mass market paperback, 287 pages
English language
Published April 3, 1983 by Ballantine Books.
THE RELUCTANT HOBBIT
Bilbo Baggins was a hobbit who wanted to be left alone in quiet comfort. But the wizard Gandalf came along with a band of homeless dwarves. Soon Bilbo was drawn into their quest, facing evil orcs, savage wolves, giant spiders, and worse unknown dangers. Finally, it was Bilbo—alone and unaided—who had to confront the great dragon Smaug, the terror of an entire countryside!
This stirring adventure fantasy begins the tale of the hobbits that was continued by J.R.R. Tolkien in his bestselling epic The Lord of the Rings. --back cover
It's been a couple of decades since I last read The Hobbit, but the story still holds up. This new audiobook edition is read by Andy Serkis (the actor who voiced and played Gollum, among many others). His voice acting is spectacular and really adds to the book. Highly recommended!
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.
While I already knew the gist of what happens from the movie, this was still enjoyable. It's a captivating story, and I rather enjoyed the various asides and commentary that comes through more in words than in movie. Also, I'm wondering how much of the movie was the <10 page battle at the end...
A classic. I find new things every time I read it.
The absolute best of all his books. The LoTR may get all the attention, but this is a beautifully written and paced.
I like the book myself, but it was even more enjoyable when I read it with my daughter. Had to buy her a separate copy so she would stop stealing mine!
Towards the end I started ignoring the annotations because I got so wrapped up in the story. For the 19th time. Thereabouts, anyway. I will never stop rereading this book.
(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 …
(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.
It's hardly worth reviewing The Hobbit - it's been done so many times. But for those who only know it from the movies, prepare for a very different experience. This is more child-friendly but more epic, more philosophical but more realistic.
I mean it’s a classic. How could you hate on it?
A very nostalgic book for me, the one that first got me into reading Fantasy novels long long ago.
I would be great if I could give ratings without saying anything.
What's to be said about this that hasn't already been said? I guess my personal experience was that I saw the Ralph Bakshi animated treatment of this before ever reading it. Then, I got this huge coffee-table style book out of the library with the story but printed around cels from the animation. So, my experience of the whole thing was very colored from the beginning that way. Eventually I got a box set of the paperbacks on loan from an uncle of the LOTR and struggled through them with long periods where they just sat on the shelf. Probably my first experience of executive dysfunction/guilt around something I felt I should read but just hadn't gotten around to yet and often didn't feel like wanting to read it. The Jackson movies are fine and a welcome visual palate cleanser for the Bakshi images. I don't think I've seen all …
What's to be said about this that hasn't already been said? I guess my personal experience was that I saw the Ralph Bakshi animated treatment of this before ever reading it. Then, I got this huge coffee-table style book out of the library with the story but printed around cels from the animation. So, my experience of the whole thing was very colored from the beginning that way. Eventually I got a box set of the paperbacks on loan from an uncle of the LOTR and struggled through them with long periods where they just sat on the shelf. Probably my first experience of executive dysfunction/guilt around something I felt I should read but just hadn't gotten around to yet and often didn't feel like wanting to read it. The Jackson movies are fine and a welcome visual palate cleanser for the Bakshi images. I don't think I've seen all of his Hobbit movies yet, though.
I read this to my son (4) over the course of several months and I'm not sure which was more delightful: the voice of Tolkien telling an excellent children's story in perfectly paced sections or my son's reaction to each chapter and the way he liked to go over the book when we weren't reading (his favorite part was section in Mirkwood Forest, particularly the spiders - truly my son, the kid loves horror).
I'm sure he'll have me reading this again soon.
