122 of 125 people found the following review helpful:
The well-read Hobbit
Our teacher read The Hobbit to us over the course of a few of weeks when we were about seven. It's one of the few stories that stuck in my imagination from those early school days - four decades ago. Our teacher was good at reading stories. She could mesmerise us. I wouldn't expect Martin Shaw to be anywhere near as competent as that teacher. I would have been...
24 of 25 people found the following review helpful:
Glued binding
I am giving 2 stars not to the treasured story, but to the quality of binding in this edition. I have purchased the 50th anniversary, 3 volume editions of The Lord of the Rings and love them. The same is true for 2006 hardback editions of The Silmarillion and Unfinished Tales. This edition of The Hobbit features the same beautiful dust jacket and high quality paper and...
Our teacher read The Hobbit to us over the course of a few of weeks when we were about seven. It's one of the few stories that stuck in my imagination from those early school days - four decades ago. Our teacher was good at reading stories. She could mesmerise us. I wouldn't expect Martin Shaw to be anywhere near as competent as that teacher. I would have been satisfied if he'd been half as good. Well, he was much better than I was expecting. He was good! The right reading style for this book is really a matter of taste and opinion. Martin Shaw's reading hit the spot for me. He conjured up different characters with different voices - all realistic and none exaggerated. I closed my eyes and I was there, with Bilbo and the dwarves.
I have listened to the BBC Radio Collection's dramatised version of The Hobbit and didn't like it at all. It was clearly produced for the younger audience and I shouldn't complain about that because, of course, The Hobbit is a children's book. I've heard that the unabridged reading by Rob Inglis is also aimed at the younger listener (though I'd like to hear it before making a judgement). I'm an adult (oh yes I am!) and this version, read by Mr Shaw, met with my total satisfaction because even though I enjoy some children's literature, I still want to be read to as an adult.
There is no mention on the CD case of the person responsible for abridging the tale, but I would like to congratulate that person for doing an excellent job. I had to check that I was actually listening to the abridged version because it seemed so complete and seamless.
I recommend this audiobook. It's one of the best I've heard.
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The Hobbit along with The Lord of The Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien in my opinion must be one of the best books ever written. I thought to myself is it worth spending £60 on this special edition though. However when I received it I knew it was money well spent. The quality of the book is amazing as they have used good quality paper which is brilliant white and means the text is crisp and clear unlike the majority of books. Also the colour illustrations are of superb print quality, not forgetting Thror's Map which folds out and changes when held to the light, altogether there are 18 illustrations all well worth it. There is even a ribbon page marker which is a pleasant rarity in modern books. The only thing I think they could have improved on, in my opinion, is the cover which is very plain and doesn't do much for the book.
So, although a bit expensive, I think that once you have this book you won't regret buying it and will want to buy The Lord of The Rings which has also been published in this special edition.
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Rob Inglis does a riveting, lively reading of The Hobbit. Don't be put off by other reviews commenting on the fact that he sounds like he is reading for children - after all, Tolkien intended it to be a book for children! But of course, as with many books intended for children, the story is just as much a favourite with grownups. I would thoroughly recommend this audio book for both young and old.
Only reason I didn't give it 5 stars was that the package does not include the author's maps (an essential feature of fantasy stories!) or a list of chapters (the index lists all the tracks by number and duration but does not show which chapter starts at which track).
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This is a super way to hear the story again. Rob Inglis is a very entertaining narrator and I found myself listening to it, probably more carefully than I read the book. It is highly recommended as a companion for a long journey as listening for long stretches really draws you into the story.
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I am giving 2 stars not to the treasured story, but to the quality of binding in this edition. I have purchased the 50th anniversary, 3 volume editions of The Lord of the Rings and love them. The same is true for 2006 hardback editions of The Silmarillion and Unfinished Tales. This edition of The Hobbit features the same beautiful dust jacket and high quality paper and typeset, but unfortunately has a glued binding instead of the stitched binding of the other books. It is already showing signs of wear just after leafing through to view the wonderful illustrations. I'm sorry to say the durability of this edition isn't up to the standard set by the others or worth the purchase price.
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Amazing edition of the book! Great to have Tolkien's own illustrations (one per chapter) to give an idea of how he envisaged Middle-Earth! The book itself is amazingly designed with very thick pages. One of the best parts of the design has to be Thror's fold-out map with the moonlight runes on the back so that they only appear when the map is held up to light. Overall amazing presentation although also amazingly expensive! The simplicity of the cover is very appealing as with the actual book.
Full recommendation to buy if you have the money :)
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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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This audio version of The Hobbit tells the first tale of Bilbo's adventures with his trusted Dwarf companions and of course Gandalf. It tells the tale of their journey to gain wealth and treasure and all of the dangers they experience along the way. It more importantly tells how Bilbo comes across "The Ring" and its affects on him. From this the follow up story of The Lord of the Rings was eventually told (The three part unabridged versions are available on both tape and CD format, read by Rob Inglis)
This audio book is very well abridged, although there is an unabridged version narrated by Rob Inglis for those of you who would prefer the complete version, rather than this 6 hour shortened version.
Martin Shaw reads this tale well, but I do have to say that his voice does lack some enthusiasm in my opinion. I would much prefer to listen to Rob Inglis voice and his characterisations.
It is not a requirement, but I would recommend reading (or listening) to The Hobbit before going onto reading the Lord of the Rings.
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As with the LOTR edition of this book it is very nice, but again is it really worth the money- after all the point of this book is the presentation as a collectors piece, anyone buying it has already read the Hobbit or is incredibly rich. In retrospect I find it hard to believe I spent 120 pounds on these 2 books ( Hobbit + LOTR deluxe ). The pages aren't as thin and fragile as the LOTR edition but it looks just as good. The leather finish is very nice, but I wish it was all leather and not half. I'm not very keen on the cloth covering.
The Hobbit I have read many times, and it is a wonderful book which I would recommend to anyone...
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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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