The History of the Hobbit, Part 1: Mr. Baggins (Hardcover)

by John D. Rateliff (Author)
Key Phrases: first typescript, text note, enchanted stream, The Hobbit, The Lord of the Rings, Christopher Tolkien (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description

First published in 1938, The Hobbit is a story that “grew in the telling,” and many characters and events in the published book are completely different from what Tolkien first wrote to read aloud to his young sons as part of their “fireside reads.” For the first time, The History of the Hobbit reproduces the original version of one of literature’s most famous stories, and includes many little-known illustrations and previously unpublished maps for The Hobbit created by Tolkien himself. Also featured are extensive annotations and commentaries on the date of composition, how Tolkien’s professional and early mythological writings influenced the story, the imaginary geography he created, and how he came to revise the book in the years after publication to accommodate events in The Lord of the Rings.

About the Author

John D. Rateliff is a writer, editor, and independent scholar. For many years, he worked with the Tolkien manuscripts at Marquette University and has written extensively on Tolkien and the Inklings. He lives in Seattle with his family.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 512 pages
• Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt (September 21, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0618968474
• ISBN-13: 978-0618968473
• Product Dimensions: 8.6 x 5.4 x 1.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.6 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #88,898 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

15 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Making of a Masterpiece, Volume II, September 21, 2007

By	John D. Cofield - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

This review is from: The History of the Hobbit, Volume 2 (Return to Bag-End) (Hardcover)

Return to Bag End is the second part of John D. Rateliff's History of the Hobbit. It begins with page 469 and contains the Index for both volumes, so its important to start with Volume I, Mr. Baggins.

Return to Bag End begins with the thirteen dwarves and their hobbit companion's arrival at The Lonely Mountain. Rateliff has identified five phases in the writing of The Hobbit, and this volume begins towards the end of the second phase. Tolkien wrote The Hobbit in fits and spurts over a period of several years, and finally finished it in its first published form by the end of the third phase. Rateliff's fourth phase took place in the late 1940s, when Tolkien had nearly finished The Lord of the Rings and needed to rewrite part of The Hobbit to eliminate some inconsistencies. The most important of these inconsistencies dealt with the matter of how Bilbo came to possess the Ring. In the first published version Gollum gave Bilbo the Ring as a gift. Now Tolkien, to make the Ring darker and more ominous, had Bilbo purloin it from Gollum. Then in 1960 came the fifth phase, when Tolkien attempted to make The Hobbit even closer in tone and spirit to The Lord of the Rings by essentially rewriting it. He wisely abandoned this attempt after a few chapters when a friend advised that while it was brilliant, it wasn't The Hobbit.

As in the first volume, Return to Bag End abounds with fascinating textual notes and short essays interpolated with Tolkien's own words. These include some intriguing speculations, including one on whether the Arkenstone was a Silmaril and another on the ultimate fate of dwarves after their deaths. There are also several Appendices, one on the Denham Tracts, a nineteenth century list of imaginary beings which mentioned "hobbit" several years before Tolkien was even born; another on Tolkien's own speculations on the origin of the word hobbit which includes one of my own favorite childhood stories: "The Hobyahs;" and others dealing with the origins of dwarf names and with Tolkien's correspondence with Arthur Ransome.

Both volumes of The History of the Hobbit are essential additions to Tolkien scholarship. They will provide much fascinating reading and speculation for many years to come for all lovers of Middle-earth.

15 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Making Of A Masterpiece, September 21, 2007

By	John D. Cofield - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

J.R.R. Tolkien must be among the most heavily analyzed of twentieth century writers. His drafts and redrafts of his Middle earth legendarium, in some cases dating back to his years in service during World War I, have been published as The History of Middle-earth by his son and literary executor Christopher Tolkien. Through their multiple volumes students can trace the evolution of Tolkien's world. Until now, however, we have been unable to trace the story of the work which made Tolkien and Middle-earth well known to the general public. John D. Rateliff, after many years of patient scholarship, has now filled that gap with The History of the Hobbit.

Mr. Baggins is the first of two volumes in The History of the Hobbit, and readers should buy it with its companion Return to Bag End at the same time. The second volume starts with page 469, and there is no Index in Volume I, for example. Mr. Rateliff has identified five phases in the writing of The Hobbit. Mr. Baggins covers the first and most of the second phases. Practically every word Tolkien wrote is printed, with extensive and fascinating notes and short essays by Mr. Rateliff interpolated with Tolkien's text. Colored plates showing some of Tolkien's sketches and maps are included, too.

The early versions of The Hobbit are startling, to say the least. Bilbo Baggins walks out of his hobbit hole one morning to meet the wizard Bladorthin, who brings thirteen dwarves led by their chieftain Gandalf to visit him. Bilbo is strongarmed into becoming the dwarves' burglar, charged with recovering an immense treasure from the dragon Pryftan. People who have read the published Hobbit will recognize that the essential story is present, but with many variations and false starts which Tolkien eventually straightened out.

The text notes and short essays provided by Rateliff are absolutely fascinating. They include discussions on the nature of elves, the origins of the word bilbo, magic rings from Plato onwards, and the influence the Dr. Dolittle series and the Tolkien children's love for bears had on the construction of The Hobbit.

This volume ends with Bilbo and the dwarves' arrival in Laketown. Again, be sure to buy Volume II at the same time as Volume I, because you'll want to keep reading!

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Engrossing and sumptuous Hobbit history, April 30, 2008

By	Richard D. Marcus "Economist and Fantasy Fan" (Milwaukee, WI) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

For those who loved their journey from Hobbiton, across Mirkwood, to the Lonely Mountain and back, "The History of The Hobbit," by John Rateliff is a delight - even better than a second Breakfast. You will relive the first pleasure of reading about that most excellent and audacious Mr. Bilbo Baggins in early drafts by Tolkien.

We find that the wizard Galdalf was first named Bladorthin. Thorin was originally named Gandalf, the dwarf. Even Smaug was once Pryftan. Why these names evolved and much much more make "The History of the Hobbit," a great read for mere fans, philologists, as well as certified literary critics of Professor Tolkien.

Each chapter-length section of early drafts by Tolkien is enhanced with excellent text notes about these fragments. Following these sections of The Hobbit, Rateliff presents notes on the characters, geography, and types of magic encountered in Middle Earth.

Because these commentaries are so engrossing, it is tempting to jump around. If you are a riddle-lover, than jumping to the chapter on Gollum is a must. Rateliff provides sumptuous and intriguing tidbits about riddles written in Old English as well as in Mother Goose. If the background of the Ring tickles your wonderment, then we find sources ranging from Plato's Republic to H.G. Wells' Invisible Man, as well as many other influences.

Like the winding path Bilbo takes, under mountains and through the air, readers of "The History of The Hobbit," will find that they will want to visit all the spots that Bilbo did with greater understanding and renewed joy.