The Hobbit
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{{Infobox Book
| name = The Hobbit, or There and Back Again
| title_orig =
| translator =
| image = [[Image:TheHobbit FirstEdition.jpg|200px|Cover to the 1937 first edition]]
| image_caption = Cover to the 1937 first edition
| author = [[J. R. R. Tolkien]]
| illustrator = [[J. R. R. Tolkien]]
| cover_artist = [[J. R. R. Tolkien]]
| country = [[United Kingdom]]
| language = [[English language|English]]
| series =
| genre = [[Children's literature]], [[Fantasy novel]]
| publisher = [[George Allen & Unwin]] (UK) & [[Houghton Mifflin Co.]] (U.S.)
| release_date = 1937
| media_type = Print ([[Hardcover|Hardback]] & [[Paperback]]) & Audio book
| pages =
| isbn = n/a <!-- was first published before ISBN system started -->
| followed_by = [[The Lord of the Rings]]
}}
'''''''The Hobbit, or There and Back Again''''''' is an award-winning [[Juvenile fantasy|fantasy novel]] by [[J. R. R. Tolkien]], written for children in the tradition of the [[fairy tale]]. Tolkien wrote the story in the late 1920s to amuse his three sons. It was published on [[21 September]] [[1937]] to wide critical acclaim, being nominated for the [[Carnegie Medal]] and awarded a prize from the ''[[New York Herald Tribune]]'' for best juvenile fiction. More recently, ''The Hobbit'' has been recognized as the "Most Important 20th-Century Novel (for Older Readers)" by the children's book magazine ''Books for Keeps''.<ref name="awards_faq">{{cite web |url=http://www.tolkiensociety.org/faq01.html#awards |title= FAQ: Did Tolkien win any awards for his books? |accessdate=2008-06-28 |work= |publisher= Tolkien Society |date=2002 }}</ref> The book has sold an estimated 100 million copies worldwide since first publication.<ref name="bbc_600000_hobbit"/>
''The Hobbit'' is set in a time "between the dawn of Færie and the Dominion of Men",<ref name="eaton">{{cite news |last=Eaton |first=Anne T. |title=A Delightfully Imaginative Journey |work=The New York Times |url=http://www.nytimes.com/1938/03/13/movies/LOTR-HOBBIT.html |date=1938-03-13}}</ref> and follows the quest of home-loving [[Bilbo Baggins]] (the titular "Hobbit") to win his share of the treasure guarded by the dragon, [[Smaug]]. His journey takes him from light-hearted, rural surroundings into darker, deeper territory,<ref>{{cite journal | last=Langford | first=David | authorlink=David Langford | year=2001 | title=Lord of the Royalties | journal=[[SFX magazine]] | url=http://www.ansible.co.uk/sfx/tolkien.html | accessdate=2007-09-29}}</ref> meeting diverse denizens of the Wilderland along the way. By accepting the disreputable, romantic, fey and adventurous side of his nature (the "[[Took clan|Took]]ish" side) and applying his wits and common sense, Bilbo develops a new level of maturity, competence and wisdom.<ref name="Matthews">{{cite book | author=Matthews, Dorothy | chapter=The Psychological Journey of Bilbo Baggins | title=A Tolkien Compass | pages=27–40}}</ref>
The story is told in the form of an episodic quest: most chapters introduce a specific creature, or type of creature, of Tolkien's Wilderland. The prose adventure is interspersed with songs and poetry, many of which serve to lighten the tone of otherwise frightening or dramatic scenes. The final chapters deal with the climactic ''Battle of Five Armies'', where many of the characters and creatures from earlier chapters re-emerge to engage in conflict. Critics have drawn parallels with Tolkien's own experiences and the themes of other writers who fought in World War I.<ref name="Croft"/>
A sequel was requested by his publishers, and as work on the ''[[The Lord of the Rings]]'' progressed, Tolkien made accommodations for it in one chapter of ''The Hobbit''. These few but significant changes were integrated into the second edition. Further editions followed, correcting minor errors and reflecting Tolkien's changing concept of the world into which Bilbo stumbled.
The work has never been out of print since the paper shortages of the [[Second World War]]. Its ongoing legacy encompasses many adaptations for stage, screen, radio, and gaming, both board and video games. Some of these adaptations have received critical recognition of their own, including a video game that won the [[Golden Joystick]] Award, a scenario of a war game that won an [[Origins Awards|Origins Award]], and an animated picture nominated for a [[Hugo Award]].
== Characters ==
* [[Bilbo Baggins]], the titular [[protagonist]], a respectable, conservative [[hobbit]]. Bilbo often refers to the contents of his larder at home and wishes he had more food. Until he finds the [[One Ring|magic ring]], he takes on tasks set out for him only reluctantly. Bilbo's manner is informal and his speech colloquial and modern. The story follows an [[story arc|arc]] of Bilbo's growing capability, independence of action and sense of community.
* [[Gandalf]], an [[Wiktionary:itinerant|itinerant]] [[Wizard (Middle-earth)|wizard]] who introduces Bilbo to a company of thirteen [[Dwarf (Middle-earth)|dwarves]], later disappearing and re-appearing at key points in the story. While Gandalf is wise, his knowledge is limited, and he is out to serve his own purposes while only incidentally assisting the dwarves.
* [[Thorin Oakenshield]], [[Wiktionary:bombastic|bombastic]] head of the company of dwarves and heir to a dwarven kingdom under the [[Lonely Mountain]]. Thorin's leadership is inept, often relying on Gandalf or Bilbo to get him out of trouble, but he proves himself a mighty warrior.
* [[Smaug]], a [[Dragon (Middle-earth)|dragon]] who long ago pillaged the dwarven kingdom of Thorin's grandfather and sleeps upon the vast treasure. In many ways the Smaug episode reflects and references the dragon of [[Beowulf]], and Tolkien uses the episode to put into practice some the ground-breaking literary theories he had developed about the [[Anglo-Saxon]] poem and the portrayal of the dragon as having bestial intelligence rather than being of purely symbolic value.<ref name="Hall">{{ cite journal | last =Hall | first = Mark F.| authorlink = | coauthors = | year =2006 | month = 9| title =Dreaming of dragons: Tolkien's impact on Heaney's Beowulf | journal = Mythlore }}</ref> Smaug the dragon and his golden hoard may be seen as a symbol of the traditional relationship between evil and metallurgy as collated in the depiction of [[Pandæmonium (Paradise Lost)|Pandæmonium]] with its "Belched fire and rolling smoke" in [[Milton]]'s ''[[Paradise Lost]]''.<ref name="compass">{{ cite book | last =
Lobdell | first = Jared| year =1975 | title =A Tolkien Compass | publisher =Open Court Publishing | pages = 106 | isbn = 0875483038 }}</ref> Of all the characters, Smaug's speech is the most modern, using [[idiom]]s such as "Don't let your imagination run away with you!"
The plot involves a host of other characters of varying importance, such as the twelve other dwarves of the company; two types of [[Elf (Middle-earth)|elves]], both [[Puck (Shakespeare)|puckish]] and more serious [[Aos Sí|warrior types]]; [[Man (Middle-earth)|men]] (humans); [[Troll (Middle-earth)|trolls]] with "[[cockney]]" accents; cave-dwelling [[Orc (Middle-earth)|goblins]]; forest-dwelling, giant spiders who can speak; heroic [[Eagle (Middle-earth)|eagles]] who also speak; evil [[wolves]] who are allied with the goblins; [[Elrond]] the sage; [[Gollum]], a mysterious creature inhabiting an underground lake; [[Beorn]], a man who can assume bear form; and [[Bard the Bowman]], a heroic archer of [[Esgaroth|Lake-town]].
