Download the free Kindle app and start reading Kindle books instantly on your smartphone, tablet, or computer - no Kindle device required. Learn more
Read instantly on your browser with Kindle Cloud Reader.
Using your mobile phone camera - scan the code below and download the Kindle app.
The Hobbit or There and Back Again Paperback – September 18, 2012
| J. R. R. Tolkien (Author) Find all the books, read about the author, and more. See search results for this author |
| Price | New from | Used from |
|
Audible Audiobook, Unabridged
"Please retry" |
$0.00
| Free with your Audible trial | |
|
Spiral-bound
"Please retry" | $20.70 | — |
|
Mass Market Paperback
"Please retry" | $4.56 | $0.99 |
|
Audio CD, CD, Unabridged
"Please retry" | $18.47 | $8.85 |
- Kindle
$0.00 Read with Kindle Unlimited to also enjoy access to over 1 million more titles $11.99 to buy -
Audiobook
$0.00 Free with your Audible trial - Hardcover
$27.4950 Used from $7.73 34 New from $23.91 3 Collectible from $30.00 - Paperback
$4.9573 Used from $1.46 2 New from $12.00 2 Collectible from $9.00 - Spiral-bound
$20.701 New from $20.70 - Mass Market Paperback
$7.99296 Used from $0.99 44 New from $4.56 17 Collectible from $2.99 - Audio CD
$24.7712 Used from $8.85 8 New from $18.47 - Rag Book
from $15.591 Used from $15.59
J.R.R. Tolkien's classic prelude to The Lord of the Rings trilogynow available in a movie tie-in edition paperback.
Bilbo Baggins is a hobbit who enjoys a comfortable, unambitious life, rarely traveling any farther than his pantry or cellar. But his contentment is disturbed when the wizard Gandalf and a company of dwarves arrive on his doorstep one day to whisk him away on an adventure. They have launched a plot to raid the treasure hoard guarded by Smaug the Magnificent, a large and very dangerous dragon. Bilbo reluctantly joins their quest, unaware that on his journey to the Lonely Mountain he will encounter both a magic ring and a frightening creature known as Gollum.
Written for J.R.R. Tolkien's own children, The Hobbit has sold many millions of copies worldwide and established itself as a modern classic.
- Print length300 pages
- LanguageEnglish
- PublisherMariner Books
- Publication dateSeptember 18, 2012
- Dimensions5 x 0.75 x 8 inches
- ISBN-100547844972
- ISBN-13978-0547844978
The Amazon Book Review
Book recommendations, author interviews, editors' picks, and more. Read it now.
Customers who viewed this item also viewed
Customers who bought this item also bought
If more of us valued food and cheer and song above hoarded gold, it would be a merrier world.Highlighted by 11,906 Kindle readers
It does not do to leave a live dragon out of your calculations, if you live near him.Highlighted by 6,485 Kindle readers
“Go back?” he thought. “No good at all! Go sideways? Impossible! Go forward? Only thing to do! On we go!”Highlighted by 5,591 Kindle readers
Editorial Reviews
Review
"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
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.
Don't have a Kindle? Get your Kindle here, or download a FREE Kindle Reading App.
Product details
- Publisher : Mariner Books; Media Tie In, Reprint edition (September 18, 2012)
- Language : English
- Paperback : 300 pages
- ISBN-10 : 0547844972
- ISBN-13 : 978-0547844978
- Item Weight : 12 ounces
- Dimensions : 5 x 0.75 x 8 inches
- Best Sellers Rank: #1,906,365 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #5,850 in Classic American Literature
- #32,889 in Epic Fantasy (Books)
- #43,601 in Classic Literature & Fiction
- Customer Reviews:
About the author

J.R.R. Tolkien was born on 3rd January 1892. After serving in the First World War, he became best known for The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings, selling 150 million copies in more than 40 languages worldwide. Awarded the CBE and an honorary Doctorate of Letters from Oxford University, he died in 1973 at the age of 81.
Customer reviews
Customer Reviews, including Product Star Ratings help customers to learn more about the product and decide whether it is the right product for them.
To calculate the overall star rating and percentage breakdown by star, we don’t use a simple average. Instead, our system considers things like how recent a review is and if the reviewer bought the item on Amazon. It also analyzed reviews to verify trustworthiness.
Learn more how customers reviews work on AmazonReviewed in the United States on February 14, 2021
Top reviews from the United States
There was a problem filtering reviews right now. Please try again later.
There's really not much I can say here that hasn't already been said. The Kindle Version is JUST like the old tattered paper back I have in my bookshelf (I actually purchased the deluxe set to replace said tattered copy). I'm really glad I have this as apart of my kindle library! It definitely held up to the paper back and kept the magic of Tolkien with little to no changes in the editing.
It also doesn't contain any of the maps or diagrams. There's another version (75th Anniversary Edition) that has a bunch of added stuff that is sort of fluff (like actual Tolkien audio snippets), but it has the maps. The maps are pretty important to understanding the relationships between places mentioned in the story, given that it's one massive road trip.
