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The Hobbit: 75th Anniversary Edition Hardcover – Illustrated, September 21, 2007
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J.R.R. Tolkien's own description for the original edition: "If you care for journeys there and back, out of the comfortable Western world, over the edge of the Wild, and home again, and can take an interest in a humble hero (blessed with a little wisdom and a little courage and considerable good luck), here is a record of such a journey and such a traveler. The period is the ancient time between the age of Faerie and the dominion of men, when the famous forest of Mirkwood was still standing, and the mountains were full of danger. In following the path of this humble adventurer, you will learn by the way (as he did) -- if you do not already know all about these things -- much about trolls, goblins, dwarves, and elves, and get some glimpses into the history and politics of a neglected but important period. For Mr. Bilbo Baggins visited various notable persons; conversed with the dragon, Smaug the Magnificent; and was present, rather unwillingly, at the Battle of the Five Armies. This is all the more remarkable, since he was a hobbit. Hobbits have hitherto been passed over in history and legend, perhaps because they as a rule preferred comfort to excitement. But this account, based on his personal memoirs, of the one exciting year in the otherwise quiet life of Mr. Baggins will give you a fair idea of the estimable people now (it is said) becoming rather rare. They do not like noise."
- Print length320 pages
- LanguageEnglish
- Lexile measure1000L
- Dimensions5.5 x 1.06 x 8.69 inches
- PublisherWilliam Morrow
- Publication dateSeptember 21, 2007
- ISBN-100618968636
- ISBN-13978-0618968633
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"All those, young or old, who love a finely imagined story, beautifully told, will take The Hobbit to their hearts." Horn Book Guide
"A flawless masterpiece." The Times of London —
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Product details
- Publisher : William Morrow; Illustrated edition (September 21, 2007)
- Language : English
- Hardcover : 320 pages
- ISBN-10 : 0618968636
- ISBN-13 : 978-0618968633
- Reading age : 10+ years, from customers
- Lexile measure : 1000L
- Item Weight : 1.06 pounds
- Dimensions : 5.5 x 1.06 x 8.69 inches
- Best Sellers Rank: #7,515 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- Customer Reviews:
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Learn more how customers reviews work on AmazonReviewed in the United States on April 21, 2021
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This book is over 80 years old and is incredible. The pacing, dialogue, and humor are spot on. Fun to spot the differences in the underwhelming movie trilogy (compared to Lord of the Rings movies anyway - I.e. digital vs. practical orcs)
The packaging of this edition is beautiful, evoking Tolkien’s original cover design. Several beautiful illustrations are also included. A great upgrade from my paperback movie themed scholastic book order version circa 2002.
Now onto 60th anniversary LOTR three volume illustrated edition!
All in all, a must have for any LoTR fan, or someone interested in reading the real story and experiencing "There and Back Again" as intended.
This 75th Anniversary edition has a lot going for it. First of all it is free from Amazon as is the Audible narration. The narration is entertaining but with my slight hearing loss, I had trouble understanding some of the characters' voices. Gollum particularly comes to mind. The only criticism I have of this edition is the strange word breaks which are particularly prevalent when reading with large print.
Anyway, the first on the list, as printed, is Lord of the Rings. The Hobbit is not on this list. It is my personal feelings that LOTR cannot be appreciated or fully understood without having first read The Hobbit - ergo I have taken it upon myself to start with The Hobbit and proceed from there. First though let me do some house keeping.
Amazon, in all of its wisdom, had thrown the reviews of ever edition of The Hobbit all into one bag. There have been quite a number of editions of this book since the first which was in 1937 with the first American edition being in 1938. I note from reading the reviews here that there is mass confusion, and indeed a lot of disappointment over ordering this book. The only thing I can tell you is to do your research and MAKE SURE you order the edition you want. Many of the sellers here do not know one from the other. This review is on the book, not on the edition. I first read this work in 1961 from a very ragged old paperback I found in a junk shop in Istanbul, Turkey. I think it was the Puffin edition, but cannot be sure. Since that time I have collected quite a number of these books - all different, but with very minor "errors" all the same story. (We silly Americans changed "Dwarves" to Dwarfs" because we felt Tolkien had made an error in spelling...Tolkien was NOT happy!) If a person is interested in such things, I personally would suggest an edition which includes Tolkien's original illustrations. That is of course just my personal preference.
