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The hobbit, or, There and back again by J.…
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The hobbit, or, There and back again (original 1937; edition 1997)

by J. R. R. Tolkien, Alan Lee (Illustrator)

Series: The Lord of the Rings (Prelude)

MembersReviewsPopularityAverage ratingConversations / Mentions
93,88811868 (4.27)7 / 2276
Bilbo Baggins, a respectable, well-to-do hobbit, lives comfortably in his hobbit-hole until the day the wandering wizard Gandalf chooses him to take part in an adventure from which he may never return.
Member:InfinitePurple
Title:The hobbit, or, There and back again
Authors:J. R. R. Tolkien
Other authors:Alan Lee (Illustrator)
Info:Boston : Houghton Mifflin Co., c1997.
Collections:Your library
Rating:
Tags:None

Work Information

The Hobbit by J. R. R. Tolkien (1937)

  1. 1000
    The Fellowship of the Ring by J. R. R. Tolkien (aang2014, JqnOC)
    aang2014: Starts the trilogy very good, I loved it.
  2. 350
    The Lord of the Rings by J. R. R. Tolkien (Percevan)
  3. 386
    The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe by C. S. Lewis (ErisofDiscord)
    ErisofDiscord: Written by J.R.R. Tolkien's friend, C.S. Lewis. Although their styles of writing are very different, I have found both of them to be highly enjoyable and the quality of both of the authors books are unmatched.
  4. 233
    A Wizard of Earthsea by Ursula K. Le Guin (Death_By_Papercut)
    Death_By_Papercut: Quality, epic fantasy.
  5. 237
    Beowulf by Beowulf Poet (benmartin79)
  6. 2610
    The Hobbit: An Illustrated Edition of the Fantasy Classic by Chuck Dixon (Percevan)
  7. 130
    Bilbo's Last Song by J. R. R. Tolkien (Michael.Rimmer)
  8. 70
    The Elfin Ship by James P. Blaylock (DCBlack)
    DCBlack: Another quest tale of the reluctant hero who would rather be sitting in a comfy chair by the fireplace than getting mixed up in all sorts of adventures. Full of humor and whimsical charm.
  9. 92
    Monkey by Wu Ch'eng-en (DavidGoldsteen)
    DavidGoldsteen: If you like a quest story, here's the real deal. A Chinese classic first that first appeared as a novel over 500 years ago. Monkey is a lively, funny, exciting story.
  10. 40
    The Long Ships by Frans G. Bengtsson (chrisharpe)
  11. 85
    The Last Ringbearer by Kiril Yeskov (Anonymous user)
    Anonymous user: Great alternate history version of the Middle Earth saga--told from the 'evil' Mordor side.
  12. 31
    Deep into the Heart of a Rose by G. T. Denny (StefanY)
  13. 20
    Sprookjes van Tolkien by J. R. R. Tolkien (Smitie)
    Smitie: Three fairy tales from Tolkien
  14. 21
    The Elven by Bernhard Hennen (PitcherBooks)
    PitcherBooks: While I enjoyed The Hobbit a bit more than the Elven, I like The Elven much more than the LOTR. I have yet to read the sequels but Elven had the feel of a fantasy classic to it. Time will tell... Pros: Great world-building and characters, mostly action, adventure and magic with only the last tenth or so devoted to the obligatory war. Since I'm not big on wars this was a major plus. Con: The Hobbit was shorter, more endearing and faster moving. Elven is a lengthy tome but the characters and adventures held my interest even so.… (more)
  15. 32
    Neverwhere by Neil Gaiman (sturlington)
    sturlington: In addition to Arthur Dent, Gaiman's Richard Mayhew is a reluctant adventurer like Bilbo Baggins.
  16. 10
    Beowulf: Dragonslayer by Rosemary Sutcliff (themulhern)
    themulhern: A dragon, a hoard, a thief who steals just one item and arouse the dragon's implacable fury.
  17. 88
    The History of the Kings of Britain by Geoffrey of Monmouth (ed.pendragon)
    ed.pendragon: Tolkien was very familiar with this work, certainly from the old translation by J Giles (which in turn probably influenced Tolkien's own Farmer Giles of Ham)
  18. 33
    Abarat by Clive Barker (Death_By_Papercut)
  19. 12
    The Prophecy of Zephyrus by G. A. Hesse (OccamsHammer)
  20. 23
    The Whale Kingdom Quest by Ming-Wei (Rossi21)
    Rossi21: This is a alternative science fiction type of novel, very interesting

(see all 23 recommendations)

1930s (12)
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1970s (605)
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» See also 2276 mentions

