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The Hobbit

Author: J.r.r. Tolkien
Publisher: HarperCollins Publishers Ltd
Category: Book

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Rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars

118 reviews
Sales Rank: 1199

Media: Paperback
Pages: 400
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.4
Dimensions (in): 6.9 x 4.3 x 1.1

ISBN: 0261102214
Dewey Decimal Number: 813
EAN: 9780261102217
ASIN: 0261102214

Publication Date: March 19, 1993
Availability: Usually dispatched within 1-2 business days
Condition: **UK SHIPPED** With friendly customer service! "Buy with confidence, Buy Book EcoLOGICal" Discoloration to edges and first two cover pages slightly torn Used - Acceptable

Also Available In:

•	Paperback - The Hobbit (Collins Modern Classics)

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•	The Silmarillion
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•	The Lord of the Rings: Fellowship of the Ring Vol 1 (Collins Modern Classics)
•	The Lord of the Rings: Two Towers Vol 2 (Collins Modern Classics)

Editorial Reviews:

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.

Customer Reviews: Read 113 more reviews...

3 out of 5 stars

Read it to your children or just before you start the Lord of the Rings August 18, 2008
1 out of 1 found this review helpful

This book was a very ancient candidate on my "to read list" and I always planned to read it just before the Lord of the Rings. So far, things have worked out and I have started Lord of the Rings the same afternoon I finished the Hobbit.

I don't think I would enjoy Lord of the Rings as much as I do, had I not read the Hobbit just beforehand. The Hobbit really provides the reader with a lot of background information, which is an advantage when you get started with the trilogy.

Nevertheless, I still feel that, as a stand - alone story, the Hobbit is a book aimed at children. Tolkien's fluid writing style and the way in which he addresses his readers, often gave me the impression that the author was right next to me, lecturing about hobbits in a style suitable for primary school children. The Hobbit is thus the perfect book to read to your children before bedtime or even one of the first novels they might read themselves.

When evaluating the Hobbit as a prelude to Lord of the Rings, things look a little bit different. Currently reading Lord of the Rings, I am thankful to have followed the chronological path, as the Hobbit prepares the setting for Lord of the Rings, in which Tolkien has adapted his very scholarly writing style to an audience of grown ups.

Apart from the obvious highlights of the story, i.e. Bilbo's encounter with Gollum, The Hobbit, even though the plot was neat and perfectly paced, sometimes felt dragging as the story meanders from one perilous situation to another. However, the aspect I enjoyed most was the author's typically English humour, which often shines through when Bilbo interacts with the other characters.

5 out of 5 stars

A stand-alone classic August 16, 2008
A children's classic, but the beginning of a world created by the author. The Hobbit introduces the reader to the mystical land of Middle Earth. A stand-alone classic, The Hobbit is also the prequel to the mighty Lord of the Rings and does not fail to impress...

5 out of 5 stars

A good story for children and grown-ups, too May 5, 2008
"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. It's funny and entertaining, and it shows Bilbo Baggins' most important adventure of his life in an appealing manner. One should clearly understand that this book was at first intended for Tolkien's own children, and only later was published. One should therefore not expect the powerful and often deadly serious narrative of "LotR". As a trivial example, Sauron is not named in "The Hobbit", but appears under the name "the Necromancer", and is of no importance other than keeping Gandalf away from the party of Dwarves for a while, thus allowing for more breath-taking adventures.

I recommend this book if you are parents of young children (Rayner Unwin, the first reviewer, was 10 when he approved for it and convinced his father to print it), since it is an easy reading, that can develop a taste for Tolkien and deeper novels, such as "LotR" or "The Silmarillion". Also, if you've read "LotR", give "The Hobbit" a try - it's not at all a bad story.

4 out of 5 stars

a nice suprise April 28, 2008
I bought this book having loved the Lord of The Rings Trilogy films. I had attempted to read Tolkiens LOTR novel years ago, before the films , and found I couldnt get into it at all. Being a 43 year old male who loves action/adventure,crime/thrillers etc.. I bought this book with some trepidation but since I loved the films so much, I thought Id give it a go.
I thoroughly enjoyed it.Yes it is a childrens book, but like the Harry Potter series(which I also suprisingly enjoyed), I found it very entertaining and fairly timeless.I would recommend it to anyone.

1 out of 5 stars

Ridiculous April 1, 2008
1 out of 9 found this review helpful

After writing LotR Tolkien should have hunted all of his Hobbit books and burnt them in a giant bonfire.
This book tells about the adventure of Bilbo Baggins, Gandalf and a number of Dwarves (I can't remember the actual number, because all the dwarves were so similar).

This book is so silly, juvenile and ridiculously written that it is completely unprecedented.

People are defending this book by saying that it's a childrens' book unlike LotR. Well here's some news for you. There are some actually good childrens' books out there.

Not all would doom this 1 star, but no way would this book be receiving so many 5 star reviews unless it was written by Tolkien.

I'm not saying someone couldn't like it, but from any sane point of view it just isn't *good*. Period.