The hobbit, or, There and back again

Format:

Book

Title:

The hobbit, or, There and back again

Uniform Title:

Hobbit

Author:

Tolkien, J. R. R. (John Ronald Reuel), 1892-1973.

ISBN:

9780395362907

9780395520215

9780395071229

Publication Information:

Boston : Houghton Mifflin, 1984.

Physical Description:

290 pages : illustrations (some color) ; 27 cm

Contents:

Author's note -- Unexpected party -- Roast mutton -- Short rest -- Over hill and under hill -- Riddles in the dark -- Out of the frying-pan into the fire -- Queer lodgings -- Flies and spiders -- Barrels out of bond -- Warm welcome -- On the doorstep -- Inside information -- Not at home -- Fire and water -- Gathering of the clouds -- Thief in the night -- Clouds burst -- Return journey -- Last stage.

Summary:

Bilbo Baggins, a respectable, well-to-do hobbit, lives comfortably in his hobbit-hole until the day the wandering wizard Gandalf chooses him to share in an adventure from which he may never return.

Reading Level:

1000 Lexile.

Personal Subject:

Baggins, Bilbo-Fiction.

Baggins, Bilbo

Subject(s):

Middle Earth (Imaginary place) -- Fiction.

Genre:

Added Author:

Added Title:

Hobbit.

There and back again.

Electronic Access:

Reading group guide Valid as of Nov. 21, 2002
Reading group guide Valid as of Nov. 21, 2002

Holds:

Available:*

Library	Call Number	Status
Searching... McMinnville Public Library	Tolkien, J.	Searching... Unknown

Bound With These Titles

On Order

Summary

This edition of J.R.R. Tolkien's classic is illustrated with 48 paintings by noted artist Michael Hague.
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.
Written for J.R.R. Tolkien's own children, The Hobbit has sold many millions of copies worldwide and established itself as a modern classic.

Author Notes

A writer of fantasies, Tolkien, a professor of language and literature at Oxford University, was always intrigued by early English and the imaginative use of language. In his greatest story, the trilogy The Lord of the Rings (1954--56), Tolkien invented a language with vocabulary, grammar, syntax, even poetry of its own. Though readers have created various possible allegorical interpretations, Tolkien has said: "It is not about anything but itself. (Certainly it has no allegorical intentions, general, particular or topical, moral, religious or political.)" In The Adventures of Tom Bombadil (1962), Tolkien tells the story of the "master of wood, water, and hill," a jolly teller of tales and singer of songs, one of the multitude of characters in his romance, saga, epic, or fairy tales about his country of the Hobbits.

Tolkien was also a formidable medieval scholar, as evidenced by his work, Beowulf: The Monster and the Critics (1936) and his edition of Anciene Wisse: English Text of the Anciene Riwle.

Among his works published posthumously, are The Legend of Sigurd and Gudrún and The Fall of Arthur, which was edited by his son, Christopher.

In 2013, his title, The\Hobbit (Movie Tie-In) made The New York Times Best Seller List.

(Bowker Author Biography)

Reviews (4)

Publisher's Weekly Review

Between the film release of Harry Potter and The Lord of the Rings, this is the season of the magical movie, and this audiobook is an inevitable spinoff. Countless readers have grown up on the adventures of the little furry hobbits who crave good food and a warm bed, but wind up trapped in caves, attacked by spiders and burdened by a dizzying assortment of treacherous adventures. While the stories are quite intricate, the message of good triumphing over evil is always evident. This appealing theme of the downtrodden overcoming obstacles is what keeps listeners' attention. There is so much action on this dramatization that listeners may often feel pulled in many directions. The narrators, including Ray Reinhardt as Bilbo and Bernard Mayes as Gandalf, are engaging, and the sound effects (including noises in the cave or forest, or the hobbits sitting down to a meal) are also quite strong. But those not already familiar with the story may find it difficult to distinguish between the various characters or keep track of all the action. Listeners will probably want to read the book along with listening, or perhaps listen and then watch the movie. The tapes are presented in a rustic-looking wooden box, making this appropriate for gift giving. (Oct.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved

Horn Book Review

A striking new cover by Peter Sís adorns this latest edition of [cf2]The Hobbit.[cf1] From HORN BOOK Spring 2002, (c) Copyright 2010. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

Booklist Review

Gr. 5-12. This handsome full-color graphic novel, printed on matte-coated stock, conveys both the spirit and the intent of the original Tolkien story. Hand lettered by Bill Pearson, the text adapts Tolkien's own words in the dialogue and the necessary, brief explanatory passages, but it is the evocative artwork that does the most to move the tale along, capturing characters and events in satisfying detail. This introduction to the classic story that will entice reluctant readers as well as those who love the adventures of Bilbo Baggins and his companions. (Reviewed Sept. 1, 1991)0345368584Sally Estes

Library Journal Review

First published in the U.K. in 1937, this is the volume that introduced the world to hobbits, Middle-earth, Bilbo Baggins, Gandalf the wizard, and the Ring of power. A new edition, formatted for younger readers, was released in August and features cover art by Peter S!s (ISBN 0-618-16221-6. $18; pap. ISBN 0-618-15082-X. $10). (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.