The Hobbit by JRR Tolkien
A must read, a real delight.
J.R.R. Tolkien's The Hobbit is one of the best known and best loved fantasy books. First published by George Allen & Unwin in 1937, The Hobbit has been translated into 50 different languages and sold well over 100 million copies.
The Hobbit was written by Professor Tolkien for the reading pleasure of his own children, of whom Christopher became the editor of Tolkien's posthumous work such as The Silmarillion and The Book of Lost Tales.
This is a far more light-hearted tale than the Lord of the Rings and introduces to the world's readers the unforgettable Bilbo, Gandalf and Gollum. A book that can be enjoyed by children and adults alike and authors such as J.K. Rowling and David Gemmell class this and The Lord of the Rings as inspirational in their own work.
The mother of our particular hobbit - what is a hobbit? I suppose hobbits need some description nowadays, since they have become rare and shy of the Big People, as they call us. They are (or were) a little people, about half our height, and smaller than the bearded dwarves. Hobbits have no beards. There is little or no magic about them, except the ordinary everyday sort which helps them to disappear quietly and quickly when large stupid folk like you and me come blundering along, making a noise like elephants which they can hear a mile off. They are inclined to be fat in the stomach; they dress in bright colour's (chiefly green and yellow); wear no shoes, because their feet grow natural leather soles and thick brown hair like the stuff on their heads (which is curly); have long clever brown fingers, good-natured faces, and laugh deep fruity laughs (especially after dinner which they have twice a day when they can get it).
This is a truly wonderful book, full of adventure, heroism, song and laughter. The landscapes that Tolkien creates are quintessentially English and the Shore and the hobbits could easily be the English of yesteryear. The Shire is left behind soon enough as no adventure is worth reading in which nobody actually goes anywhere. Dwarves, Elves, Goblins, Eagles and Wizards all cross paths with our intrepid, although reluctant hero as the party passes through Rivendell, The Misty Mountains and Mirkwood on their way to the Lonely Mountain to take back the treasure stolen by the great dragon Smaug.
One of the most appealing aspects of this book is that we could all be hobbit with the comfortable life and comfortable living but there is something inside all of us that perks up at the thought of adventures and journeys into the unknown. I think that this is why The Hobbit is such a firm favourite and fondly remembered by all who read it.
"Yes, it is rare and wonderful, indeed," said Smaug absurdly pleased. He did not know that the hobbit had already caught a glimpse of his peculiar under-covering on his previous visit, and was itching for a closer view for reasons of his own. The dragon rolled over. "Look!" he said. "What do you say to that?"
"Dazzlingly marvelous! Perfect! Flawless! Staggering!" exclaimed Bilbo aloud, but what he thought was: "Old fool! Why there is a large patch in the hollow of his left breast as bare as a snail out of his shell!"
There are a few darker parts to an otherwise light-hearted book, in one place Tolkien mentions the ability that mankind has for creating more and more sophisticated ways of hurting each other. In a slightly less serious way the trip through Mirkwood made my skin crawl. The thought of being tied up by giant spiders makes me feel slightly ill and I pray that this situation never arises.
I would suggest reading the illustrated version if you have the choice, the artwork by Alan Lee* is so good that it manages to improve a story that is already fabulous.
The Hobbit is quite simply a must read, a real delight.
* Alan Lee is an English artist, he has studied Celtic and Norse myths and remains fascinated by mythology. He was inspired by The Lord of the Rings and as well as providing the artwork for the Hobbit he also illustrated the centenary edition of The Lord of the Rings.
Praise for The Hobbit
An exciting epic and magical adventure
The Observer
A flawless masterpiece ... One of the most influential books of our generation
The Times
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Jane from England
The Hobbit is a lovely book, I must have read it at least 15 times between the ages of 12 and 30 and it gets better each time. I think you have the rating spot on with 9 out of 10.
Lara from Stoke
This book is now over 70 years old and reads as well today as it did back then. The label "Timeless classic" is given to too many books but in the case of The Hobbit it is fully deserved.
Bilbo Baggins is the best character ever and even without the Lord of the Rings this book would still be around today.
What can I say? A timeless classic!
Unknown from Coolsville
I love all the Tolkien books but this one is my favourite!
