To celebrate the 75th Anniversary of the publication of The Hobbit, a sumptuous full colour art book containing the complete collection of more than 100 Hobbit sketches, drawings, paintings and maps by J.R.R. Tolkien. When J.R.R. Tolkien wrote The Hobbit, he was already an accomplished amateur artist, and drew illustrations for his book while it was still in manuscript. The Hobbit as first printed had ten black and white pictures, two maps, and binding and dust-jacket designs by its author. Later, Tolkien also painted five scenes for colour plates which are some of his best work. His illustrations for The Hobbit add an extra dimension to that remarkable book, and have long influenced how readers imagine Bilbo Baggins and his world. To celebrate the 75th anniversary of the publication of The Hobbit, the complete artwork created by the author for his story has been collected in The Art of The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien. Including related pictures, more than one hundred sketches, drawings, paintings, maps, and plans are presented here, preliminary and alternate versions and experimental designs as well as finished art. Some of these images are now published for the first time, and others for the first time in colour. Fresh digital scans from the Bodleian Libraries in Oxford and Marquette University in Wisconsin allow Tolkien's Hobbit pictures to be seen more vividly than ever before. The Art of The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien has been written and edited by Wayne G. Hammond and Christina Scull, two of the leading experts on Tolkien and authors of the acclaimed J.R.R. Tolkien: Artist and Illustrator, The Lord of the Rings: A Reader's Companion, and The J.R.R. Tolkien Companion and Guide.
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Book Description
Editorial Reviews
Review
“A splendid introduction to Tolkien the artist . . . Editors and experts Hammond and Scull walk through the classic book's publication history, providing context for the over 100 pieces of artwork, some never before published, which the author prepared to accompany his account of Bilbo Baggins's adventures.” – Publishers Weekly
--This text refers to an alternate
Hardcover
edition.
About the Author
J.R.R.Tolkien (1892-1973) was a distinguished academic, though he is best known for writing The Hobbit, The Lord of the Rings, The Silmarillion and The Children of Hurin, plus other stories and essays. His books have been translated into over 50 languages and have sold many millions of copies worldwide. Wayne G. Hammond is a librarian at the Chapin Library of Rare Books at Williams College, Massachusetts. Christina Scull is the former librarian of Sir John Soane's Museum, London. As well as publishing books in their own names, together they have written 'J.R.R. Tolkien: Artist and Illustrator', The Lord of the Rings: A Reader's Companion' and the two-volume 'J.R.R.Tolkien Companion and Guide'.
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
28 of 28 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
Yes, Tolkien wasn't a professional artist, but his art for the Hobbit really works on many levels, and gives the reader a better idea of what Tolkien had in his fertile and amazing imagination when writing The Hobbit.
Much of the art here has never been seen before. Most versions of the Hobbit have no more than a score of Tolkien's illustrations, if that. A lot of this art was recently discovered among the Master's papers, and now has been digitally scanned and included for your viewing pleasure. (Interesting how few books the Professor wrote but how much background stuff he came up with while writing them, eh?).
True, in some cases, we have several versions of the same scene- several preliminary and then the finished piece. But I think that adds to how Tolkien was developing the scenes in his mind while writing.
Ok, now you know what to get for any LotR fan on your X-mas list
Much of the art here has never been seen before. Most versions of the Hobbit have no more than a score of Tolkien's illustrations, if that. A lot of this art was recently discovered among the Master's papers, and now has been digitally scanned and included for your viewing pleasure. (Interesting how few books the Professor wrote but how much background stuff he came up with while writing them, eh?).
True, in some cases, we have several versions of the same scene- several preliminary and then the finished piece. But I think that adds to how Tolkien was developing the scenes in his mind while writing.
Ok, now you know what to get for any LotR fan on your X-mas list
17 of 19 people found the following review helpful
By Deepa Ramani
Format:Hardcover
Beautiful, beautiful, beautiful, BEAUTIFUL book :). Containing over a 100 never-before-seen illustrations by Tolkeins himself, this was a magical journey into the world created by Tolkeins that I'd imagined as a kid - and it was almost exactly how I'd imagined it based on his descriptions.
12 of 14 people found the following review helpful
By denise price
Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase
Beautifully done book of Tolkien's drawings for The Hobbit. Slipcover is incredible!!! A must for a Tolkien collector. If you order buy two, one to keep wrapped up and one to use...it will be a collectors item!
Most Recent Customer Reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars
GREAT for Tolkien nuts.
This is a beautiful book and for those who love the tales of Middle Earth it is great. Although not a visual artist the drawings are very good, and it really is nice to see what... Read more
Published 8 days ago by Kathleen M. Hennick
4.0 out of 5 stars
Well illustrated and explained.
I found the book to be interesting. It showed the stages that the illustrations went through to become the finished pieces.
Published 9 days ago by Ken Bush
4.0 out of 5 stars
A very interesting collection
Not everyone knows that Tolkien did his own series of illustrations for The Hobbit. Rather like Kipling's illustrations for The Jungle Book, it's not that they're surprisingly... Read more
Published 20 days ago by Caleb Hanson
5.0 out of 5 stars
Lots of Pretty Pictures
I will admit that I bought this book on a whim but I'm glad that I did. It is a very interesting book to look at.
Published 2 months ago by ALF
5.0 out of 5 stars
Beautiful and captivating
The Art of the Hobbit gives us the privilege of seeing every bit of Tolkien's artwork that was created for the Hobbit and a few items that are tangentially related to it. Read more
Published 2 months ago by miKcrobe
4.0 out of 5 stars
No Slip Cover?!
This book is awesome, but it did not include the mentioned Slip Cover? Is it no longer included with this purchase? Not exactly sure what the deal is?
Published 2 months ago by The Deetorious
5.0 out of 5 stars
Beautiful and Inspiring
I bought this for my 11-year old grandson for Christmas. He was very happy to receive it and says he plans to keep it forever!
Published 3 months ago by Hoosier Reviewer
5.0 out of 5 stars
A Perfect Gift for a Tolkien Afcionado
Who could resist seeing what Tolkien himself envisioned as he wrote his class Hobbit creating both a world and even a language to deliver a complete experience to one willing to... Read more
Published 3 months ago by Sherry Shore
4.0 out of 5 stars
No slip case.
I saw many pictures of this book before I bought it, and all of them showed me the book with a slip case. Read more
Published 3 months ago by Diego Semede
5.0 out of 5 stars
Beautiful
This is not just a beautiful book, but also very informative about Tolkien's illustrations and sketches, and the history of publication of his major works. Read more
Published 3 months ago by Sarah Gates
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