natuurlijk zaten er ook wat spannende stukken in, maar voor het grootste gedeelte vond ik het erg eentonig. Ik heb hem wel helemaal uitgelezen, maar ik was wel heel teleurgesteld. Ik zou het ook niet echt iemand aanraden, maar dat is gewoon mijn persoonlijke voorkeur.

Read this many years ago a thoroughly enjoyed it. If you've never heard of it please climb out of the rock you are under and read this and the Lord of the Rings series.

Connor Hatch

I think this book may have proven to me that I am a bigger fan of fantasy than I have previously let on. I really do enjoy the character Bilbo. His unwillingness to participate is enjoyable throughout. I expected this story to be dense, but it actually ended up being much more lighthearted & funny than I would have ever predicted. 

I will say there are too many songs. 

I enjoyed it enough that I am willing to give reading LOTR a shot. I'm now excited to watch The Hobbit films (something I had no interest in doing before reading the book.) However, I do worry that that might be a strenuous venture, as I really can't see how they managed to stretch this story into three 2.5+ hour movies. At least Aidan Turner is cute.

Amina Madadi (ⴰⵎⵉⵏⴰ)

The hobbit was initially an entertaining story for Tolikien's young children, its unfinished manuscript was circulating between the writer's relatives until it arrived at Allen & Unwin who asked Tolkien to finish and illustrate it.

This is the story of Bilbo Baggins, a  respectable  hobbit who -so far- was living a peaceful life in his wonderful hobbit hole until the day a white wizard came to visit.



Bilbo refused to follow the wizard and got home, but Gandalf left him a little present



That night, Bilbo had an unexpected surprise party, 

Dwalin and Balin


Fili and Kili


Bombur and Bofur with their cousin Bifur


 Gloin and Oin


Nori, Ori and Dori


Thorin Oakenshield


This is the merry band Bilbo will travel with (am being sarcastic), and together, they'll go through a lot of hardship on their way to the Misty Mountain, the Dwarves lands. 

Trolls


Goblins,


 Dragons,


spiders, wolves and more..

They'll also meet some elves, lovely ones, 


 
and not so lovely ones, (but I do love him so much!!)



This is not only a fantasy tale, it is about friendship, trust, but mostly about growing and a little bit of heroism. As the adventure progresses, we get to see how Bilbo and his choices change, how his confidence builts up, the sacrifices he's ready to make and what he gains in the end.

It was an amazing journey, an amazing adventure and an awesome read!

The Hobbit, Or, There and Back Again

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