J.R.R. Tolkien’s complete artwork for The Hobbit, presented for the first time in celebration of the 75th anniversary
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 color plates, which comprise 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.
Written and edited by leading Tolkien experts Wayne G. Hammond and Christina Scull, The Art of The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien showcases the complete artwork created by the author for his story—including related pictures, more than one hundred sketches, drawings, paintings, maps, and plans. Some of these images are published here for the first time, others for the first time in color, allowing Tolkien’s Hobbit pictures to be seen completely and more vividly than ever before.
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Book Description
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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
About the Author
J.R.R. TOLKIEN (1892-1973) is the creator of Middle-earth and author of such classic and extraordinary works of fiction as The Hobbit, The Lord of the Rings, and The Silmarillion. His books have been translated into more than fifty languages and have sold many millions of copies worldwide.
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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 13 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 14 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 25 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 3 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 4 months ago by Sarah Gates
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