== Plot ==
Gandalf tricks Bilbo into hosting a party for Thorin's band of dwarves, who sing of reclaiming the Lonely Mountain and its vast treasure from the [[Dragon (Middle-earth)|Dragon]] Smaug. When the music ends, Gandalf unveils a map showing a [[Secret passage|secret door]] into the Mountain and proposes that the dumbfounded Bilbo serve as the expedition's "burglar". The dwarves ridicule the idea, but Bilbo, indignant, joins despite himself.
The group travel into the wild, where Gandalf saves the company from trolls and leads them to [[Rivendell]]. While there, Elrond reveals more secrets from the map. Passing over the [[Misty Mountains]], they are caught by goblins and driven deep underground. Although Gandalf rescues them, Bilbo gets separated from the others as they flee the goblin tunnels. Lost and disoriented, he stumbles across [[One Ring|a mysterious ring]] and then encounters [[Gollum]], who engages him in a game of riddles with deadly stakes. With the help of the ring, which confers [[invisibility]], Bilbo escapes and rejoins the dwarves, raising his reputation with them. The goblins and [[Warg#Tolkien's Wargs|Warg]]s give chase and the company are saved by eagles before resting in the house of [[Beorn]], the skin-changer.
The company enter the black forest of [[Mirkwood]] without Gandalf. In Mirkwood, Bilbo first saves the dwarves from [[Giant Spider]]s and then from the dungeons of the [[Silvan Elves|Wood-elves]]. Nearing the Lonely Mountain, the travellers are welcomed by the human inhabitants of Lake-town, who hope the dwarves will fulfil prophecies of Smaug's demise. The expedition travel to the Mountain and find the secret door; Bilbo scouts the dragon's lair, stealing a great cup and learning of a weakness in Smaug's armour. The enraged dragon, deducing that Lake-town has aided the intruder, sets out to destroy the town. A noble [[Thrush (bird)|thrush]] who overheard Bilbo's report of Smaug's vulnerability reports it to Bard the Bowman, who slays the Dragon.
When the dwarves take possession of the mountain, Bilbo finds the prized [[Arkenstone]] gem and steals it. The Wood-elves and Lake-men besiege the Mountain and request compensation for their aid, reparations for Lake-town's destruction, and settlement of old claims on the treasure. Thorin refuses and, having summoned his kin from the north, reinforces his position. Bilbo tries to ransom the Arkenstone to head off a war, but Thorin is intransigent. He banishes Bilbo, and battle seems inevitable.
Gandalf reappears to warn all of an approaching army of goblins and Wargs. The dwarves, men, and elves band together, but only with the timely arrival of the eagles and Beorn do they win the [[Battle of Five Armies|climactic battle]]. Thorin, mortally wounded, lives long enough to part from Bilbo as a friend. The treasure is divided fairly, but, having no need or desire for it, Bilbo refuses most of his contracted share. Nevertheless, he returns home with enough to make himself very wealthy.
== Concept and creation ==
=== Background ===
In the early 1930s J.R.R. Tolkien was pursuing an academic career at Oxford as [[Rawlinson and Bosworth Professor of Anglo-Saxon]], with a fellowship at [[Pembroke College]]. He had had two poems published in small collections: ''Goblin Feet''<ref>''Oxford Poetry'' (1915) Blackwells</ref>; and the ''[[The Man in the Moon Stayed Up Too Late|The Cat and the Fiddle: A Nursery Rhyme Undone and its Scandalous Secret Unlocked]]''<ref>''Yorkshire Poetry'', Leeds, vol. 2, no. 19, October-November 1923</ref>, a reworking of the [[nursery rhyme]] ''[[Hey Diddle Diddle]]''. His creative endeavours at this time also included [[The Father Christmas Letters|letters from Father Christmas]] to his children – illustrated manuscripts that featured warring [[gnomes]] and [[goblins]], and a helpful [[polar bear]] – alongside the development of [[Sindarin|elven languages]] and an [[The Book of Lost Tales|attendant mythology]], which he had been developing since 1917. These works all saw posthumous publication.<ref>{{harvnb|Rateliff|2007|pp=xxx–xxxi}}</ref>
In a 1955 letter to [[W. H. Auden]], Tolkien recollects that he began work on ''The Hobbit'' one day early in the 1930s, when he was marking School Certificate papers. He found a blank page. Suddenly inspired, he wrote the words, "In a hole in the ground there lived a hobbit." He did not go any further than that at the time, although in the following years he drew up [[List of Middle-earth Dwarves#Thrór|Thrór's]] map, outlining the geography of the tale.<ref>{{harvnb|Carpenter|1981|pp=163}}</ref> By late 1932 he had finished the story and gave it to [[C. S. Lewis]] to read.<ref>{{harvnb|Carpenter|1977|pp=181}}</ref> It was eventually published when a family friend and student of Tolkien's named Elaine Griffiths was lent the typescript of the story.<ref name="Letter294">{{harvnb|Carpenter|1981|pp=294}}</ref> In 1936, when Griffiths was visited in Oxford by Susan Dagnall, a staff member of the publisher [[Allen & Unwin|George Allen & Unwin]], she is reported to have either lent Dagnall the book<ref name="Letter294" /> or suggested she borrow it from Tolkien.<ref name="Biop184">{{harvnb|Carpenter|1977|pp=184}}</ref> In any event, Miss Dagnall was impressed by it, and showed the book to [[Stanley Unwin (publisher)|Stanley Unwin]], who then asked his 10-year-old son [[Rayner Unwin|Rayner]] to review it. After Rayner wrote a short piece about the book, it was published by Allen & Unwin.<ref name="Biop184" />
=== Publication ===
[[Image:Hobbit cover.JPG|right|200px|thumb|200px|Dustcover of the first edition of ''The Hobbit''. This cover was taken from a design by the author, as was the original binding as illustrated at the top of this article. Tolkien's use of [[Anglo-Saxon runes]] may be seen on the borders of the illustration.]]
George Allen & Unwin, Ltd. of London published the first edition of ''The Hobbit'' on [[21 September]] [[1937]]. It was illustrated with many black-and-white drawings by Tolkien, who also designed the dust jacket. The original printing numbered 1,500 copies and sold out by December due to enthusiastic reviews.<ref>{{harvnb|Hammond|1993|pp=8}}</ref> [[Houghton Mifflin]] of [[Boston, Massachusetts|Boston]] and [[New York, New York|New York]] reset type for an American edition, to be released early in 1938, in which four of the illustrations would be colour plates. Allen & Unwin decided to incorporate the colour illustrations into their second printing, released at the end of 1937.{{harvnb|Hammond|1993|pp=18-23}} Despite the book's popularity, [[Rationing|paper rationing]] brought on by [[World War II|wartime]] conditions and not ending until 1949 meant that the book was often unavailable in this period.<ref>{{harvnb|Anderson|2003|pp=22}}</ref>
Subsequent [[Edition (books)|editions]] in English were published in 1951, 1966, 1978 and 1995. The novel has been [[English-language editions of The Hobbit|reprinted frequently by many publishers]].<ref>{{harvnb|Anderson|2003|pp=384–6}}</ref> In addition, ''The Hobbit'' has been [[Translations of The Hobbit|translated into over forty languages]]; some languages have seen multiple translations.<ref>{{harvnb|Anderson|2003|pp=23}}</ref>
==== Revisions ====
In December 1937, ''The Hobbit'''s publisher, Stanley Unwin, asked Tolkien for a sequel. In response he provided drafts for ''[[The Silmarillion]]'', but the editors rejected them, believing that the public wanted "more about hobbits".<ref name="carpenter-tolkien"/> Tolkien subsequently began work on what would become ''[[The Lord of the Rings]]'',<ref name="carpenter-tolkien"/> a course that would not only change the context of the original story, but also lead to substantial changes to the character Gollum.
