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

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Amazon.co.uk Review
Poor Bilbo Baggins! An unassuming and rather plump hobbit (as most of these small, furry-footed people tend to be ), Baggins finds himself unwittingly drawn into adventure by a wizard named Gandalf and 13 dwarves bound for the Lonely Mountain, where a dragon named Smaug hordes a stolen treasure. Before he knows what is happening, Baggins finds himself on the road to danger. Wizards, dwarves and dragons may seem the stuff of children's fairy tales, but The Hobbit is in a class of its own--light-hearted enough for younger readers, yet with a dark edge guaranteed to intrigue an older audience. In the best tradition of the archetypal hero's quest, Bilbo Baggins sets out on his fateful journey a callow, untested soul and returns--tempered by hardship, danger and loss--a better man--er, hobbit.

This book is the predecessor to Tolkien's masterpiece, The Lord of the Rings, and though that trilogy can be thoroughly enjoyed without first reading The Hobbit, much that happens in the later novels is foreshadowed here. A word of caution, however: as Bilbo discovers early on, travel and adventure are addictive things; embark on this journey to the Lonely Mountain with Tolkien's reluctant hero, and you might not be able to stop there. And the road taken to the distant mountains of Mordor in the ensuing trilogy is an even more perilous one.

Sunday Times
'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.' --This text refers to the Paperback edition.

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Customer Reviews

116 Reviews

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35 of 38 people found the following review helpful:

This adventure changed a hobbit. It changed me!, 1 Jun 2001

By	Godly Gadfly (Canada) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Hobbit (Collins Modern Classics) (Paperback)

Because of Tolkien's reputation as a master story-teller, I began reading this book with absurdly high expectations. The slow beginning confirmed my suspicions that such high expectations could not possibly be realistic, and I prepared myself to be gloriously disappointed. Quite honestly, by the end of the first chapter I shared the opinion of the protagonist, the hobbit: I was rather unenthusiastic, and doubtful that the "adventure" which lay ahead could truly be as exciting as it promised to be.

But Tolkien rarely disappoints. Within pages, along with our hobbit hero, Bilbo Baggins, I found myself launched into the famous fantasy world that is the product of Tolkien's imagination, a world of never-ending adventure, mystery and magic. As I joined the hobbit on his remarkable quest to defeat the dragon Smaug and reconquer the dwarves long-lost treasure, I met a wonderful array of friends and foes - wizards, dwarves, elves, trolls, goblins, and a myriad of other fantastic creatures - and my imagination and interest never waned.

By the end of the hobbit's adventure, like Bilbo, I was thoroughly satisfied. At the conclusion, the wizard Gandalf remarks to the hobbit: "My dear Bilbo! Something is the matter with you! You are not the hobbit that you were." Yet it was not only the hobbit that had changed as a result of this adventure. As a reader, I had to confess that I too had changed. My initial lack of enthusiasm had entirely vanished. I had participated in the hobbit's adventures, and like him, returned the better for it. Tolkien's imaginative world is a world so vivid, that you cannot fail to return to the real world a changed person. His descriptive abilities cannot fail to imprint his imaginary world in your memory. This story is not deep, but it is delightful and unforgettable. And like the hobbit, you will return to life the better having read it.

What's more, you can go "there and back again" again, and again, because the joy of this fantastic adventure won't quickly wear off. For all ages, this book is eminently readable and re-readable, and belongs on every bookshelf. Don't miss it, because you will miss one of the most enchanting escapes that literature has to offer.

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5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

A window to another world, 12 May 1999

By A Customer

This book first introduced me to Tolkiens Middle Earth at the age of eight - and I still enjoy reading it. "In a hole, in the ground, there lived a Hobbit." Easy in reading style, with a well thought plot to follow it is undoubtedly a children's book rather than an adults book - but it provides an easy entry to the Lord of the Rings, which is Tolkien's great masterpiece. It suffers slightly from a simplistic and somewhat formulaic plot, and is slightly inconsistent, but the hints and peeks into the events of the Elder days, the Gondolin wars and mighty deeds that were done show the true scope of the epic saga that awaits. Worth reading as a entree - this is a book every child, and adult should read at least once, and ahving read this, progress onwards!

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9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

Bilbo and the Ring, 12 Nov 2006

By	Book Loving Kid (Wales) - See all my reviews

Bilbo Baggins was just making tea when there came a knock at the door. " It must be Gandalf, " he thought. But no, it is in fact a dwarf. And so the adventure starts. Then a whole gang of dwarves appear with Gandalf to whisk Bilbo away from his home to be a burglar in a dangerous journey to kill the dragon Smaug, and to take its gold and gems for themselves. On the way Bilbo, of course, meets Gollum and finds a certain magical ring which -when you put it on- makes you invisible. The Hobbit is the Prelude to the Lord of the Rings and is a delightful book for all ages. If you like adventures, dragons, gold and a whole lot of songs then you' ll love this book. It is so good you can't not like it...

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A good story for children and grown-ups, too
"The Hobbit" was published in 1937 for the first time, and it was because of it that "The Lord of the Rings" came into existence. Read more

Published 17 days ago by Alexandru Baicoana