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.

SPECIAL SILVER JUBILEE EDITION

There is something for everyone in this annotated edition of one of the most popular books in this century.  General readers, fans of children's literature, and devotes of fantasy will appreciate this comprehensive gloss on The Hobbit, which delves into its scholarly roots in folklore, mythology, and language.

Many of Tolkien's own illustrations embellish the text, and numerous illustrations from foreign editions exhibit a fascinating range of visual interpretation.

For hardcore Tolkien fans and scholars, an appendix details all of Tolkien's revisions made at various times to the published text and provides an uncommon glimpse into the special concerns of an exceptional and painstaking writer.

The Hobbit is an ideal book for annotation, for it can be enjoyed on many levels.  Foremost, it is a wonderful story, and yet it is only a small part of the vast history of Tolkien's imagined world of Middle-earth, more fully realized in The Lord of the Rings and The Silmarillion.  It is the showcase of a man who amused himself during the writing of a story for his children by drawing on his own scholarly erudition.

J.R.R. Tolkien (1892-1973) was Professor of Anglo-Saxon at Oxford and a Fellow of Pembroke College from 1925 to 1945, and Professor of English Language and Literature and a Fellow of Merton College from 1945 until his retirement in 1959.  His chief interest was in the literary and linguistic aspects of the early English written tradition, especially Beowulf, the Ancrene Wisse, and Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, but even as he studied these classics, he was creating a set of his own.  The Hobbit - published in 1937 by the venerable British firm of Allen & Unwin on the advise of ten-year-old Rayner Unwin - catapulted him to fame and gave rise to other major works, including The Lord of the Rings.  To date, Professor Tolkien's work has been translated into twenty-five languages; it has reached - and entranced - some twelve million readers.

Douglas A. Anderson has written the introduction to the recent authoritative edition of The Lord of the Rings.  He is a bookseller in Ithaca, New York.

A great modern classic and the prelude to The Lord of the Rings

"A flawless masterpiece."  - The Times (London)

"All those, young or old, who love a finely imagined story, beautifully told, will take The Hobbit to their hearts."  - Horn Book

J.R.R. Tolkien's own description for the original edition:

"If you care for journeys there and back, out of the comfortable Western world, over the edge of the Wild, and home again, and can take an interest in a humble hero (blessed with a little wisdom and a little courage and considerable good luck), here is a record of such a journey and such a traveler.  The period is the ancient time between the age of Faerie and the dominion of men, when the famous forest of Mirkwood was still standing, and the mountains were full of danger.  In following the path of this humble adventurer, you will learn by the way (as he did) - if you do not know all about these things - much about trolls, goblins, dwarves, and elves, and get some glimpses into the history and politics of a neglected but important period.

"For Mr. Bilbo Baggins visited various notable persons; conversed with the dragon, Smaug the Magnificent; and was present, rather unwillingly, at the Battle of the Five Armies.  This is all the more remarkable, since he was a hobbit.  Hobbits have hitherto been passed over in history and legend, perhaps because they as a rule preferred comfort to excitement.  But this account, based on his personal memoirs, of the one exciting year in the otherwise quiet life of Mr. Baggins will give you a fair idea of the estimable people now (it is sad) becoming rather rare.  They do not like noise."

J.R.R. TOLKIEN (1892 - 1973) is one of the twentieth century's best-loved writers.  His books, which include The Hobbit, The Lord of the Rings and The Silmarillion, have been translated into more than thirty languages and have sold many millions of copies worldwide.

The Hobbit
THE EXCLUSIVE UNABRIDGED EDITION
NOW A MAJOR MOTION PICTURE
A GREAT MODERN CLASSIC
AND THE PRELUDE TO THE LORD OF THE RINGS

Bilbo Baggins is a hobbit who enjoys a comfortable, unambitious life, rarely traveling any farther than his pantry or cellar.  But his contentment is disturbed when the wizard Gandalf and a company of dwarves arrive on his doorstep one day to whisk him away on an adventure.  They have launched a plot to raid the treasure hoard guarded by Smaug the Magnificent, a large and very dangerous dragon.  Bilbo reluctantly joins their quest, unaware that on his journey to the Lonely Mountain he will encounter both a magic ring and a frightening creature known as Gollum.

"A glorious account of magnificent adventure, filled with suspense and seasoned with a quiet humor that is irresistible." - New York Times Book Review

J.R.R. Tolkien (1892-1973) is the creator of Middle-earth and author of such classic and extraordinary works of fiction as The Hobbit, The Lord of the Rings, and The Silmarillion.  His books have been translated into more than fifty languages and have sold many millions of copies worldwide.

Rob Inglis is an accomplished actor who has appeared with the Royal Shakespeare and Royal Court Theatre companies.  He has played such roles as the Ghost and Claudius in Hamlet and Mr. Bumble in Oliver.