In the first edition of ''The Hobbit'', Gollum willingly bets his magic ring on the outcome of the riddle-game, and he and Bilbo part amicably.<ref>{{harvnb|Anderson|2003|pp=120}}</ref> In order to reflect the new concept of the [[One Ring|ring]] and its corrupting abilities, in the second edition edits Tolkien made Gollum more aggressive towards Bilbo and distraught at losing the ring. The encounter ends with Gollum's blood-curdling curse, "Thief! Thief, Baggins! We hates it, we hates it, we hates it forever!", foreshadowing the nature of the character in ''The Lord of the Rings''.
Tolkien sent this revised version of the chapter "Riddles in the Dark" to Unwin as an example of the kinds of changes needed to bring the book into conformance with ''The Lord of the Rings'', but he heard nothing back for years. When he was sent [[galley proof]]s of a new edition, Tolkien was surprised to find the sample text incorporated.<ref name="carpenter-tolkien">{{cite book | last=Carpenter | first=Humphrey | authorlink=Humphrey Carpenter | title=J. R. R. Tolkien: A Biography | publisher=[[George Allen & Unwin]] | location=London | year=1977 | oclc=3046822}}</ref> In ''The Lord of the Rings'', the original version of the riddle game is explained as a "lie" made up by Bilbo, whereas the revised version contains the "true" account.<ref name = "prologue">{{ME-ref|fotr|Prologue}}</ref> The revised text became the second edition, published in 1951 in both the UK and the USA.<ref>{{harvnb|Anderson|2003|pp=18-23}}</ref>
After an unauthorized paperback edition of ''The Lord of the Rings'' appeared from [[Ace Books]] in 1965, Houghton Mifflin and [[Ballantine Books|Ballantine]] requested Tolkien to refresh the text of ''The Hobbit'' in order to renew US copyright.<ref>{{harvnb|Rateliff|2007|pp=765}}</ref> This text became the 1966 third edition. Tolkien took the chance to align the narrative even more closely to ''The Lord of the Rings'' and to cosmological developments from his still unpublished ''[[Quenta Silmarillion]]'' as it stood at that time.<ref>{{harvnb|Anderson|2003|pp=218}}</ref> These small edits included, for example, changing the phrase ''elves that are now called Gnomes'' from the first<ref name="Hobbit first edition">{{cite book | last=Tolkien | first= J. R. R. | title=The Hobbit | publisher=George Allen & Unwin | location=London | year=1937 | pages=63}}</ref> and second<ref name="Hobbit second edition">{{cite book | last=Tolkien | first=J. R. R. | title=The Hobbit | publisher=George Allen & Unwin | location=London | year=1951 | pages= 63}}</ref> editions on page 63, to ''High Elves of the West, my kin'' in the third edition.<ref name="Hobbit third edition">{{cite book | last=Tolkien | first= J. R. R. | title=The Hobbit | publisher=Houghton Mifflin Company | location=Boston | year=1966 | pages=62 | ISBN=0-395-07122-4}}</ref> Tolkien had used "[[gnome]]" in his earlier writing to refer to the second kindred of the [[High Elves]]—the [[Noldor]] (or "Deep Elves")—thinking "[[gnome]]", derived from the Greek ''gnosis'' (knowledge), was a good name for the wisest of the elves. However, because of its common denotation of a [[garden gnome]], Tolkien ultimately abandoned the term.
In order to fit the tone of ''The Hobbit'' better to its sequel, Tolkien began a new version in 1966, removing the narrative asides. He abandoned the new revision at chapter three after he received criticism that it "just wasn't ''The Hobbit''", implying it had lost much of its light-hearted tone and quick pace.<ref>{{harvnb|Rateliff|2007|pp=781}}</ref>
====Posthumous Editions====
Since the author's death, two editions of ''The Hobbit'' have been published with commentary on the creation, emendations and development of the text.
In ''The Annotated Hobbit'' Douglas Anderson provides the entire text of the published book, alongside commentary and illustrations from many different editions. Anderson's commentary shows many of the sources Tolkien brought together in preparing the text, and chronicles in detail the changes Tolkien made to the various published editions. Alongside the annotations, the text is illustrated by pictures from many of the translated editions, including images by [[Tove Jansson]] (author and artist of the [[Moomins]]).<ref>An example, alongside other illustrations can be seen at: [http://www.houghtonmifflinbooks.com/features/lordoftheringstrilogy/hobbit/2_5.shtml]</ref> Also printed here are a number of hard to find texts such as the 1923 version of Tolkien's poem "Iumonna Gold Galdre Bewunden". Micheal D. C. Frout and Hilary Wynn comment the work provides a solid foundation for further criticism.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://members.aol.com/ENVOIjrnl/ |title=Review Essay: Tom Shippey's J. R. R. Tolkien: Author of the Century and a Look Back at Tolkien Criticism since 1982 |accessdate=2008-06-19 |last=Drout |first=Michael D. C. |coauthors=Wynne,Hilary |date=2006 |publisher=Envoi}}</ref>
With ''[[The History of the Hobbit]]'', published in two parts in 2007, John Rateliff provides the full text of two early drafts of the book, alongside commentary that shows the relationships to Tolkien's scholarly and contemporary creative works. The book keeps Rateliff's commentary separate from Tolkien's text, allowing the reader to read the original drafts as a story. Rateliff also provides previously unpublished illustrations by Tolkien. Jason Fisher, published in ''Mythlore'', states in his review that the work is "an indispensable new starting point for the study of [''The Hobbit'']".<ref name="Fisher"/>
=== Artwork ===
Tolkien's correspondence and publisher's records show that Tolkien was involved in the design and illustration of the entire book. All elements were the subject of considerable correspondence and fussing over by Tolkien. Rayner Unwin, in his publishing memoir, comments:<ref>{{harvnb|Anderson|2003|pp=14}}</ref>
{{cquote| In 1937 alone Tolkien wrote 26 letters to George Allen & Unwin... detailed, fluent, often pungent, but infinitely polite and exasperatingly precise... I doubt any author today, however famous, would get such scrupulous attention.}}
Even the maps of which Tolkien originally proposed five, were considered and debated. He wished Thror's map to be tipped in (that is, glued in after the book has been bound) at first mention in the text, and with the moon-letters (Anglo Saxon runes) on the reverse so they could be seen when held up to the light.<ref>{{harvnb|Anderson|2003|pp=22}}</ref> In the end the cost, as well as the shading of the maps, which would be difficult to reproduce, resulted in the final design of two maps as endpapers, printed in black and red on the paper's cream background.<ref>{{harvnb|Hammond|1993|pp=18}}</ref>
Originally Allen & Unwin planned to illustrate the book only with the endpaper maps, but Tolkien's first tendered sketches so charmed the publisher's staff that they opted to include them without raising the book's price despite the extra cost. Thus encouraged, Tolkien supplied a second batch of illustrations. The publisher accepted all of these as well, giving the first edition ten black-and-white illustrations plus the two endpaper maps. The illustrated scenes were: ''The Hill: Hobbiton across the Water'', ''The Trolls'', ''The Mountain Path'', ''The Misty Mountains looking West from the Eyrie towards Goblin Gate'', ''Beorn's Hall'', ''Mirkwood'', ''The Elvenking's Gate'', ''Lake Town'', and ''the Front Gate''. All but one of the illustrations were a full page, and one, the Mirkwood illustration, required a separate plate.<ref>{{harvnb|Hammond|1993|pp=21}}</ref>
