Product Description

Marking 70 years since publication, the definitive edition of JRR Tolkien's first book, sporting a facsimile of his original cover design and complete with fold-out maps and his own drawings and paintings. Bilbo Baggins enjoys a quiet and contented life, with no desire to travel far from the comforts of home; then one day the wizard Gandalf and a band of dwarves arrive unexpectedly and enlist his services -- as a burglar -- on a dangerous expedition to raid the treasure-hoard of Smaug the dragon. Bilbo's life is never to be the same again. Seldom has any book been so widely read and loved as J.R.R. Tolkien's classic tale, 'The Hobbit'. Since its first publication in 1937 it has remained in print to delight each new generation of readers all over the world, and its hero, Bilbo Baggins, has taken his place among the ranks of the immortals: Alice, Pooh, Toad!

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #4874 in Books
• Published on: 2001-08-20
• Original language: English
• Binding: Hardcover
• 320 pages

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.

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.

Review
'The Hobbit belongs to a very small class of books which have nothing in common save that each admits us to a world of its own. Its place is with Alice and The Wind in the Willows.' Times Literary Supplement 'One of the best loved characters in English fiction! a marvellous fantasy adventure' Daily Mail 'Finely written saga of dwarves and elves, fearsome goblins and trolls! an exciting epic of travel, magical adventure, working up to a devastating climax' The Observer

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).