Paperback, 389 pages
English language
Published March 16, 1991 by HarperCollins.
The Hobbit, or There and Back Again is a children's fantasy novel by English author J. R. R. Tolkien. It was published in 1937 to wide critical acclaim, being nominated for the Carnegie Medal and awarded a prize from the New York Herald Tribune for best juvenile fiction. The book remains popular and is recognized as a classic in children's literature. The Hobbit is set within Tolkien's fictional universe and follows the quest of home-loving Bilbo Baggins, the titular hobbit, to win a share of the treasure guarded by a dragon named Smaug. Bilbo's journey takes him from his light-hearted, rural surroundings into more sinister territory. The story is told in the form of an episodic quest, and most chapters introduce a specific creature or type of creature of Tolkien's geography. Bilbo gains a new level of maturity, competence, and wisdom by accepting the disreputable, romantic, fey, and adventurous sides …
The Hobbit, or There and Back Again is a children's fantasy novel by English author J. R. R. Tolkien. It was published in 1937 to wide critical acclaim, being nominated for the Carnegie Medal and awarded a prize from the New York Herald Tribune for best juvenile fiction. The book remains popular and is recognized as a classic in children's literature. The Hobbit is set within Tolkien's fictional universe and follows the quest of home-loving Bilbo Baggins, the titular hobbit, to win a share of the treasure guarded by a dragon named Smaug. Bilbo's journey takes him from his light-hearted, rural surroundings into more sinister territory. The story is told in the form of an episodic quest, and most chapters introduce a specific creature or type of creature of Tolkien's geography. Bilbo gains a new level of maturity, competence, and wisdom by accepting the disreputable, romantic, fey, and adventurous sides of his nature and applying his wits and common sense. The story reaches its climax in the Battle of Five Armies, where many of the characters and creatures from earlier chapters re-emerge to engage in conflict. Personal growth and forms of heroism are central themes of the story, along with motifs of warfare. These themes have led critics to view Tolkien's own experiences during World War I as instrumental in shaping the story. The author's scholarly knowledge of Germanic philology and interest in mythology and fairy tales are often noted as influences. The publisher was encouraged by the book's critical and financial success and, therefore, requested a sequel. As Tolkien's work progressed on its successor, The Lord of the Rings, he made retrospective accommodations for it in The Hobbit. These few but significant changes were integrated into the second edition. Further editions followed with minor emendations, including those reflecting Tolkien's changing concept of the world into which Bilbo stumbled. The work has never been out of print. Its ongoing legacy encompasses many adaptations for stage, screen, radio, board games, and video games. Several of these adaptations have received critical recognition on their own merits.
The level of detail Tolkein incorporates into these stories never ceases to amaze me…from the landscapes to the languages of each race in Middle Earth, to say nothing about the lengthy and intricate histories of elves, men, dwarves, and even some of the notable creatures of Middle Earth.
I was a child
Content warning Spoilers
I was told that thin is a children’s book but it still took me a bit to fully realize it.
Some of the narration is very focused on children. Once I understood that, I really got to enjof the story. I was a bit confused when Smaug just left the Bilbo and dwarves but it made sense afterwards.
Overall, pretty good!
The Hobbit is the first of Tolkien's stories set in the Middle Earth... Actually this book needs no introduction as majority of people are probably aware of its existance and know how Tolkien pioneered the modern fantasy genre. However, it still holds strongly to this day. This epic story of a hobbit embarking on an unexpected journey with a team of dwarves and a wizard just really hooks you in and the world around is built with passion and full of surprises. I love it and now I understand why it's so praised by many.
The Hobbit is the first of Tolkien's stories set in the Middle Earth... Actually this book needs no introduction as majority of people are probably aware of its existance and know how Tolkien pioneered the modern fantasy genre. However, it still holds strongly to this day. This epic story of a hobbit embarking on an unexpected journey with a team of dwarves and a wizard just really hooks you in and the world around is built with passion and full of surprises. I love it and now I understand why it's so praised by many.
The book is well written and has a unique story, that no other book (even in the same genre) has. The story is an easily imaginable one, that whilst reading and afterwards I could picture exactly what happened in my mind.
Amazing book :)
C’était mon premier contact avec l’univers fantastique de Tolkien, dans la mesure où je n’ai ni lu, ni vu le Seigneur des Anneaux, ou d’autres œuvres de Tolkien. Le Hobbit était une parfaite entrée en matière dans ce vaste et riche univers. Entre complexité narrative et légèreté, ce roman m’a beaucoup plu. L’action y est parfaitement dosée, et l’humour également. A lire et à relire, sans modération.
I read it years ago (70's) and I spent many of hours reading the trilogy in high school when I should have been doing other things. I do not regret it though.
I read it years ago (70's) and I spent many of hours reading the trilogy in high school when I should have been doing other things. I do not regret it though.
When I was a kid, it was hard to read, but interesting at the same time. I think, it's a good book to help children learn that patience reaps rewards. Of a cool story in this particular case.
When I was a kid, it was hard to read, but interesting at the same time. I think, it's a good book to help children learn that patience reaps rewards. Of a cool story in this particular case.