English (1,104)  Spanish (20)  German (10)  Dutch (9)  French (7)  Finnish (6)  Swedish (3)  Danish (3)  Italian (2)  Portuguese (Brazil) (2)  Hungarian (2)  Portuguese (Portugal) (2)  Catalan (2)  Serbian (1)  Norwegian (1)  Portuguese (1)  Polish (1)  All languages (1,176)
Showing 1-5 of 1104 (next | show all)
Rating a book that you have read many times is not easy, but in this case it only confirmed my view of the book. It's majestic. In all the times I read it I discovered new things. Beside a steadily growing exitement while reading the book, ending almost in disaster (no worry, all ends well) it is also entwined by humor that sometimes might go unnoticed. Though in many ways Bilbo seems to be the hero of the story, for me it is actually Balin, who in many ways opposes others and remains a close friend to Bilbo right up to the end of the book. Tolkien obviously wrote with his own children in mind, (his biggest critics), but managed to write a tale that captivates audiences from all ages ( )
  annus_sanctus | Mar 15, 2024 |
Recuerdo leer cosas sueltas sobre la historia de El Hobbit en la primera versión del El Señor de los Anillos, pero no tan completa como esta edición. Libro increible que ayuda mucho a asentar las bases de la siguiente historia. ( )
  diegocorral | Mar 14, 2024 |
A great adventure tale. It tells a great story and does a good job not overexplaining. ( )
  mlstweet | Mar 12, 2024 |
I've always enjoyed the "Lord of the Rings" franchise (books and movies). My favorite aspects about it are the lore and the world-building. I absolutely love the world that Tolkien created over many years. It is rich and exciting. Every single time I read these stories, I get the urge to learn more about the lore and the world they take place in. I constantly look at maps of Middle-Earth and trace the paths the characters take in their adventures. There's just something about high fantasy that has always captivated me. I simply can't get enough of it.

I thought the overall plot and story of this book were pretty good, though I do have some minor gripes with them. I know this is a children's book, but I still really dislike the sheer luck and plot armor the main characters (especially Bilbo) have. There are numerous instances where the narrator outright says that something very bad could happen to Bilbo, but he ends up avoiding it and lucking his way out of the situation at the very last second. After a while, it starts to become really distracting. A good example of this is how Bilbo wakes up just in the nick of time to hear Thorin's final words, and Thorin apologizes to him for all the evil things he said about him at the front gate RIGHT BEFORE he passes away. He even announces his departure from this world like he can see the Grim Reaper hanging around waiting to pick him up and send him to heaven.

However, my least favorite things about these books are the character work and the dialogue. I've always thought Tolkien's characters were extremely bland and generic. While there are some exceptions here and there, most of them feel like carbon copies of each other to me. This is much more apparent in the next 3 books of this series, when lots of human characters are introduced. Every man feels like the exact same person. They almost all talk and act in the exact same way. In addition, the characters don't feel very nuanced or complex. They seem extremely one-dimensional and uninteresting. You could honestly figure out their entire personalities within one or two lines of their dialogue. That brings me to the next of my major complaints of these books: the dialogue. I'm sorry, but NONE of these characters sound like real people to me, not even the humans. The way they talk just feels extremely artificial. Again, I recognize that this is a high fantasy story written in the 1900s, but that doesn't excuse robotic dialogue for me.

Despite my complaints, I acknowledge the impact and status of these books, and I very much enjoy learning about the geography and history of the world that Tolkien has created. It is extremely fascinating, and it will never stop being so for me. ( )
  Moderation3250 | Feb 24, 2024 |
I have lost track of the number of times I've read this.
It's as good today as it was on first reading as a sixth grader many years ago. ( )
  DeeTeeDee | Feb 1, 2024 |
Showing 1-5 of 1104 (next | show all)
A flawless masterpiece
added by GYKM | editThe Times
 
A finely written saga of dwarves and elves, fearsome goblins and trolls ... an exciting epic of travel and magical adventure, all working up to a devastating climax
added by GYKM | editThe Observer
 

» Add other authors (232 possible)

