Product Description

The popular paperback edition of J.R.R. Tolkien's classic masterpiece, illustrated for the first time with Tolkien's own painting originally created by him for the first edition, and featuring brand new reproductions of all his drawings and maps. The Hobbit is a tale of high adventure, undertaken by a company of dwarves in search of dragon-guarded gold. A reluctant partner in this perilous quest is Bilbo Baggins, a comfort-loving unambitious hobbit, who surprises even himself by his resourcefulness and skill as a burglar. Encounters with trolls, goblins, dwarves, elves and giant spiders, conversations with the dragon, Smaug, and a rather unwilling presence at the Battle of Five Armies are just some of the adventures that befall Bilbo. Bilbo Baggins has taken his place among the ranks of the immortals of children's fiction. Written by Professor Tolkien for his own children, The Hobbit met with instant critical acclaim when published.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #1185 in Books
• Published on: 1993-03-19
• Original language: English
• Binding: Paperback
• 400 pages

Customer Reviews

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 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.

A Masterpiece!
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.

Good as Stephen Fry!
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).