Customer Reviews
Great Copy of a Great Book 
2007-12-03
For those who followed the movie version of the Lord of the Rings this book is a must have. This is where it all began! There are great pictures and maps included in this book. It is a must read for all fans and I would not waste my money buying a paperback when this copy is available.
This is a story that grows with the reader. 2007-11-18
In a mythical or maybe just forgotten time, many creatures lived in places like the Shire, home to Bilbo Baggins, Hobbit. Hobbits are comfort loving creatures with no real sense for adventure. A knock on the door and Bilbo's life is about to change.
Calling this book children's book is like calling "Alice in Wonderland" [see "The Annotated Alice"] a children's book. Yes children can read this book and it is fun. How ever there is a lot more to this book than a cute story. And it has all the depth of the other Tolkien works with the exception of being shorter.
Many people look at this story as a prequel to "The Lord of the Rings", where in reality it is a stand-alone story with a perfectly good beginning, middle, and end. When you read "The Lord of the Rings" there is enough description to forgo "The Hobbit." Personally, I find that reading The Lord of the Rings first gave me the in-depth background to better appreciate The Hobbit.
Many of the creatures and adventures will put you on the edge of your seat. You will recognize the personalities and grow along will Bilbo as he faces new challenges as he learns to deal with life.
A good book to read first would be "The Power of Myth" by Joseph Campbell. Then you get a clearer picture of why the story progresses as it does.
Joseph Campbell and the Power of Myth
great gift! 2007-11-09
very nice anniversary edition. plan to give to my hubby as an anniv. gift.
A Great Edition 2007-10-29
I could not imagine the book being put together better. The materials, binding, dust jacket, pictures are all top notch. This is how this story should be presented.
A Beautiful Edition 2007-10-26
This 70th anniversary edition of The Hobbit is a fine production which includes the most recent corrections to the text. The introduction by Christopher Tolkien is about twenty years old, having been written for the British 50th anniversary edition in 1987. I don't believe this introduction has been available in an American edition before, so its good that it finally made it into print here. The book is well-designed and made so that it will last through many rereadings, as a classic should, and it is much nicer to hold and read than previous American editions, which tend to feel cheap and clunky. The paintings and line drawings by JRR Tolkien are as fresh and beautiful as they must have been when they were new, and much to be preferred over the illustrations provided by other artists. I believe that this edition of The Hobbit is the closest American version of how Tolkien himself would have liked it to have been published.
Good for the Hobbit 
2008-05-13
The Hobbit is a fairly good book. It has an interesting storyline and grabs the reader throughout the whole novel. I for one read it when I was in the 5th grade at school. I found it interesting and usually was a chapter or two ahead of the class. The Hobbit is a beginning book. What I mean by this is that it takes a lot of time explaining the story. This takes up a couple of chapters and I think it would have been a better book if it had built some more suspense in the end scene and extrapolated it a bit more. But otherwise, this book has few shortcomings. Other than the fact that they spent a lot of time in Mirkwood forest, I liked the book. Beorn was portrayed well. The plot line is nice, although there is a kill stealing at the end. All-in-all, I recommend this book.
For Adults Too 2008-02-23
"A classic. Some consider it a children's book, but it's certainly no more so than the Harry Potter series."
-- Glenn G. Thater, Author of 'Harbinger of Doom'
life BEFORE harry potter 2008-02-07
If you or a young reader dear to you have read all seven Harry Potters at least thrice and yet you still haven't had your fill of wizards and trolls and dragons and elves and fairies and goblins: BUY THIS BOOK. Not only is it a wondrously ancient and magical tale in and of itself, it has the added bonus of being the prequel to The Lord of the Rings enchanted trilogy.
At $16.50 (feb 2008), this 70th anniversary hardcover edition is an incredible bargain. Tolkien's own original dustjacket design gives it the look and feel of a well-preserved first edition (you almost expect to open it up and see his signature on the flyleaf). Inside the book itself, the endpaper maps and illustrations (especially the color illustrations) are magnifique. The paper feels good and the typeface is very reader-friendly and of a generous size (13-14 point). Did I say buy this book?
Essential part of trilogy - the basis for the plot - excellent 2007-12-29
I have read this book for years - over and over.... - I just love it! But I have been unable to find a hardback copy until now! Thank you! I will treasure the book.
The Beginning of Fantasy Novels 2007-12-06
The Hobbit is a captivating story that combines ancient Greek and Roman mythology and Anglo-Saxon tradition to produce a timeless classic. J.R.R. Tolkien creates his own mythical world called Middle-Earth, which is actually Earth the way it existed millions of years ago. Tolkien first introduces the reader to the race of hobbits, which are little people who live to eat, in the form of Bilbo Baggins. A wizard named Gandalf approaches Bilbo with an adventure and out of courtesy Bilbo invites him to tea. Bilbo receives a surprise when a group of thirteen dwarves arrives with Gandalf. Gandalf has already volunteered Bilbo to be a burglar for the dwarves in their attempt to reclaim gold that is rightfully theirs from the vicious dragon, Smaug. Bilbo finally agrees to this plan and they set off the very next day for Lonely Mountain, the place where Smaug currently inhabits. Bilbo then experiences an epic journey where he is transformed from a regular hobbit that is incapable of leading to a leader who is courageous in the face of adversity and even becomes a hero before the journey is over. As the story develops the road for Bilbo and the dwarves becomes increasingly ominous and the road ahead seems to present more dangers than the road behind. Each of Tolkien's chapters symbolizes a new obstacle to overcome, which actually has little to do with the ultimate goal of Bilbo and the dwarves of reclaiming the gold from Smaug. However, all these chapters culminate in an ultimate battle between good and evil which pits the "Good People," the humans, elves, and dwarves in a battle for supremacy over the brutal Whargs and goblins. Even though initially written as a child's story people of all ages can enjoy The Hobbit, which is the prequel to and establishes many of the ideas prominent in Tolkien's most famous work The Lord of the Rings trilogy.
