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Bilbo Baggins, a respectable, well-to-do hobbit, lives comfortably in his hobbit-hole until the day the wandering wizard Gandalf chooses him to take part in an adventure from which he may never return.
ErisofDiscord: Written by J.R.R. Tolkien's friend, C.S. Lewis. Although their styles of writing are very different, I have found both of them to be highly enjoyable and the quality of both of the authors books are unmatched.
DCBlack: Another quest tale of the reluctant hero who would rather be sitting in a comfy chair by the fireplace than getting mixed up in all sorts of adventures. Full of humor and whimsical charm.
DavidGoldsteen: If you like a quest story, here's the real deal. A Chinese classic first that first appeared as a novel over 500 years ago. Monkey is a lively, funny, exciting story.
PitcherBooks: While I enjoyed The Hobbit a bit more than the Elven, I like The Elven much more than the LOTR. I have yet to read the sequels but Elven had the feel of a fantasy classic to it. Time will tell...
Pros: Great world-building and characters, mostly action, adventure and magic with only the last tenth or so devoted to the obligatory war. Since I'm not big on wars this was a major plus.
Con: The Hobbit was shorter, more endearing and faster moving. Elven is a lengthy tome but the characters and adventures held my interest even so.… (more)
ed.pendragon: Tolkien was very familiar with this work, certainly from the old translation by J Giles (which in turn probably influenced Tolkien's own Farmer Giles of Ham)
What to say about a genre classic? It is a good book with a straight-forward story and awesome worldbuilding.
The focus is clearly on the story and not the characters as most of the book is about activity descriptions which does remind of Jules Verne stories. The character development side of a story falls flat as there just isn't much of it. The writing could be more "elegant", but I guess this is an early book and finesse takes time to master.
This is my third, and likely final, reading of Tolkien’s classic tale of hobbits and dwarfs and dragons and treasure. I read it way back in my preteens (a home school assignment ca. 1998), again for a children’s literature class in undergrad, and I picked it up once again because I couldn’t resist adding the Alan Lee illustrated version to my Tolkien shelf. Unfortunately, even with the addition of Lee’s gorgeous watercolour paintings and delicate pencil sketches the tale of Bilbo Baggins continues to leave me underwhelmed. Read one chapter or two at a time (a pacing that I’m sure mimicked the original telling of the story to Tolkien’s first audience: his children) the book is palettable, but I find it drags on rather slowly night after night and once again I found myself wanting the end to hurry up already. My memory of the story itself seems to fade in between each reading, leaving a frame story focusing on a never-ending journey with a few dashes of action in the form of conflict with trolls, Gollum, and the dragon, but even with this almost fresh perspective the details of the tale don’t keep me captivated the same way that Tolkien’s other tales of Middle Earth do. Maybe it’s because he’s trying to weave in a multitude of legendary details (from an ursine shapeshifter to Mirkwood’s realm of elves, not to mention the almost endless mention of dwarfish backstory that gets dropped throughout the tale) into what could (and maybe should) have been a simple adventure story of there and back again, but the unique and interesting character of Bilbo Baggins isn’t done many favours compared to the other hobbits that populate the Lord of the Rings. Tolkien does try and is successful at injecting some momentary dry British humour, gives us some riddles to twist through our minds, and paints a gorgeously rich tapestry of scenery as the motley crew journey to steal Smaug’s treasure, but the mood isn’t quite mirthful enough to sit well as a children’s tale and it isn’t quite dense enough to feel like a more adult Middle Earth legend. At least I finally have the full set of Alan Lee’s artwork for my collection, which was the whole point of purchasing this volume! As usual, his scenery brings Tolkien’s fantasy world to life with carefully wrought paintings and sketches that capture the majesty of Middle Earth - without taking it too far out of the realm of possibility. Even his Smaug retains a serpentine realism, and I can fully imagine the dragon lying hid amongst his treasure inside one of the larger mountains of Earth. My only complaint is, of course, that I would have liked far more illustrative work, as Lee’s vision of Middle Earth is even more captivating (for me at least) than Tolkien’s story. At least I know I have the Hobbit sketchbook to look forward to, which I am sure will be packed with even more details from the adventures of Bilbo Baggins and co! ( )
[summer 2010 reread while teaching the novel in an undergrad children's lit course] For me, this novel glows primarily because of two components: A) its stereotypically English and middle-aged little hero, who half wants to stay comfortably at home (to take tea and smoke his pipe, mostly) but half wants to go have adventures (feeling this tension even during the adventures that ensue) and B) its chatty narrator, who's a bit tricky to pinpoint (part of our world or theirs? an experienced adventurer of some sort, apparently, but what sort?) but speaks directly and familiarly to readers. An important book in the development of heroic fantasy and children's literature--and also just a delightful read.