I've re-visited them quite a few times over the years, and when the Kindle editions became available, and for a very reasonable price, I decided to grab them both. I've examined the formatting and functionality, and have found that they are well done Kindle editions with fully functioning table of contents and links. The maps and illustrations are just barely readable on the displays of any of the black-and-white regular Kindle models, and even when viewed on a full sized color display (on my iMac, for example), they are small and somewhat blurred. That is really the only disadvantage to this Kindle version that I think is worth pointing out.
Overall these Kindle versions bring the The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings to my favorite reading device, and I can now have them with me at all times to enjoy conveniently wherever I may happen to be.
(Note regarding pricing for the Kindle versions - I was able to get both of these Kindle editions for three bucks each here on Amazon, so it is worth keeping an eye on them as they do go on sale from time to time).
Packaging - unsatisfactory. Amazon, you need to do a better job packaging books. This expensive, brand new hardcover arrived with bumped corners. Simply putting a book in a cardboard box, with nothing to keep it protected from shifting during shipment, is unsatisfactory. This is not the first book that’s arrived damaged. I would return it, but I know the replacement wouldn’t be packaged any better 😤 I think I will start buying our books from retailers who take pride in how they package their books.
By Runner Momma on February 13, 2021
Packaging - unsatisfactory. Amazon, you need to do a better job packaging books. This expensive, brand new hardcover arrived with bumped corners. Simply putting a book in a cardboard box, with nothing to keep it protected from shifting during shipment, is unsatisfactory. This is not the first book that’s arrived damaged. I would return it, but I know the replacement wouldn’t be packaged any better 😤 I think I will start buying our books from retailers who take pride in how they package their books.
Top reviews from other countries
One of my favourite genres seems to have gone to the wargs in the last few years. The rot probably started when J.K. Rowling introduced a new generation of young people to the joys of fantasy fiction. Standards dropped and social media helped create huge fandoms, and cult like followers, loyal to the brand. Fan fiction has also allowed anyone, no matter the talent, to write a "book" based on any intellectual property they fancy. Then Twilight happened and that was the beginning of the end. Publishers saw the kind of drivel that could make them rich and the Young Adult Fantasy genre was ripe for the picking. It began to move towards a new type of story, appealing to a new audience and asking a new question.
"What if Fantasy but with a girl one?"
Alongside the Strong-Female-Character™ protagonist, this new normal often contains a sprinkling of the following; "diversity*", some unsubtle social commentary, a patriarchal villain and most importantly, a poorly written, chemistry free romance with a handsome boy/angel/girl/minority/vampire/furry/other** that takes up half the book, often causing the plot to grind to a halt so the perfect lovers can stare passionately at each other for 50 pages. Bonus points for inserting a third wheel to create some false tension and so fans can pick a team.
After all, these books are written primarily for teenage girls, by former teenage girls***. Then there are the hordes of twenty-something women that receive advanced review copies and post their reviews on Goodreads****. These Goodreads girls, as I shall call them, might not be able to make a book successful, but they surely hold sway with publishers and more importantly, the content they publish. For it is said that "those who control the review copies, control the genre".
Thank Tolkien then, for the classics, and for the sexless, romance free world of The Hobbit. Although not entirely romance free as this book contains a beautiful relationship between a Gollum and his precious. Then there's the love between a Hobbit and his home, his breakfast/second breakfast/lunch/afternoon tea/supper/dinner/elevenses and his weed. Then finally there's the relationship between a dragon and/or a dwarf, and his treasure.
I'd take that superficial love over all the beautiful-perfect-people-fall-in-love-because-they're-both-beautiful-and-perfect-and-sometimes-there's-a-faux-love-triangle dross, that's infected the YA Fantasy genre since Twilight first ruined the word twilight.
I never thought I'd be pining for the days of Hunger Games knock-offs, but here we are.
But what of The Hobbit, you ask? Well, it's one of the finest young adult books ever written. At it's heart, The Hobbit is an adventure story. THE adventure story really. In fact, it's so jam packed with adventure, there's very little time for character development. Bilbo gets the lion's share and it's his adventure so I can't really grumble too much about the rather bland companions. Besides, there's so many wonderful things crammed into this short novel, it's never anything less than an entertaining page turner.
I truly envy any child who has yet to experience The Hobbit in book form as they read -or are read to- about Bilbo Baggins, dwarven guests, pipe smoking wizards, singing elves, hungry trolls, goblin caves, tricksy riddles, magic rings, eagle saviours, shape-shifting men, murky forests, giant spiders, prison breaks, barrel riding, secret doorways, greedy dragons, brave bowmen, brave hobbits, great battles and most of all, burglary. Saviour this book. Read it to your kids and hope it inspires them to read more, and maybe even to write. The beginnings of the next Fantasy classic might be this one story away... Someone has to drag the genre back from the brink.