Author nameRoleType of authorWork?Status
J. R. R. Tolkienprimary authorall editionscalculated
Abrams, LesterIllustratorsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
Agøy, Nils IvarTranslatorsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
Anderson, Douglas A.Notesecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
Andersson, ErikTranslatorsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
Balčienė, BronėTranslatorsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
Barcia, Moises R.Translatorsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
Beagle, Peter S.Introductionsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
Ciuferri, CaterinaTranslatorsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
Cooley, StevenCover designersecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
Ebert, DietrichCover designersecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
Ensikat, KlausIllustratorsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
Ferré, VincentEditorsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
Figueroa, ManuelTranslatorsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
Fraser, EricIllustratorsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
Giancola, DonatoIllustratorsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
Hague, MichaelIllustratorsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
Hallqvist, Britt G.Translatorsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
Hehn-Kynast, JulianeIllustratorsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
Hildebrandt, GregCover artistsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
Hildebrandt, TimCover artistsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
Hilden, StefanCover artistsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
Howe, JohnCover artistsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
Huwendiek, RolandCover designersecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
Inglis, RobNarratorsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
Jansson, ToveIllustratorsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
Jeronimidis Conte, ElenaTranslatorsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
Juva, KerstiTranslatorsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
Kalka, JoachimTranslatorsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
Kübrich, AngelaDirectorsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
Krege, WolfgangTranslatorsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
Lauzon, DanielTranslatorsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
Ledoux, FrancisTranslatorsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
Lee, AlanIllustratorsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
Meinzold, MaxCover artistsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
Mokrovolsky, OlexandrTranslatorsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
Nasmith, TedCover artistsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
Parcerisas, FrancescTranslatorsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
Paron, PaoloTranslatorsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
Pekkanen, PanuTranslatorsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
Pitkänen, RistoTranslatorsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
Popkema, Anne TjerkTranslatorsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
Rajamets, HaraldTranslatorsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
Rajandi, LiaTranslatorsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
Remington, BarbaraIllustratorsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
Rodrigues, Fernanda PintoTranslatorsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
Scherf, WalterTranslatorsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
Schuchart, MaxTranslatorsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
Serkis, AndyNarratorsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
Sis, PeterCover artistsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
Skibniewska, MariaTranslatorsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
Swedenmark, JohnTranslatorsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
Sweet, Darrell K.Cover artistsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
Szobotka, TiborTranslatorsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
Tolkien, ChristopherIntroductionsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
Trebels, RüdigerCover artistsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
Vrba, FrantišekTranslatorsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
Wyatt, DavidIllustratorsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
Zetterholm, ToreTranslatorsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed

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Epigraph
Dedication
First words
In a hole in the ground there lived a hobbit.
Quotations
"Never laugh at live dragons, Bilbo you fool!"
Far over the misty mountains cold
To dungeons deep and caverns old
We must away ere break of day
To seek the pale enchanted gold.
This thing all things devours:
Birds, beasts, trees, flowers;
Gnaws iron, bites steel;
Grinds hard stones to meal;
Slays king, ruins town,
And beats high mountain down.
It does not do to leave a live dragon out of your calculations, if you live near him. Dragons may not have much real use for all their wealth, but they know it to an ounce as a rule, especially after long possession; and Smaug was no exception.
There is more in you of good than you know, child of the kindly West. Some courage and some wisdom, blended in measure. If more of us valued food and cheer and song above hoarded gold, it would be a merrier world. But sad or merry, I must leave it now. Farewell!
Last words
(Click to show. Warning: May contain spoilers.)
Disambiguation notice
J.R.R. Tolkien's complete work The Lord of the Rings consists of six Books, frequently bound in three Volumes:
  • Volume 1: The Fellowship of the Ring, consisting of Book I, "The Ring Sets Out" and Book II, "The Ring Goes South";
  • Volume 2: The Two Towers, consisting of Book III, "The Treason of Isengard," and Book IV, "The Ring Goes East"; and
  • Volume 3: The Return of the King, consisting of Book V, "The War of the Ring," and Book VI, "The End of the Third Age," with Appendices.
This LT Work consists solely of The Hobbit, a prelude to The Lord of the Rings; please do not combine it with that complete work, or with any part(s) thereof, each of which have LT Works pages of their own. Thank you.
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Bilbo Baggins, a respectable, well-to-do hobbit, lives comfortably in his hobbit-hole until the day the wandering wizard Gandalf chooses him to take part in an adventure from which he may never return.

No library descriptions found.

Book description
[R.L. 6.6] The story of hobbit Bilbo Baggins as he travels across middle earth with a group of dwarfs and a wizard. He faces trolls and dragons. Meets elves and shape shifters. And hopes to acquire great treasure as his adventure continues.
Haiku summary
So I'm a thief now.
What I really should have took?
Comfortable shoes.
The dwarves had a plan.
They didn't say anything
about hungry trolls.

(Carnophile)
Nasty Bagginses
stole the Precious, yess, and we
hates them forever!
(ed.pendragon)
A ring in a cave?
I’ll take it. I doubt that the
owner will miss it.

(Carnophile)
Wizard at the door?
Twelve dwarves too? You'll be telling
me a dragon's next!
(ed.pendragon)

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2 editions of this book were published by HighBridge.

Editions: 156511552X, 1598878980

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Editions: 1598878980, 1611749085

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