Hobbit
by J R R Tolkien
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Book Summary Information
Author: J R R TolkienEdition: Hardcover
Audio: English (Unknown); English (Original Language); English (Published)
Format: Illustrated
Published: 1997-09-15
ISBN: 026110330X
Number of pages: 304
Publisher: Harpercollins
Book Reviews of Hobbit
Book Review: A beautiful book now with beautiful illustrations
Summary: 5 Stars
Myth throughout the ages has been a powerful tool for mankind, providing wonderful stories, presenting beautiful archetypes, and teaching lessons. Tolkien was a lover of the Norse myths, the Germanic, and his work shows it. The man, far from being just a professor, was a genius, creating his own mythology from myths that already came before hand. The Hobbit is a wonderful way to get started on his work. The Hobbit is very much a myth for our time, with the wise old counselor who helps the reluctant hero to realize his full potential.
The story starts out with Bilbo Baggins, a hobbit, living a quiet life, only to have his life interrupted by a the wizard Gandalf and a group of dwarves. It appears a rather nasty dragon has stolen the dwarves' treasures and is now making his home in their lair. It's up to poor, little Bilbo to muster the strength that he never knew he had, so that he can help reclaim what is rightfully the dwarves, all the while dealing with goblins, trolls, and other uncomfortable situations.
This is the perfect book for those new to Tolkien to start with. It's not as dark, dreary, and violent as Tolkien's "Lord of the Rings" series or "The Children of Hurin," (all of which are wonderful must read books: "The Lord of the Rings" being my favorite) or as complex as "The Similarion" (also a must read), but an excellent starting place for most ages. This is one of the most incredible books ever written, one of the most amazing stories ever told, and I've read it numerous times. This version, with illustrations by Alan Lee, helps accentuate the mythical world Tolkien created even more, breathing life and magic into the story. "The Hobbit," is a book I look forward to having the joy of reading to my future children, sparking their imagination, awaking the magic within them, in the process. To those that like Norse/Germanic myths, there are plenty of things you'll recognize in names and tales. In fact, there is a little nod to "Beowulf," in it. To those that just want their imaginations to soar, to be taken to another world, then this is the right book, as it has helped inspire today's fantasy books and video games. Read this treasure and enjoy.
Summary of Hobbit
Sumptuous, oversized hardback edition of the beloved children's classic, fully illustrated with over 60 watercolour and pencil illustrations by award-winning artist, Alan Lee. J.R.R. Tolkien's great classic work, The Hobbit, celebrated its 60th year of publication (1937) with a gorgeous illustrated edition by artist Alan Lee, winner of the Kate Greenaway medal for illustration, and creator of the fabulously successful Centenary edition of The Lord of the Rings. Containing 22 full colour illustrations depicting key scenes from this all-time classic (scenes such as Gollum and Bilbo, The Wargs, Smaug the Dragon and The Battle of the Five Armies), this beautifully designed volume also includes a wealth of integrated pencil drawings which demonstrate perfectly Alan's genius at work. Alan Lee's work on this book, as well as the illustrated Lord of the Rings, led to him being approached by Peter Jackson to join the film trilogy as Conceptual Artist. The same artistic vision, present in his beautiful paintings and drawings, played a major role in the look of the films, and his work received the ultimate accolade with an Academy Award for Best Art Direction on The Return of the King."In a hole in the ground there lived a hobbit. Not a nasty, dirty, wet hole, filled with the ends of worms and an oozy smell, nor yet a dry, bare, sandy hole with nothing in it to sit down on or to eat: it was a hobbit-hole, and that means comfort."
The hobbit-hole in question belongs to one Bilbo Baggins, an upstanding member of a "little people, about half our height, and smaller than the bearded dwarves." He is, like most of his kind, well off, well fed, and best pleased when sitting by his own fire with a pipe, a glass of good beer, and a meal to look forward to. Certainly this particular hobbit is the last person one would expect to see set off on a hazardous journey; indeed, when Gandalf the Grey stops by one morning, "looking for someone to share in an adventure," Baggins fervently wishes the wizard elsewhere. No such luck, however; soon 13 fortune-seeking dwarves have arrived on the hobbit's doorstep in search of a burglar, and before he can even grab his hat or an umbrella, Bilbo Baggins is swept out his door and into a dangerous adventure.
The dwarves' goal is to return to their ancestral home in the Lonely Mountains and reclaim a stolen fortune from the dragon Smaug. Along the way, they and their reluctant companion meet giant spiders, hostile elves, ravening wolves--and, most perilous of all, a subterranean creature named Gollum from whom Bilbo wins a magical ring in a riddling contest. It is from this life-or-death game in the dark that J.R.R. Tolkien's masterwork, The Lord of the Rings, would eventually spring. Though The Hobbit is lighter in tone than the trilogy that follows, it has, like Bilbo Baggins himself, unexpected iron at its core. Don't be fooled by its fairy-tale demeanor; this is very much a story for adults, though older children will enjoy it, too. By the time Bilbo returns to his comfortable hobbit-hole, he is a different person altogether, well primed for the bigger adventures to come--and so is the reader. --Alix Wilber
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