Satisfied with his skills, the publishers thence asked Tolkien to design a dust jacket. This project, too, became the subject of many iterations and much correspondence, with Tolkien always writing disparagingly of his own ability to draw. His original jacket design contained several shades of several colours, but he redrew it several times using fewer colours each time. His final design consisted of four colours. The publishers, mindful of the cost, removed the red from the sun to end up with only black, blue, and green ink on white stock.<ref>{{harvnb|Hammond|1993|pp=48}}</ref>
The publisher's production staff designed a binding, but Tolkien objected to several elements. Through several iterations, the final design ended up as mostly the author's. The spine shows Anglo Saxon runes: two "þ" (Thrain and Thror) and one "D" (Door). The front and back covers were mirror images of each other, with an elongated dragon characteristic of Tolkien's style stamped along the lower edge, and with the Misty Mountains stamped along the upper edge.<ref>{{harvnb|Hammond|1993|pp=54}}</ref>
Once illustrations were approved for the book, Tolkien proposed colour plates as well. The publisher would not relent on this, so Tolkien pinned his hopes on the [[United States|American]] edition to be published about six months later. Houghton Mifflin rewarded these hopes with the replacement of the frontispiece (''The Hill: Hobbiton-across-the Water'') in colour and the addition of new colour plates: ''Rivendell'', ''Bilbo Woke Up with the Early Sun in His Eyes'', ''Bilbo comes to the Huts of the Raft-elves'' and a ''Conversation with Smaug'', which features a dwarvish curse written in Tolkien's invented script [[Tengwar]], and signed with two "þ, "Th" runes.<ref>{{harvnb|Rateliff|2007|pp=602}}</ref> The additional illustrations proved so appealing that George Allen & Unwin adopted the colour plates as well for their second printing, with exception of ''Bilbo Woke Up with the Early Sun in His Eyes'').<ref>{{harvnb|Hammond|1993|pp=54}}</ref>
Different editions have been illustrated in diverse ways. Many follow the original scheme at least loosely, but many others are illustrated by other artists, especially the many translated editions. Some cheaper editions, particularly paperback, are not illustrated except with the maps. "The Children's Book Club" edition of 1942 includes the black-and-white pictures but no maps, an anomaly.<ref name="cbc">{{cite book | last=Tolkien | first=J.R.R. | title=The Hobbit | publisher=The Children's Book Club | location=London | year=1942}}</ref>
== Genre ==
''The Hobbit'' takes cues from narrative models of [[children's literature]], as shown by its [[Omniscient narrator#Third person, omniscient/dramatic|omniscient narrator]] and characters that pre-adolescent children can identify with, such as the small, food-obsessed, and morally ambiguous Bilbo. The text emphasizes the relationship between time and narrative progress and it openly distinguishes "safe" from "dangerous" in its geography. Both are key elements of works intended for children.<ref name="Poveda">
{{cite journal |last= Poveda |first=
Jaume Alberdo |year=2003-2004 |title=Narrative Models in Tolkien's Stories of Middle Earth |journal=Journal of English Studies |volume=4 |issue= |pages=7-22 |url=http://dialnet.unirioja.es/servlet/fichero_articulo?codigo=1975822&orden=74928 |format=pdf |accessdate=2008-07-09 }}
{{cite book |title= |authorlink= |coauthors= |year= |publisher= |location= |isbn= |pages= }}
'''',, vol. 4, </ref> While Tolkien claimed later to dislike the aspect of the narrative voice addressing the reader directly,<ref name="Carpenter">{{ME-ref|Biography}}</ref> the narrative voice contributes significantly to the success of the novel, and the story is, therefore, often read aloud.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.cliffsnotes.com/WileyCDA/LitNote/The-Hobbit-Critical-Essays-Major-Themes.id-171,pageNum-68.html |title=The Hobbit Major Themes |accessdate=2008-07-09 |work=Cliff Notes ''The Hobbit'' |publisher=Cliff Notes |date= }}</ref>
Tolkien intended ''The Hobbit'' as a fairy story and wrote it in a tone suited to addressing children.<ref>{{harvnb|Carpenter|1981|pp=159}}</ref> Many of the initial reviews refer to the work as a fairy story. However, Bilbo Baggins is not the usual fairy tale protagonist – not the handsome eldest son or beautiful youngest daughter – but a plump, middle-aged, 'well-to-do' Hobbit.<ref name="zipes">{{cite book |title=The Oxford Companion to Fairy Tales |last=Zipes |first=Jack |authorlink= |coauthors= |year= |publisher=Oxford University Press |location= |isbn= 0198601158 |pages=525 }}</ref> The work is much longer than Tolkien's ideal proposed in his essay ''On Fairy Stories''. Many fairy tale motifs, such as the repetition of similar events seen in the dwarves' arrival at Bilbo's and Beorn's homes, and folklore themes, such as trolls turning to stone, are to be found in the story.<ref name="St.Clair">{{cite web |url=http://shelf1.library.cmu.edu/books/gloriana/ |title=Tolkien's Cauldron: Northern Literature and The Lord of the Rings |accessdate=2008-07-09 |author=St.clair, Gloriana |publisher=Carnagie Mellon }}</ref> ''The Hobbit'' conforms to [[Vladimir Propp]]'s 31-motif model of folktales presented in his 1928 work ''Morphology of the Folk Tale'', based on a structuralist analysis of [[Russian folklore]].<ref>{{cite book |title=The Limitations of Scientific Truth |last=Brush |first=Nigel |year=2005 |publisher=Kregel Publications |location= |isbn=0825422531 |pages=108 }}</ref>
The book is popularly called (and often marketed as) a [[Fantasy literature|fantasy]] novel, but like ''[[Peter Pan and Wendy]]'' by [[J. M. Barrie]] and ''[[The Princess and the Goblin]]'' by [[George MacDonald]], both of which influenced Tolkien and contain "fantasy" elements, it is generally identified as being children's literature. Emer O'Sullivan, in her ''Comparative Children's Literature'', notes ''The Hobbit'' as one of a handful of children's books that is accepted into mainstream literature, alongside [[Jostein Gaarder]]'s ''[[Sophie's World]]'' (1991) and [[J. K. Rowlings]] ''[[Harry Potter]]'' series (1997–2007).<ref>{{cite book |title=Comparative Children's Literature |last=O'Sullivan |first=Emer |authorlink= |coauthors= |year=2005 |publisher=Routledge |location= |isbn=0415305519 |pages=20 }}</ref>
== Style ==
The basic form of the story is that of a [[quest]],<ref>{{cite book |last=Auden |first=W.H. |authorlink=W. H. Auden |coauthors= |editor= Rose A. Zimbardo and Neil D. Isaaca, |title=Understanding the Lord of the Rings: The Best of Tolkien Criticism |year=2004 |publisher= Houghton Mifflin |isbn=ISBN 0-618-42251-x |pages=31-51 |chapter=The Quest Hero }}</ref> told in episodes. For the most part of the book, each chapter introduces a different denizen of the Wilderland, some friendly towards the protagonists, and some threatening.