Bilbo Baggins is a hobbit who enjoys a comfortable, unambitious life, rarely travelling further than the pantry of his hobbit-hole in Bag End. But his contentment is disturbed when the wizard, Gandalf, and a company of thirteen dwarves arrive on his doorstep one day to whisk him away on an unexpected journey ‘there and back again’. They have a plot to raid the treasure hoard of Smaug the Magnificent, a large and very dangerous dragon…
A finely written saga of dwarves and elves, fearsome goblins and trolls ... an exciting epic of travel and magical adventure, all working up to a devastating climax
Far over the misty mountains cold To dungeons deep and caverns old We must away ere break of day To seek the pale enchanted gold.
This thing all things devours: Birds, beasts, trees, flowers; Gnaws iron, bites steel; Grinds hard stones to meal; Slays king, ruins town, And beats high mountain down.
It does not do to leave a live dragon out of your calculations, if you live near him. Dragons may not have much real use for all their wealth, but they know it to an ounce as a rule, especially after long possession; and Smaug was no exception.
There is more in you of good than you know, child of the kindly West. Some courage and some wisdom, blended in measure. If more of us valued food and cheer and song above hoarded gold, it would be a merrier world. But sad or merry, I must leave it now. Farewell!
"And why not? Surely you don't disbelieve the prophecies just because you helped them come about. You don't really suppose do you that all your adventures and escapes were managed by mere luck? Just for your sole benefit? You're a very fine person, Mr. Baggins, and I'm quite fond of you. But you are really just a little fellow, in a wide world after all."
His crown shall be upholden, His harp shall be restrung, His halls shall echo golden To songs of yore re-sung.
"What do you mean?" he said. "Do you wish me a good morning, or mean that it is a good morning whether I want it or not; or that you feel good this morning; or that it is a morning to be good on?"
A box without hinges, key, or lid, yet golden treasure inside is hid.
"What have I got in my pocket?"
"I am Gandalf, and Gandalf means me!"
"Who are these miserable persons?"
"What has it got in its nasty, little pocketses?"
Last words
"Thank goodness!" said Bilbo laughing, and handed him the tobacco-jar.
J.R.R. Tolkien's complete work The Lord of the Rings consists of six Books, frequently bound in three Volumes:
Volume 1: The Fellowship of the Ring, consisting of Book I, "The Ring Sets Out" and Book II, "The Ring Goes South";
Volume 2: The Two Towers, consisting of Book III, "The Treason of Isengard," and Book IV, "The Ring Goes East"; and
Volume 3: The Return of the King, consisting of Book V, "The War of the Ring," and Book VI, "The End of the Third Age," with Appendices.
This LT Work consists solely of The Hobbit, a prelude to The Lord of the Rings; please do not combine it with that complete work, or with any part(s) thereof, each of which have LT Works pages of their own. Thank you.
Bilbo Baggins, a respectable, well-to-do hobbit, lives comfortably in his hobbit-hole until the day the wandering wizard Gandalf chooses him to take part in an adventure from which he may never return.
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Book description
[R.L. 6.6] The story of hobbit Bilbo Baggins as he travels across middle earth with a group of dwarfs and a wizard. He faces trolls and dragons. Meets elves and shape shifters. And hopes to acquire great treasure as his adventure continues.
Haiku summary
So I'm a thief now. What I really should have took? Comfortable shoes.
The dwarves had a plan. They didn't say anything about hungry trolls.
(Carnophile)
Nasty Bagginses stole the Precious, yess, and we hates them forever! (ed.pendragon)
A ring in a cave? I’ll take it. I doubt that the owner will miss it.
(Carnophile)
Wizard at the door? Twelve dwarves too? You'll be telling me a dragon's next! (ed.pendragon)
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Revisiting Middle Earth before The Hobbit hits the big screen
Wikipedia in English (20)
The focus is clearly on the story and not the characters as most of the book is about activity descriptions which does remind of Jules Verne stories. The character development side of a story falls flat as there just isn't much of it. The writing could be more "elegant", but I guess this is an early book and finesse takes time to master.
Overall good book, easy to read, recommended. (