(Note: this review is about one of my many numerous re-reads of the book.)
"In a hole in the ground there lived ...", well, you probably know who.
A story that started out scribbled on the back of a piece of paper being marked by J.R.R. Tolkien has grown in the telling and now supports a whole mythology set out in the books "The Silmarillion" and "The Lord of the Rings" as well as a multi-billion dollar entertainment industry.
The story of Bilbo Baggins and how he got involved in a quest involving dwarves, a Wizard, elves, men, goblins, wargs (wolves) and, of course, a dragon, is set out in this tale that has been read multiple times by me.
The most important event in the book, almost trivial in its treatment (which it was, at the time) was the discovery of a seemingly innocuous magic …
(Note: this review is about one of my many numerous re-reads of the book.)
"In a hole in the ground there lived ...", well, you probably know who.
A story that started out scribbled on the back of a piece of paper being marked by J.R.R. Tolkien has grown in the telling and now supports a whole mythology set out in the books "The Silmarillion" and "The Lord of the Rings" as well as a multi-billion dollar entertainment industry.
The story of Bilbo Baggins and how he got involved in a quest involving dwarves, a Wizard, elves, men, goblins, wargs (wolves) and, of course, a dragon, is set out in this tale that has been read multiple times by me.
The most important event in the book, almost trivial in its treatment (which it was, at the time) was the discovery of a seemingly innocuous magic ring by Bilbo deep in the mountains which was to have an impact well after the telling of this tale.
Light-hearted in tone, the story skips gaily from Bilbo's home at Bag End to Rivendell, from the Misty Mountains to Mirkwood, from the Elven King's halls to its final destination; the Lonely Mountain far to the east. It is there that things turn grim as Bilbo finally performs the tasks he was hired to do; to be a burglar.
A good tale and best considered as a stand-alone tale, rather than a 'prequel' to Tolkien's major work, "The Lord of the Rings".
If you want to know more, also consider reading "The Annotated Hobbit" by Douglas A. Anderson and the two volume "The History of The Hobbit" by John D. Rateliff.
I mean it’s a classic. How could you hate on it?
колись років двадцять тому, коли я був ще малим школярем-пуцвіріньком, мама принесла мені таку собі непримітну зовні книжку: «гобіт, або мандрівка за імлисті гори». ім'я автора було настільки незвичне на вимову — і аж чотири слова! — що одразу запало мені на пам'ять, так що пізніше я міг навіть серед ночі без заминки вимовити скоромовкою: джонроналдруелтолкін… звісно, якби комусь спало на думку мене збудити вночі заради такого дивного питання =) на все життя запам’яталася також графіка ілюстрацій до українського видання — загадкових, наче мальованих коричневим чорнилом прямо на сторінках книжки.
мені, малому і жадібному до пригодницьких, але зрозумілих дитині історій, ця казка сподобалася надзвичайно! втім, прочитавши книжку, я поставив її кудись на полицю, а чи навіть заховав до якоїсь глибокої шухляди… років з десять потому марно намагався я знайти цю книгу вдома: сьогодні я беріг би те видання («веселка», 1985 р.), як зіницю ока. на той час я, звісно, ще …
колись років двадцять тому, коли я був ще малим школярем-пуцвіріньком, мама принесла мені таку собі непримітну зовні книжку: «гобіт, або мандрівка за імлисті гори». ім'я автора було настільки незвичне на вимову — і аж чотири слова! — що одразу запало мені на пам'ять, так що пізніше я міг навіть серед ночі без заминки вимовити скоромовкою: джонроналдруелтолкін… звісно, якби комусь спало на думку мене збудити вночі заради такого дивного питання =) на все життя запам’яталася також графіка ілюстрацій до українського видання — загадкових, наче мальованих коричневим чорнилом прямо на сторінках книжки.
мені, малому і жадібному до пригодницьких, але зрозумілих дитині історій, ця казка сподобалася надзвичайно! втім, прочитавши книжку, я поставив її кудись на полицю, а чи навіть заховав до якоїсь глибокої шухляди… років з десять потому марно намагався я знайти цю книгу вдома: сьогодні я беріг би те видання («веселка», 1985 р.), як зіницю ока. на той час я, звісно, ще не міг повно оцінити цей твір: мені було років десять, і це було задовго до інститутського захоплення володарем перснів, коли я нарешті дізнався, що джонроналдруелтолкін — не просто автор дитячої казки, а мовознавець, професор, викладач англійської та староанглійської мов у найстарішому в європі, оксфордському університеті.
пізніше я ще не раз перечитав цей твір — українською, англійською і російською… сьогодні розумію, що, мабуть, якість та неповторний колорит перекладу олександра мокровольського мали великий вплив на те, як я сьогодні сприймаю рідну мову. і для мене можливість прочитати тепер цю казку своїй дитині — це не просто задоволення від чудового твору, але й певний елементарний акт поступового перетворення маленької людини в свідому особистість, яка гордо називатиме себе українцем.
(http://goo.gl/I22NB)
This series was my introduction into fantasy literature. It will always be my favourite.