Anyway.....
Before Lord of the Rings there was the Hobbit. I am most certainly not going into a plot summary here as all that has been well covered in the 2,000 plus reviews already posted. There are some important points I feel that need to be pointed out.
First is the fact that to consider The Hobbit as a simple children's story would be a big mistake. Yes, older children will, do and can enjoy it, but like LOTRs, The Hobbit is still and all an adult book despite what others might tell you. This book needs to be read very carefully and savored.
Second, the reader should note that when Tolkien transitions to LOTRs his style does change somewhat and the overall tone of the story darkens. It is noted that the story of how the "Ring" came into the hands of the Hobbits (Bilbo), is told. It should also be noted that the caste of characters changes from The Hobbit to LOTRs. Gandalf the Grey is present as is Bilbo and Elrod along with a couple of the Dwarves. For the most part though, the old characters found in The Hobbit are left there as the story moves on with the next three volumes.
Third, the reading level is lower in The Hobbit than in LOTRs. This is important. I have found, over the years, than many young people an handle The Hobbit quite well, but when they then go to LOTRs, they find themselves in a bit over their heads and loose interest quite quickly...not all kids, mind you, but enough to be significant.
Forth, Tolkien has used more of a fairy-tale mode in writing The Hobbit than he did in LOTRs. This throws some folks off when they transition from the first to the later.
I have thoroughly enjoyed this read over the years. I as sorry to find that NPR had not included it on their "official" list along with LOTRs...but then I suppose that everyone that will conceivably read the list will have some disagreement...that seems to be the nature of lists.
Don Blankenship
The Ozarks
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La edición que yo adquirí es la del 75 Aniversario, pasta dura, publicada por Houghton Mifflin el 21 de septiembre de 2007. Cuenta con el Thror's Map, que se extiende desde la guarda anterior, hasta la guarda volante; y el Wilderland Map, que se extiende desde la contraguarda, hasta la guarda posterior. Asimismo, cuenta con 14 hermosas ilustraciones, entre ellas a color y en blanco y negro, a lo largo del texto.
De igual manera, esta edición cuenta con: un Prefacio escrito por Christopher Tolkien en 1987, extraído de la edición de 50 Aniversario, publicada en dicho año; Índice de Capítulos e Índice de Ilustraciones; y una Nota Preliminar escrita por Douglas Anderson en 2001.
El único "pero" que le encuentro, es la mediana calidad del papel. Si lo anterior no es un inconveniente, recomiendo ampliamente.
Me llamó la atención que a pesar de ser publicada en 2007, es la Edición de 75 Aniversario, toda vez que la Primera Edición fue publicada en el año 1937, por lo que los 75 años de la primera publicación se cumplirían en 2012. Sin embargo, la faja cuenta con la ilustración que J.R.R. Tolkien originalmente quería que se publicara en la Primera Edición, sin que obstara lo anterior, su deseo no fue satisfecho por la editorial en aquella ocasión.
Reviewed in Mexico on June 4, 2020
La edición que yo adquirí es la del 75 Aniversario, pasta dura, publicada por Houghton Mifflin el 21 de septiembre de 2007. Cuenta con el Thror's Map, que se extiende desde la guarda anterior, hasta la guarda volante; y el Wilderland Map, que se extiende desde la contraguarda, hasta la guarda posterior. Asimismo, cuenta con 14 hermosas ilustraciones, entre ellas a color y en blanco y negro, a lo largo del texto.
De igual manera, esta edición cuenta con: un Prefacio escrito por Christopher Tolkien en 1987, extraído de la edición de 50 Aniversario, publicada en dicho año; Índice de Capítulos e Índice de Ilustraciones; y una Nota Preliminar escrita por Douglas Anderson en 2001.