While many of the encounters are dangerous or threatening, the general tone is light-hearted, and interspersed with songs. One example of the use of song to maintain tone is when Thorin and Company are kidnapped by goblins, who, when marching them into the underworld, sing:
{{cquote|
Clap! Snap! the black crack!<br>
Grip, grab! Pinch, nab!<br>
And down down to Goblin-town<br>
You go, my lad!}}
This onomatopoeic singing undercuts the dangerous scene with a sense of humour. Tolkien achieves balance of humour and danger through other means as well, as seen in the foolishness and provincial speech of the trolls and in the drunkenness of the elven captors.<ref name="randel" /> The general form—that of a journey into strange lands, told in a light-hearted mood and interspersed with songs—may be following the model of ''The Icelandic Journals'' by Tolkien's literary idol [[William Morris]].<ref>{{ cite journal | last =Amison | first =Anne | year =2006 | month =7 | title =An unexpected Guest. influence of William Morris on J. R. R. Tolkien's works | journal =Mythlore | issue =98 | url =http://www.mythsoc.org }}</ref>
The novel draws on Tolkien's knowledge of historical languages and early European texts. The names of Gandalf and all but one of the thirteen dwarves were taken directly from the [[Old Norse]] poem "[[Voluspa]]" from the [[Elder Edda]].<ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.houghtonmifflinbooks.com/features/lordoftheringstrilogy/lessons/two/handouts.jsp | title=Tolkien's Middle-earth: Lesson Plans, Unit Two | publisher=Houghton Mifflin | accessdate=2007-09-29}}</ref> Several of the author's illustrations (including the dwarven map, the frontispiece and the dust jacket) make use of [[Anglo-Saxon language|Anglo-Saxon]] [[rune]]s. The names of the dwarf-friendly ravens are also derived from the Old Norse for raven and rook, <ref name="Fisher"> {{ cite journal | last =Fisher | first =Jason | year =2008 | month =3 | title =The History of the Hobbit (review) | journal =Mythlore | issue =101/102 | url =http://www.mythsoc.org}}</ref> but their characters are unlike the typical war-carrion from Norse and Anglo-Saxon literature.<ref name ="St.Clair" /> Tolkien, however, is not simply skimming historical sources for effect: [[linguistic]] styles, especially the relationship between the modern and ancient, has been seen to be one of the major themes explored by the story.<ref name="Shippey_Author" />
== Major themes ==
The central character, Bilbo, is a modern [[anachronism]] exploring an essentially antique world. Bilbo is able to negotiate and interact within this antique world because language and tradition make connections between the two worlds. For example, Gollum's riddles are taken from old historical sources, while those of Bilbo come from modern nursery books. It is the form of the riddle game, familiar to both, which allows Gollum and Bilbo to understand each other, rather than the content of the riddles themselves. This idea of a superficial contrast between characters' individual linguistic style, tone and sphere of interest, leading to an understanding of the deeper unity between the ancient and modern, is a constant recurring theme throughout ''The Hobbit''.<ref name="Shippey_Author">Shippey, Tom: ''Tolkien: Author of the Century'', HarperCollins, 2000, p.41</ref>
''The Hobbit'' can be seen as a creative exposition of Tolkien's theoretical and academic work. Themes found in early English literature, and specifically by the poem [[Beowulf]], have heavy presence in defining the ancient world Bilbo stepped into. Tolkien is credited with being the first critic to expound on ''Beowulf'' as having literary value, rather than of purely historical interest, and his 1936 lecture "[[Beowulf: the Monsters and the Critics]]" is still required reading for students of Anglo-Saxon. The Beowulf poem contains several elements that Tolkien borrowed for ''The Hobbit'', including a monstrous, intelligent dragon<ref name="Hall"/> and named blades of renown, adorned in runes. It is in the use of his elf-blade that we see Bilbo finally taking his first independent heroic action. By his naming the blade "Sting" we also see Bilbo's acceptance of the kinds of cultural and linguistic practices found in Beowulf, signifying his entrance into the ancient world in which he found himself.<ref>{{ cite journal | last = McDonald | first = R. Andrew | year = 2006 | month = 9 | title ="In the hilt is fame": resonances of medieval swords and sword-lore in J.R.R. Tolkien's The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings | journal = Mythlore| issue =96 }}</ref> This progression culminates in Bilbo stealing a cup from the dragon's hoard, rousing him to wrath—an incident directly mirroring Beowulf, and an action entirely determined by traditional narrative patterns. As Tolkien wrote, "...The episode of the theft arose naturally (and almost inevitably) from the circumstances. It is difficult to think of any other way of conducting the story at this point. I fancy the author of Beowulf would say much the same."<ref>{{harvnb|Carpenter|1981|pp=31}}</ref>
Another theme developed in ''The Hobbit'' is that of [[animism]]. An important concept in [[anthropology]] and [[child development]], animism is the idea that all things—including inanimate objects and natural events, such as storms or purses, as well as living things like animals and plants—possess human-like intelligence. Donald Anderson calls this the "[[Doctor Dolittle]] Theme" in ''The History of the Hobbit'', and cites the multitude of talking animals as indicative of this theme. These talking creatures include Smaug himself, alongside the anthropomorphic goblins and elves. Patrick Curry notes that animism is also found in Tolkien's other works, and mentions the "roots of mountains" and "feet of trees" in ''The Hobbit'' as a shift in level from the inanimate to animate.<ref>{{ cite book | last = Curry | first = Patrick | year = 2004 |title =Defending Middle-earth: Tolkien: Myth and Modernity | publisher = Mariner Books | isbn=061847885X| page =98 }} </ref> Tolkien saw the idea of animism as closely linked to the emergence of human language and myth: "...The first men to talk of 'trees and stars' saw things very differently. To them, the world was alive with mythological beings... To them the whole of creation was "myth-woven and elf-patterned".'<ref>{{cite book | title = The Inklings: C. S. Lewis, J. R. R. Tolkien, Charles Williams and Their Friends | last = Carpenter | first = Humphrey | year = 1979 | id = ISBN 0-395-27628-4 | pages = 43 }}</ref>