WINNER OF THE MYTHOPOEIC SCHOLARSHIP AWARD FOR INKLING STUDIES

For readers around the globe, The Hobbit serves as an introduction to the enchanting world of Middle-earth, home of elves, wizards, dwarves, goblins, dragons, orcs, and a host of other creatures depicted in The Lord of the Rings and The Silmarillion - tales that sprang from the mind of the most beloved author of all time, J.R.R. Tolkien.

Newly expanded and completely redesigned, Douglas A. Anderson's The Annotated Hobbit is the definitive explication of the sources, characters, places, and things of J.R.R. Tolkien's timeless classic.  Integrated with Anderson's notes and places alongside the fully restored and corrected text of the original story are more than 150 illustrations showing visual interpretations of The Hobbit specific to many of the cultures that have come to know and love Middle-earth.  Tolkien's original line drawings, maps, and color paintings are also included, making this the most lavishly informative edition of The Hobbit available.

The Annotated Hobbit shows how J.R.R. Tolkien worked as a writer, what his influences and interests were, and how these relate to the details of Middle-earth.  It gives a valuable overview of Tolkien's life and the publishing history of The Hobbit and explains how every feature of the story fits within the rest of Tolkien's invented world.  Here we learn how Gollum's character was revised to accommodate the true nature of the One Ring, and we can read the full text of The Quest of Erebor, Gandalf's explanation of how he came to send Bilbo Baggins on his journey with the dwarves.  Anderson also makes meaningful and often surprising connections to our own world and literary history - from Beowulf to The Marvelous Land of Snergs, from the Brothers Grimm to C. S. Lewis.

J.R.R. Tolkien was born on January 3, 1892.  After serving in World War I, he embarked on a distinguished career as a professor of Anglo-Saxon University.  A fellow of Pembroke College from 1925 to 1945, a professor of English language and literature, and a fellow of Merton College from 1945 until his retirement, he became known as one of the finest philologists in the world.  He is the beloved creator of Middle-earth and the author of the great modern classic The Hobbit, the prelude to his epic masterpiece, The Lord of the Rings.  Other works set in Middle-earth by J.R.R. Tolkien include The Silmarillion.  Tolkien died in 1973, at the age of eighty-one.

Douglas A. Anderson is a renowned Tolkien scholar whose expertise in a complicated textual history and evolution of both The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings has led to the inclusion of his essays on these topics in most editions of those works published in English since 1987.  He collaborated with Wayne G. Hammond on J.R.R. Tolkien: A Descriptive Bibliography.  With an expertise in the history of fantasy literature, he was instrumental in reintroducing the world to E. A. Wyke-Smith's The Marvelous Land of Snergs, a children's fantasy that Tolkien cited as an influence on The Hobbit, and to such neglected writers as Kenneth Morris, Clemence Housman, and Leonard Cline.  Anderson lives in southwestern Michigan.

Jacket design: Michaela Sullivan
Cover illustrations by J.R.R. Tolkien

The completely revised and explanded edition no Tolkien fan should be without
The Annotated Hobbit

"Not only fascinating, but useful.  It makes of The Hobbit a kind of Tolkien handbook."
- Washington Post Book World

"Hobbit fans will treasure it."
- Denver Post

J.R.R. Tolkien's own description for the original edition of THE HOBBIT:

If you care for journeys there and back, out of the comfortable Western world, over the edge of the Wild, and home again, and can take an interest in a humble hero (blessed with a little wisdom and a little courage and considerable good luck), here is a record of such a journey and such a traveler.  The period is the ancient time between the age of Faerie and the dominion of men, when the famous forest of Mirkwood was still standing, and the mountains were full of danger.  In following the path of this humble adventurer, you will learn by the way (as he did) - if you do not know all about these things - much about trolls, goblins, dwarves, and elves, and get some glimpses into the history and politics of a neglected but important period. 

For Mr. Bilbo Baggins visited various notable persons; conversed with the dragon, Smaug the Magnificent; and was present, rather unwillingly, at the Battle of the Five Armies.  This is all the more remarkable, since he was a hobbit.  Hobbits have hitherto been passed over in history and legend, perhaps because they as a rule preferred comfort to excitement.  But this account, based on his personal memoirs, of the one exciting year in the otherwise quiet life of Mr. Baggins will give you a fair idea of the estimable people now (it is sad) becoming rather rare.  They do not like noise.

THE STIRRING ADVENTURE THAT
BEGINS THE GREATEST FANTASY
EPIC OF OUR TIME

When Thorin Oakenshield and his band of dwarves embark upon a dangerous quest to reclaim their home from the ruthless dragon Smaug, Gandalf the wizard suggests an unlikely accomplice: Bilbo Baggins, an unassuming hobbit dwelling in peaceful Hobbiton.

As they journey from the wonders of Rivendell to the terrors of Mirkwood and beyond, Bilbo discovers within himself unexpected qualities of courage and cunning.  And with each step, a newfound love of adventure propels him toward his great destiny... a destiny that waits in the dark caverns beneath the Misty Mountains, where a twisted creature known as Gollum jealously guards a precious magic ring.