El único "pero" que le encuentro, es la mediana calidad del papel. Si lo anterior no es un inconveniente, recomiendo ampliamente.
Me llamó la atención que a pesar de ser publicada en 2007, es la Edición de 75 Aniversario, toda vez que la Primera Edición fue publicada en el año 1937, por lo que los 75 años de la primera publicación se cumplirían en 2012. Sin embargo, la faja cuenta con la ilustración que J.R.R. Tolkien originalmente quería que se publicara en la Primera Edición, sin que obstara lo anterior, su deseo no fue satisfecho por la editorial en aquella ocasión.
And years before "Lord of the Rings" was seen by anyone outside Tolkien's circle, Middle Earth was first introduced to readers. "The Hobbit" is simpler and less epic than the trilogy that followed it, but Tolkien's brilliant writing, magical world and pleasantly stodgy hero bring a special life to this early fantasy classic.
Bilbo Baggins lives a pleasantly stodgy and dull life, in a luxurious hobbit hole under a hill ("it was a hobbit hole, and that means comfort"). He's the picture of dull respectability.
But his life is turned upside-down by the arrival of the wizard Gandalf and thirteen dwarves, led by the exiled king-in-waiting Thorin Oakenshield. They want to reclaim the Lonely Mountain (and a lot of treasure) from the dragon Smaug. Why do they want Bilbo? Because Gandalf has told them that he'd make a good burglar, even though Bilbo has never burgled in his life.
So before Bilbo is entirely sure what is going on, he is being swept off on a very unrespectable -- and dangerous -- adventure. The quirky little band ends up battling goblins and spiders, nearly getting eaten, and imprisoned by Elves, while Bilbo finds himself in possession of a magic Ring from the treacherous Gollum. But even with a magic Ring, can he defeat a monstrous dragon and win a war against multiple enemies?
Tolkien had been crafting his mythos of Elves, Dwarves, Wizards and ancient Men for years before he ever came up with Bilbo's quest. But it's fortunately that he did, because while "The Hobbit" is overshadowed by the epic sweep of "Lord of the Rings" and the "Silmarillion," it's still an entertaining story that lays the groundwork for his more famous works -- especially the magical Ring that Bilbo finds in Gollum's cavern.
Tolkien's writing is swift, light and full of songs and poetry-laden descriptions, such as interludes in the shimmering, ethereal Rivendell and the cold, terrible Lonely Mountain. The pace in this is much faster than in most of his other works -- not surprising, when you consider it was originally a bedtime story for his children.
Most of the book's action is about Bilbo trying to keep himself and the dwarves from getting eaten, torn apart, or rotting in elf dungeons, but with some quiet interludes like a night at Beorn's mountain home. And the last chapters hint at the epic majesty that Tolkien was capable of, as well as the idea that even little people -- like a mild-mannered hobbit or a bird -- can change the world.
This book also first came up with hobbits -- the peaceful fuzzy-footed countryfolk -- in the form of Bilbo Baggins. He's a likable little guy, if the last person you'd ever expect to be a hero -- initially he seems weak and kind of boring, but his hidden strengths and wits come up to the surface when he needs to. By the end, he's almost a different person.
The dwarves are more comical, and the elves more whimsical in this book, but the supporting characters are still impressive -- the crotchety, mysterious wizard Gandalf, the dignified, flawed Dwarf king Thorin Oakenshield, and a Guardsman who becomes a king. Even minor characters like Beorn, Elrond and the menacing Smaug are given plenty of dimension.
The 70th anniversary edition has some nice extras -- Tolkien's son Christopher wrote a new prologue for it, which is never quite as interesting as it should be. It also contains reedited text, foldouts, and it apparently has all of Tolkien's quirky, solid illustrations.
That's more, this nicely-bound edition includes a duplicate of the original cover, from when the book was originally published -- a gorgeous scenic view of mountains, forests and sky, all done in black, green and blue, with runes all around the edges.
"The Hobbit" started as a fluke, grew into a bedtime story, and became one of the best fantasy stories in literary history -- a charming adventure in the time that never was. Brilliant.