Just as Tolkien's literary theories have been seen to influence the tale, so have Tolkien's experiences. ''The Hobbit'' may be read as Tolkien's parable of [[World War I]], where the hero is plucked from his rural home and thrown into a far-off war where traditional types of heroism are shown to be futile.<ref name="great_war_rev">{{cite web |url=http://entertainment.timesonline.co.uk/tol/arts_and_entertainment/books/article1020455.ece |title= Review: Cover book: Tolkien and the Great War by John Garth |accessmonthday= 25 |accessdaymonth= 05 |accessyear=2008 |last= Carpenter |first= Humphrey |date= 23|year=2003 |month=11 |publisher=The Times Online}}</ref> The tale as such explores the theme of heroism. As Jane Croft notes, Tolkien's literary reaction to war at this time differed from most post-war writers by eschewing irony as a method for distancing events and instead using mythology to mediate his experiences.<ref name="Croft_II">{{ cite journal | last =Croft | first =Janet Brennan | year =2003 | month =6 | title ="The young perish and the old linger, withering": J.R.R. Tolkien on World War II | journal =Mythlore | issue = 89 }}</ref> Similarities to the works of other writers who faced [[World War I|the Great War]] are seen in ''The Hobbit'', including portraying warfare as anti-[[pastoral]]: in "The Desolation of Smaug", both the area under the influence of Smaug before his demise and the setting for "[[The Battle of the Five Armies]]" later are described as barren, damaged landscapes.<ref name="Croft">{{ cite journal | last =Croft | first =Janet Brennan | year =2002 | month =9 | title =The Great War and Tolkien's Memory, an examination of World War I themes in The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings | journal =Mythlore | issue = 84 }}</ref> ''The Hobbit'' makes a warning against repeating the tragedies of World War I,<ref>{{cite book |last=Zipes |first=Jack David |title= When Dreams Came True: Classical Fairy Tales and Their Tradition|year= 1999 |month=8 |publisher= Routledge| pages=24|isbn=0415921503}}</ref> and Tolkien's attitude as a veteran may well be summed up by Bilbo's comment:<ref name="Croft_II"/>
{{cquote|Victory after all, I suppose! Well, it seems a very gloomy business.}}
The [[Carl Jung|Jungian]] concept of [[individuation]] is reflected through the theme of growing maturity and capability, with the author contrasting Bilbo's personal growth against the arrested development of the dwarves.<ref name="Matthews" /> The theme of a character entering into enclosed spaces (such as the various hills, caves, dungeons) has a [[Sigmund Freud|Freudian]] dimension, while the analogue of the "[[underworld]]" and the hero returning from it with a boon (such as the ring, or Elvish blades) that benefits his society is seen to fit the mythic [[archetype]]s regarding initiation and male coming-of-age as described by [[Joseph Campbell]].<ref name="randel">{{cite book |last=Helms |first=Randel |title=Myth, Magic and Meaning in Tolkien's World|year= 1976 |publisher= Granada|pages=45-55|isbn=0415921503}}</ref>
Greed plays a central role in the novel, with many of the episodes stemming from one or more of the characters' simple desire for food (be it trolls eating dwarves or dwarves eating Wood-elf fare) or a desire for beautiful objects, such as gold and jewels.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.bookrags.com/notes/hob/TOP1.htm |title=The Hobbit Book Notes Summary: Topic Tracking - Greed |accessmonthday=25 |accessdaymonth=5 |accessyear=2008 |publisher=BookRags}}</ref> It is only through the Arkenstone's influence upon Thorin that greed, and its attendant vices "coveting" and "malignancy" come fully to the fore in the story, and provides the moral crux of the tale. Bilbo steals this most ancient relic from the dwarves and attempts to use it to bargain with Thorin. However, Thorin turns on the Hobbit as a traitor, disregarding all the promises and "at your services" he had previously bestowed.<ref>{{cite book |last=Clark |first=George |coauthors= Timmons, Daniel |title=J.R.R. Tolkien and His Literary Resonances: Views of Middle-earth |origyear=2000 |publisher=Greenwood Publishing Group |pages=85-86 |isbn=
0313308454}}</ref> The theme of jewels that inspire intense greed which corrupts those that covet them is also explored in the ''Silmarillion'', and there are connections between the words Arkenstone and Silmaril in Tolkien's invented etymologies.<ref>{{harvnb|Rateliff|2007|pp=603-609}}</ref>
== Reception ==
On first publication in October 1937, ''The Hobbit'' was met with almost unanimously favourable reviews from publications both in the UK and the USA, including ''[[The Times]]'', ''Catholic World'' and ''The [[New York Post]]''. [[C. S. Lewis]], friend of Tolkien (and later author of ''[[The Chronicles of Narnia]]'' between 1949-1964), writing in ''The Times'' reports:
{{cquote|The truth is that in this book a number of good things, never before united, have come together; a fund of humour, an understanding of children, and a happy fusion of the scholar's with the poet's grasp of mythology... The professor has the air of inventing nothing. He has studied trolls and dragons at first hand and describes them with that fidelity that is worth oceans of glib "originality"}}
Lewis also compares the book to ''[[Alice in Wonderland]]'' in that both children and adults may find different things to enjoy in it, and places it alongside Flatland, Phantasies, and [[The Wind in the Willows]].<ref>{{harvnb|Anderson|2003|pp=18}}</ref>
It was nominated for the [[Carnegie Medal]] and awarded a prize from the ''[[New York Herald Tribune]]'' for best juvenile fiction of the year (1938). More recently, ''The Hobbit'' has been recognized as "Most Important 20th-Century Novel (for Older Readers)" in the ''Children's Books of the Century'' poll in ''Books for Keeps''.<ref name="awards_faq"/>
== Legacy ==
While ''The Hobbit'' has been [[#Adaptations|adapted]] and elaborated upon in many ways, its sequel ''The Lord of the Rings'' is often claimed to be its greatest legacy. The plots share the same basic structure progressing in the same sequence: the stories begin at Bag End, the home of Bilbo Baggins; Gandalf sends the protagonist into a quest eastward; Elrond offers a haven and advice; the adventurers escape dangerous creatures underground ([[Goblin Town]]/[[Moria]]); they engage another group of elves (The Elf King's realm/[[Lothlórien]]); they traverse a desolate region (Desolation of Smaug/the [[Dead Marshes]]); they fight a massive battle; a descendant of kings is restored to his ancestral throne ([[Kings of Dale#Bard_the_Bowman|Bard]]/[[Aragorn]]); and the questing party returns home to find it in a deteriorated condition (having possessions auctioned off/the scouring of the [[Shire (Middle-earth)|Shire]]).<ref name="Kocher">
{{cite book |title= "Master of Middle-earth, the Achievement of J.R.R. Tolkien"|last= Kocher |first= Paul |year= 1974 |publisher=Penguin |pages= 31-32}}</ref>
''The Lord of the Rings'' contains several more supporting scenes, and has a more complex plot structure, following the paths of several characters. Tolkien wrote the later story in much less humorous tones and infused it with more complex moral and philosophical themes. The differences between the two stories can cause difficulties when readers, expecting them to be similar, find that they are not.<ref name="Kocher">{{cite book |title= "Master of Middle-earth, the Achievement of J.R.R. Tolkien"|last= Kocher |first= Paul |year= 1974 |publisher=Penguin |pages= 31-32}}</ref> Some differences are in details; for example, goblins are more often referred to as Orcs in ''The Lord of the Rings''. Many of the thematic and stylistic differences arose because Tolkien wrote ''The Hobbit'' as a story for children, and ''The Lord of the Rings'' for the same audience, who had subsequently grown up since its publication. Further, Tolkien's concept of [[Middle-earth]] was to continually change and slowly evolve throughout his life and writings.<ref>{{cite book |title= The History of Middle-earth: Vol 1 "The Book of Lost Tales 1"|last= Tolkien|first= Christopher |authorlink= |coauthors= |year=1983 |publisher=George Allen & Unwin |isbn=0048232386 |pages= 7}}</ref>
