Review
‘One of the best loved characters in English fiction… a marvellous fantasy adventure’
Daily Mail
‘Finely written saga of dwarves and elves, fearsome goblins and trolls… an exciting epic of travel, magical adventure, working up to a devastating climax’
The Observer
‘A flawless masterpiece’
The Times
Review
‘The English-speaking world is divided into those who have read The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings and those who are going to read them.’
Sunday Times
‘A finely written saga of dwarves and elves, fearsome goblins and trolls… an exciting epic of travel and magical adventure, all working up to a devastating climax.’
Observer
Product Description
This popular paperback edition of the classic work of fantasy, with a striking new black cover based on JRR Tolkien’s own design and featuring brand new reproductions of all his drawings and maps.
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.
From the Publisher
From the Back Cover
"Smaug certainly looked fast asleep, when Bilbo peeped once more from the entrance. He was just about to step out on to the floor when he caught a sudden thin and piercing ray of red from under the drooping lid of Smaug's left eye. He was only pretending to sleep! He was watching the tunnel entrance…"
Whisked away from his comfortable, unambitious life in his hobbit-hole in Bag end by Gandalf the wizard and a company of dwarves, Bilbo Baggins finds himself caught up in a plot to raid the treasure hoard of Smaug the Magnificent, a large and very dangerous dragon. Although quite reluctant to take part in this quest, Bilbo surprises even himself by his resourcefulness and his skill as a burglar!
Written for J.R.R. Tolkein's own children, 'The Hobbit' met with instant critical acclaim when published in 1937. It has continued to be recognised as a classic, and won the Keith Baker Millennium Book Award, presented in 2000 by the Youth Libraries Group, School Library Association and Library Association Schools Library Group, for the most significant children's book published between 1920 and 1939.
"The English-speaking world is divided into those who have read 'The Hobbit' and 'The Lord of the Rings' and those who are going to read them."
SUNDAY TIMES
About the Author
J.R.R.Tolkien (1892-1973) was a distinguished academic, though he is best known for writing The Hobbit, The Lord of the Rings and The Silmarillion, plus other stories and essays. His books have been translated into over 30 languages and have sold many millions of copies worldwide.
