Amazon.co.uk: The Hobbit: J.R.R. Tolkien: Books

Customers Who Bought This Item Also Bought

The Lord of the Rings: Fellowship of the Ring Vol 1 (Collins Modern Classics) by J.R.R. Tolkien

(47) �3.00

The Silmarillion by J. R. R. Tolkien

(90) �4.99

The Lord of the Rings: Return of the King Vol 3 (Collins Modern Classics) by J.R.R. Tolkien

(18) �5.59

Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone (Book 1) by J.K. Rowling

(623) �4.14

The Lord of the Rings (3 Book Box set) by J.R.R. Tolkien

(140) �13.20

› Explore similar items : Books (5)

Product Description

Synopsis
This is the story of an adventure undertaken by a company of dwarves in search of dragon-guarded gold. A reluctant partner in this perilous quest is Bilbo Baggins, a comfort-loving, unambitious hobbit, who surprises even himself by his resourcefulness and skill as a burglar.

Tag this product

( What's this?)

Think of a tag as a keyword or label you consider is strongly related to this product.
Tags will help all customers organize and find favorite items.

Customer Reviews

5 Reviews

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

Average Customer Review

(5 customer reviews)

Share your thoughts with other customers:

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

Back to the beginning..., 23 Jun 2006

By	E. A Solinas "ea_solinas" (MD USA) - See all my reviews

"The Hobbit or There and Back Again" is the first story of Middle-Earth that was ever read by the masses, after a pre. And to this day it remains a beloved favorite due to Tolkien's exceptional writing, realistic and lovable characters, and the fantastic, complicated world with its unlikely hero: a fuzzy-footed hobbit.

Bilbo Baggins lives a pleasantly stodgy and dull life in the Shire, in a luxurious hole under a hill ("It was a hobbit hole, and that means comfort"). But his life is completely turned upside-down by the arrival of the wizard Gandalf and thirteen dwarves. The dwarves, led by the exiled king-in-waiting Thorin Oakenshield, want to regain the Lonely Mountain (and a lot of treasure) from the dragon Smaug, who drove out the dwarves long ago. Why do they want Bilbo? Because Gandalf has told them that he'd make a good burglar (even though Bilbo has never burgled in his life).

So before Bilbo is entirely sure what is going on, he is being swept off on a very unrespectable -- and dangerous -- adventure. Bilbo and the Dwarves battle goblins and spiders, are nearly eaten twice, are captured and Bilbo is forced to riddle with the treacherous, withered Gollum, and ends up escaping with a magical Ring. But even after these obstacles, the dragon Smaug is still in the Lonely Mountain, and Bilbo is not entirely sure what to do to deal with this enemy.

Author J.R.R. Tolkien had been crafting his mythos of Elves, Dwarves, Wizards and Men for years before writing "The Hobbit," but "The Hobbit" is the first story that people had the opportunity to read. It began as a line scrawled on a sheet of blank paper, and then into a bedtime story for his children.

And even though it's overshadowed by "Lord of the Rings" and "Silmarillion," this book is an essential link. It's definitely sillier and lighter, but it provides the springboard for a lot of the stuff in "Lord of the Rings" -- especially the magical Ring that Bilbo finds in Gollum's cavern.

It's definitely not the same as his later works -- Tolkien's Elves are goofier and less dignified, and his dwarves are more unintentionally comical. But Elrond hints at the full majesty of the Elves, and Thorin Oakenshield is still the most dignified, proud and impressively flawed dwarf there is. The last chapters of the book hint at the epic majesty of "Lord of the Rings," and some of the same victory/loss themes. An