=== ''The Hobbit'' in education ===
The style and themes of the book have been seen to help stretch precocious young readers' literacy skills, preparing them to approach the works of [[Charles Dickens|Dickens]] and [[William Shakespeare|Shakespeare]]. By contrast, offering readers modern teenage-oriented fiction may not exercise their advanced reading skills, while the material may contain themes more suited to adolescents.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/life_and_style/article846713.ece |title= What exactly is a children's book? |accessdate=2008-06-15 |last=Jones |first=Nicolette |date= 30/04/2004 |publisher=Times Online}}</ref>As one of several books that has been recommended for 11–14 year old boys to encourage literacy in that demographic, ''The Hobbit'' is promoted as "the original and still the best fantasy ever written."<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.sla.org.uk/boys-into-books-ids.php?search=hobbit |title=The Hobbit|accessdate=2008-06-15 |work= Boys into Books (11-14) |publisher= Schools Library Association}}</ref>
Several teaching guides and books of study notes have been published to help teachers and students gain the most from the book. ''The Hobbit'' introduces literary concepts, notably [[allegory]], to young readers, as the work has been seen to have allegorical aspects reflecting the life and times of the author.<ref name="Croft"/> Meanwhile the author himself rejected an allegorical reading of his work.<ref>{{harvnb|Carpenter|1981|pp=131}}</ref> This tension can help introduce readers to 'readerly' and 'writerly' interpretations, to tenets of [[New Criticism]], and critical tools from Freudian analysis, such as [[sublimation]], in approaching literary works.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.yale.edu/ynhti/curriculum/units/1987/2/87.02.11.x.html |title=Glory Road: Epic Romance As An Allegory of 20th Century History; The World Through The Eyes Of J.R.R. Tolkien |accessdate=2008-06-15 |author=Elizabeth T. Lawrence |date=1987 |work= Epic, Romance and the American Dream 1987 Volume II |publisher=Yale-New Haven Teachers Institute}}</ref>
Another approach to critique taken in the classroom has been to propose the insignificance of female characters in the story as sexist. While Bilbo may be seen as a literary symbol of 'small folk' of any gender,<ref>{{cite book |title= Breaking the Magic Spell: Radical Theories of Folk and Fairy Tales|last= Zipes|first= Jack David |authorlink= |coauthors= |year= 1979|publisher= University Press of Kentucky|location= |isbn= 0813190304|pages= 173}}</ref> a gender-conscious approach can help students establish notions of a "socially symbolic text" where meaning may be generated by particular readings of a given text.<ref name="Millard">{{cite book |title=Differently Literate: boys, Girls and the Schooling of Literacy |last=Millard |first=Elaine|year=1997 |publisher=Routledge |isbn=0750706619 |pages=164}}</ref> Ironically, by this interpretation, the first authorized adaptation was a stage production in a girls' school.
=== Adaptations ===
''{{see also|Adaptations of The Hobbit}}''
The first authorized adaptation of ''The Hobbit'' appeared in March 1953, a stage production by [[St. Margaret's School, Edinburgh]].<ref>{{harvnb|Anderson|2003|pp=384–6}}</ref> ''The Hobbit'' has since been adapted for other media many times.
The [[BBC Radio 4]] series ''[[The Hobbit (1968 radio series)|The Hobbit]]'' [[radio drama]] was an adaptation by [[Michael Kilgarriff]], broadcast in eight parts (four total hours) from September to November 1968. It starred [[Anthony Jackson (actor)|Anthony Jackson]] as narrator, [[Paul Daneman]] as Bilbo and [[Heron Carvic]] as Gandalf. The series was released on [[Compact Cassette|audio cassette]] in 1988 and on CD in 1997.<ref name="Bramlett">{{cite book |title=I Am in Fact a Hobbit: An Introduction to the Life and Works of J. R. R. Tolkien |last=Bramlett |first=Perry C. |coauthors= Joe R. Christopher |year=2003 |publisher= Mercer University Press |isbn=0865548943 |pages=239 }}</ref>
''[[The Hobbit (1977 film)|The Hobbit]]'', an [[animated]] version of the story produced by [[Rankin/Bass]], debuted as a television movie in the [[United States]] in 1977. In 1978, Romeo Muller won a [[Peabody Award]] for his teleplay for ''The Hobbit''. The film was also nominated for the [[Hugo Award for Best Dramatic Presentation]], but lost to ''[[Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope|Star Wars]]''. The adaptation has been called "excruciable"<ref>{{harvnb|Anderson|2003|pp=23}}</ref> and confusing for those not already familiar with the plot.<ref>
{{cite journal |last=Kask |first=T. J. |year= 1977 |month=12 |title=NBC's The Hobbit |journal= [[Dragon Magazine|Dragon]] |volume=III |issue=6/7 |pages=23 }}</ref>
[[Image:Hobbit-2.png|thumb|right|200px|ZX Spectrum screenshot, showing independent [[AI]] [[Non-player character|NPC]] action "Gandalf takes the map" alongside the 'popular phrase' "Thorin sits down and start singing about gold" and the "Inglish" parser, whereby instructions to NPC characters may be input]]
A [[The Hobbit film duology|live-action film version]] is to be co-produced by [[Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer|MGM]] and [[New Line Cinema]], [[Film producer|produced]] by ''[[The Lord of the Rings film trilogy|Lord of the Rings]]'' [[Film director|director]] [[Peter Jackson]] <ref>{{cite news | title=Peter Jackson to produce ''The Hobbit'' | url=http://www.cnn.com/2007/SHOWBIZ/Movies/12/18/film.thehobbit.ap/index.html | publisher=[[CNN]] | accessdate=2007-12-18}}</ref> and directed by ''[[Pan's Labyrinth]]'' director [[Guillermo Del Toro]] <ref>{{cite web | title = Del Toro to take charge of The Hobbit | publisher = guardian.co.uk | date = 2008-05-25 | url = http://film.guardian.co.uk/news/story/0,,2250245,00.html | accessdate=2008-05-25}}</ref> A date of 2011 has been proposed for its release. It is to be shot simultaneously with a second prequel to ''The Lord of the Rings''. Del Toro was quoted in 2006 as saying: "I don't like little guys and dragons, hairy feet, hobbits — I've never been into that ... I hate all that stuff."<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.salon.com/ent/audiofile/2006/10/12/conversations_toro/ |title=Conversations: Guillermo del Toro |accessdate=2008-05-03 |date=2006-10-12|publisher=''[[Salon.com]]''}}</ref>. The director signed on to the project in 2008.