The Hobbit and over one million other books are available for Amazon Kindle. Learn more

Have one to sell? Sell yours here
Start reading The Hobbit on your Kindle in under a minute.

Don't have a Kindle? Get your Kindle here, or download a FREE Kindle Reading App.
Sorry, this item is not available in
Image not available for
Color:
Image not available

To view this video download Flash Player

 

The Hobbit [Paperback]

J. R. R. Tolkien , David Wenzel , Charles Dixon , Sean Deming
4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4,957 customer reviews)


Available from these sellers.


Image
Save on Popular Books This Summer
Browse our Bookshelf Favorites store for big savings on popular fiction, nonfiction, children's books, and more.


Product Details

  • Paperback: 144 pages
  • Publisher: HMCo; First Thus edition (1998)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 0261102664
  • ISBN-13: 978-0261102668
  • Product Dimensions: 8 x 0.4 x 10.8 inches
  • Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds
  • Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4,957 customer reviews)
  • Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #351,911 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

J.R.R. Tolkien (1892.1973), beloved throughout the world as the creator of The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings, was a professor of Anglo-Saxon at Oxford, a fellow of Pembroke College, and a fellow of Merton College until his retirement in 1959. His chief interest was the linguistic aspects of the early English written tradition, but even as he studied these classics he was creating a set of his own.

Customer Reviews

Very well written and a great story. Megan Berry  |  635 reviewers made a similar statement
The story starts out very peaceful as the reader is introduced to the main character: Bilbo Baggins. Jacob Janicek  |  199 reviewers made a similar statement
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
318 of 338 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars Really, the best way to read The Hobbit February 20, 2003
Format:Hardcover
Okay, so I say that this is the best way to read The Hobbit. And I am dead serious.

I know that annotated books can be difficult to navigate, filled with useless, pointless, or just plain boring information, and can be grossly oversized. That is not the case here.

So - here's the scoop.

The original story is very nicely presented, with all original illustrations in color when possible, and in black and white elsewhere. The type is nice and clear, very easy to read. (Many cheaper editions are also rather hard on the eyes. Check the print before you buy, folks!)

The illustrations are printed very clearly, and with very good notes on what they are.

And then the annotations - useful, engaging, and very well done. You will WANT to read these. We discover how the book was written, and what was changed between editions. (There were many changes made so that The Hobbit would conform more easily to the Lord of the Rings trilogy.) There are fascinating tidbits about Tolkien's life and the experiences that made their way into the story.

The forward tells about the writing of the novel, and the appedices give additional details about the text.

There are also many illustrations from other editions of the book. These are varied, from thought-provoking to not-provoking.

And the book is not too big. Some editions are simply too big to be read, but this book is reasonably sized so that you can actually READ IT! In fact, I have not read any other edition of The Hobbit for years, since the original annotated version came out.

The new edition is very much worthwhile. Enjoy!

Was this review helpful to you?
82 of 90 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent Annotations September 19, 2002
Format:Hardcover
This newly published, annotated version of THE HOBBIT is excellent for fans of the book. It may be TMI ("too much information") for the first-time reader. The text of THE HOBBIT settles in the center of the book while Doug Anderson's notations appear in the outer margins. At times it's a bit busy - but there's always fascinating reading! Tolkien fans are sure to get excited over this one.

Doug Anderson includes lots of sources in his notes. He quotes Tolkien's own letters, other fairy tales and legends that may have inspired Tolkien, as well as previous versions of the section he's noting. The Gollum section ("Riddles in the Dark") is interesting. Tolkien did some tinkering with the original Gollum story as its follow-up (LORD OF THE RINGS) was taking shape. Seems that George Lucas is not the only person who's revised previously released work! Tolkien was his predecessor.

Also interesting are the many black and white illustrations that Anderson includes, many from foreign editions of THE HOBBIT. Some of the art is hilarious, as it does not resemble Tolkien's characters at all! There is a nice color section of illustrations in the center of the book.

THE ANNOTATED HOBBIT is a handsome, interesting book to own if you're a fan of Bilbo and his adventures with the dwarves (or dwarfs? That's covered in the book as well!)

Comment | 
Was this review helpful to you?
67 of 75 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars As Good As It Gets November 1, 2002
Format:Hardcover
This version of the Hobbit is a pleasure to long-time fans but will also serve new readers well. Anderson released the original "Annotated Hobbit" years ago but this new format with the annotations in the column most often directly next to the orginal book text is supurb.

Included are Hobbit illustrations around the word, a rich addition, but the real joy of this book is learning background and details about The Hobbit, author J.R.R. Tolkien and The Lord Of The Rings. At times the footnotes are scholarly and at other times they are amusing gems.

Anderson has compared all of Tolkien's revisions and has researched the 'whys' 'hows' and 'whens' that helps reveal to reader the meaning of the text and the personality of the author.

My favorites are anecdotes about Tolkien's personal life that involve his family and personal history. They are facinating and at times touching.

WIthout rambling on too much, I can confidently recommend this version of "The Hobbit" as the best available.

Comment | 
Was this review helpful to you?
Most Recent Customer Reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars OMG AWESOME
It was awesome, like really awesome. Hey Peter, make the rest of the films count and make them allot like the book because the first movie is not near as good as the first part of... Read more
Published 1 hour ago by Blake
4.0 out of 5 stars I haven't even read it yet
I haven't read it yet so I have no clue. Now I need ten more words so I will just keep typing so I can read the stupid book.
Published 13 hours ago by John
5.0 out of 5 stars Classic.
You can't beat this classic book. I wish they would teach this in high school English instead of Lord of the Flies or Fahrenheit 451. Wonderful story line and lots of detail.
Published 16 hours ago by HappyCustomer
5.0 out of 5 stars Pretty good
I liked it but i still prefer Harry Potter. If u haven't read it u should. Pretty dang epic. Really.
Published 21 hours ago by A. Hanlon
5.0 out of 5 stars Good
This book was very enjoyable due to the effect that it was a recording and I could do something and listen to it. Read more
Published 21 hours ago by Austin
5.0 out of 5 stars THE HOBBIT
This was well written and a great adventure. I recently watched the movie and I have to say, the book was better.
Published 1 day ago by Jeremiah Catt
5.0 out of 5 stars Completely Awesome
I have read many great books. But this book is by far the best. I have seen the Hobbit Movie and the book is WAY better. Read more
Published 1 day ago by cforkash112
5.0 out of 5 stars Couldn't have asked for a better book....
Aside from a few misplaced/mispelled words contatined in the text, this edition is captivating from start to finish! Read more
Published 1 day ago by Frankly
5.0 out of 5 stars This is the first book I got for my new Kindle
I have develoed problems reading books, so bought this for my new Kindle which made it a pleasure to read. I did read this book many years ago when it first came out. Read more
Published 1 day ago by Nancy B.
5.0 out of 5 stars Off course
who dosent love this book. Ive read it for the 3rd time now in my life. Was as good as ever......Nice to have a copy w/ original design.
Published 2 days ago by anna dehennis
Search Customer Reviews
Only search this product's reviews


Forums

There are no discussions about this product yet.
Be the first to discuss this product with the community.
Start a new discussion
Topic:
First post:
Prompts for sign-in
 





Look for Similar Items by Category