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://film.guardian.co.uk/news/story/0,,2250245,00.html |title=Del Toro to take charge of The Hobbit |accessdate=2008-07-09 |work= Film|publisher=guardian.co.uk |date= 2008-01-31}}</ref> After taking the job, he was recorded by [[Weta]] saying "re-reading ''The Hobbit'' just recently I was quite moved by discovering, through Bilbo's eyes, the illusory nature of possession, the sins of hoarding and the banality of war - whether in the [[Western Front]] or at a Valley in Middle Earth. Lonely is the mountain indeed." <ref name=webchat>{{cite web | title = Jackson and del Toro Talk The Hobbit! | publisher = ComingSoon.net / WetaNZ | date = 2008-05-25 | url = http://www.comingsoon.net/news/hobbitnews.php?id=45413 | accessdate=2008-05-25}}</ref> The heirs of Tolkien, including his son [[Christopher Tolkien]], filed suit against [[New Line Cinema]] in [[February 2008]] seeking payment of profits and to be "entitled to cancel... all future rights of New Line... to produce, distribute, and/or exploit future films based upon the Trilogy and/or the Films... and/or... films based on ''The Hobbit''."<ref>{{cite web |url=http://business.timesonline.co.uk/tol/business/industry_sectors/media/article3354936.ece |title=Tolkien's family threatens to block new Hobbit film |accessdate=2008-05-03 |date=2008-02-13 |author=Andrews, Amanda |publisher=''[[Times Online]]''}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://news.findlaw.com/nytimes/docs/ent/tlknnewline21108cmp.html|title=Tolkien Trust v. New Line Cinema Corp.|date=2008-02-11|publisher=FindLaw.com}}</ref>
[[Middle-earth PBM |ME Games Ltd]] (formerly ''Middle-earth Play-by-Mail''), which has won several [[Origins Award|Origin Award]]s, uses the ''Battle of Five Armies'' as an introductory scenario to the full game and includes characters and armies from the book.<ref>{{cite web |url= http://middleearthgames.com/index.html|title= Home of Middle Earth Strategic Gaming|accessdate=2008-07-09 |publisher= ME Games Ltd.}}</ref>
Several [[Video game|computer and video games]], both licensed and unlicensed, have been based on the story. One of the most successful was ''[[The Hobbit (video game)|The Hobbit]]'', an award-winning computer game developed in 1982 by [[Beam Software]] and published by [[Melbourne House]] with compatibility for most computers available at the time. A copy of the novel was included in each game package in order to encourage players to engage the text, since ideas for gameplay could be found therein.<ref>{{cite book |title= Using Computers in English: A Practical Guide|last= Moore|first= Phil|year= 1986|publisher= Routledge|isbn=0416361803 |pages= 44}}</ref> Likewise, it can be seen that the game is not attempting to re-tell the story, but rather sits along-side it, using the narrative to both structure and motivate gameplay.<ref>{{cite book |title= "Quest Games as Post-Narrative Discourse" in "Narrative Across Media: The Languages of Storytelling"|last= Aarseth|first= Espen|coauthors= Marie-Laure Ryan|year= 2004|publisher= University of Nebraska Press|location= |isbn=0803239440 |pages= 366}}</ref> The game won the [[Golden Joystick]] Award for Strategy Game of the Year in 1983<ref>{{cite journal |last=Uffindell |first=Matthew |coauthors= Passey, Chris |year=1984 |month=5 |title=Playing The Game |journal= [[Crash (magazine)|Crash]]|volume=1 |issue=4 |pages=43 |url=http://www.worldofspectrum.org/showmag.cgi?mag=Crash/Issue04/Pages/Crash0400043.jpg |format=jpg |accessdate=2008-07-06}}</ref> and was responsible for popularizing the phrase, "Thorin sits down and starts singing about gold."<ref>{{cite journal|last= Campbell |first=Stuart |year=1991 |month=12 |title=Top 100 Speccy Games |journal=[[Your Sinclair]] |volume=1 |issue=72 |pages=22 |url=http://www.ysrnry.co.uk/articles/ystop100_3.htm |accessdate=2008-07-06}}</ref>
=== Collectors' market ===
The enduring popularity of ''The Hobbit'' makes early printings of the book attractive collectors' items. The first printing of the first English-language edition can sell for between [[£]]6,000 and £20,000 at auction,<ref>{{cite news |title= Hobbit fetches £6,000 at auction |url= http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/norfolk/4045667.stm|publisher= [[BBC News]]|date= 2004-11-26|accessdate=2008-07-05}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url= http://www.telegraph.co.uk/money/main.jhtml?xml=/money/2007/11/20/cmbook20.xml|title= How to make a killing from first editions|accessdate=2008-07-05 |author= Toby Walne|publisher= Daily Telegraph|date=2007-11-21}}</ref> although the price for a signed first edition has reached over £60,000.<ref name="bbc_600000_hobbit">{{cite web |url= http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/7302101.stm |title=Tolkien's Hobbit fetches £60,000 |accessdate=2008-06-06|date=2008-03-18|publisher=bbc.co.uk }}</ref>
== See also ==
{{Middle-earth portal}}
In May and June 2007, [[HarperCollins]] and Houghton Mifflin published ''[[The History of The Hobbit]]'' in the United Kingdom. In two volumes, the work examines previously unpublished original drafts of ''The Hobbit'' with extensive commentary by John Rateliff.
* [[English-language editions of The Hobbit]]
* [[Early American editions of The Hobbit]]
* [[Translations of The Hobbit]]
* [[The Quest of Erebor]], Tolkien's [[retconned]] backstory for the novel in ''[[Unfinished Tales]]''
{{clear}}
== References ==
*{{cite book |title= The Annotated Hobbit|last= Anderson|first= Douglas A.|authorlink= Douglas A. Anderson|year= 2003|publisher= [[HarperCollins]]|location= London|isbn= 0-00-713726-3}}
*{{cite book | last=Hammond | first=Wayne | coauthors=Douglas A. Anderson | title=J. R. R. Tolkien: A Descriptive Bibliography | publisher=[[Oak Knoll Press]] | location=New Castle, Delaware | year=1993 | isbn=0-938768-42-5}}
*{{cite book |title= Tolkien: A Biography|last= Carpenter|first= Humphrey|authorlink= Humphrey Carpenter|year= 1977|publisher= [[Ballantine Books]]|location= New York|isbn= 0-04-928037-6}}
*{{cite book |title= The Letters of J. R. R. Tolkien|last= Carpenter|first= Humphrey|year= 1981|publisher= [[Houghton Mifflin]]|location= Boston|isbn= 0-395-31555-7}}
*{{cite book |title= The History of the Hobbit|last= Rateliff|first= John D.|year= 2007|publisher= [[HarperCollins]]|location= London|isbn= 978-0-00-723555-1}}
;Notes
{{reflist|colwidth=30em}}
== External links ==
{{wikiquote}}
* [http://www.tolkien.co.uk/ The official Tolkien website.]
* [http://www.hobbit.ca/Library.html Collection of edition covers, 1937–2007]
* [http://www.tolkienbooks.net/html/the_hobbit.htm Every UK edition of ''The Hobbit'']
* [http://www.tolkienguide.us/guide.html "The U.S. Tolkien Guide": every U.S. edition of ''The Hobbit'' and other Tolkien books]
* [http://www.tolkienlibrary.com/reviews/dutch-de_hobbit.htm Every Dutch edition of ''The Hobbit'']
* [http://www.tolkienlibrary.com/translations/hobbits/index.htm ''The Hobbit'' covers around the globe – gallery]
* [http://literapedia.wikispaces.com/The+Hobbit Literapedia notes for ''The Hobbit'']
{{J. R. R. Tolkien}}
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[[he:ההוביט]]
[[ka:ჰობიტი (ტოლკიენის ნაწარმოები)]]
[[la:Hobbit (liber)]]
[[lv:Hobits (grāmata)]]
[[lt:Hobitas (1937 knyga)]]
[[hu:A hobbit]]
[[mk:Хобитот]]
[[nl:De Hobbit]]
[[ja:ホビットの冒険]]
[[no:Hobbiten]]
[[nn:The Hobbit]]
[[pl:Hobbit, czyli tam i z powrotem]]
[[pt:O Hobbit]]
[[ro:Hobbitul]]
[[ru:Хоббит, или Туда и обратно]]
[[simple:The Hobbit]]
[[sk:Hobit (kniha)]]
[[sl:Hobit (roman)]]
[[fi:Hobitti eli sinne ja takaisin]]
[[sv:Bilbo - En hobbits äventyr]]
[[th:ฮอบบิท (หนังสือ)]]
[[tr:Hobbit (kitap)]]
[[zh:哈比人歷險記]]