If, like me, you have the stunted, feeble arms of a mammalian T-Rex, then you can listen to The Hobbit on audiobook, and it is a fine way to experience this most excellent of adventures. This review is based on the rather wonderful recording by Andy "CGI" Serkis. Riddles in the dark is even more memorable with the voice of Gollum™ and the whole thing is a joy to listen to.
I can't say anymore really, just read it if you haven't. There are still quality YA fantasy books to be found, even if you have to go 'there and back again' to find them.
* Black, trans and/or lesbian minorities -in order of perceived oppression by the American online- are the click generating hashtags of the moment. Make said minority the main character for more critical acclaim but less commercial gain. The readers might claim to be allies who want to read more books from a none cis-hetero perspective, but what they really, really want is a book in which the straight, white, female protagonist (them), gets a beautiful, shiny boy.
** But mostly boys, because that's hot insert-self fan fiction in the making.
*** Who may have started out writing terrible fan fiction. I blame Twilight, fifty shades of grey and low standards of literacy for this.
**** They're also liable to have Instagram accounts full of pictures of books next to foodstuffs, candles (dangerous), flora (not the marge), bedding and Apple products. The book lovers lifestyle is obviously lots of reading in bed by candlelight, surrounded by houseplants, munching on snacks and incessantly checking ones social media
Having watched the three Hobbit films a few years back, and having only a vague recollection of their events, I was unsure what to expect when I started this book, needless to say I thoroughly enjoyed it. I love reading classical literature that has this beautiful old-timey English and the Hobbit was no exception, the wonder and pureness of it never fails to transport me into days gone by.
Bilbo is a funny, likeable character who’s thoughts actions and conversations are so wonderfully innocent that I immediately fell in love with him. His character evolution throughout the book made reading this a true delight. My only complaint is that I didn’t read this sooner.
It really isn’t difficult to see why this book became a classic and I honestly believe that regardless of your age, knowledge of middle-earth or affinity for the fantasy genre, there’s something that everyone can take away from reading this.
— 1.1. Esta é uma avaliação da edição ilustrada para Kindle, que comprei por R$ 7,00.
— 1.2. Embora eu não tenha um conhecimento profundo da gramática inglesa, creio poder afirmar que a edição é correta, sem falhas significativas de revisão.
— 1.3. O e-book é ilustrado, mas suas bonitas imagens só serão aproveitadas de fato por quem o ler em uma tela colorida. No Kindle convencional elas ficam pequenas e muito acinzentadas. Ademais, as páginas ilustradas demoram um bocado para carregar; meu Kindle é meio antigo, mas não sei se é por isso ou por conta do tamanho dos arquivos de imagem.
— 1.4. A aventura narrada em “The Hobbit” passa-se na Terra Média, vasto ambiente ficcional criado por Tolkien, que fez acompanharem o livro dois mapas. Estes também são difíceis de consultar no e-reader; num livro físico basta virar as páginas, mas no digital é preciso “navegar” pelo arquivo, o que toma tempo e dificulta a leitura. Sugiro abrir os mapas no “Kindle para PC” e imprimi-los. Tentarei também anexá-los a esta resenha.
— 1.5. Há algumas notas de rodapé, cuja interligação não funcionou muito bem em meu Kindle. Nada que prejudicasse a compreensão do texto.
🐉🗻 — 2. SOBRE A HISTÓRIA
— 2.1. Os fatos relatados em “O Hobbit” são anteriores àqueles de “O Senhor dos Anéis”; o protagonista do primeiro, Bilbo Baggins, é tio de Frodo, portador do Um Anel no segundo.
— 2.2. As referências de “O Hobbit” a “O Silmarillion”, espécie de Antigo Testamento* do universo mítico de Tolkien, são poucas e fáceis; não é necessário ler este para entender o aquele. Por outro lado, recomendo a leitura tanto do “Hobbit” quanto do “Silmarillion” como preparação para encarar o “Senhor dos Anéis”.
(*Sobre a expressão “Antigo Testamento”, v. esta resenha ao Silmarillion:
https://www.amazon.com.br/review/R2V06SSYIKA1ZY/ref=cm_cr_srp_d_rdp_perm?ie=UTF8 🔗)
— 2.3. O inglês de “O Hobbit” é relativamente simples; embora o autor utilize alguns termos arcaicos, sua sintaxe é clara e o vocabulário pode ser dominado logo (sugiro a consulta ao “Google Imagens” para os nomes de acidentes geográficos).
Enquanto em “O Silmarillion” temos uma narrativa em tom mítico e estilo bíblico, e no “Senhor dos Anéis” uma fantasia épica com traços de romance aventuresco, “O Hobbit” é praticamente de conto de fadas. Não se pense, porém, que com isso seja uma história para criancinhas; esta narrativa fantástica é capaz de produzir e sustentar uma impressão de “sabedoria latente” — vetusta como Gandalf, caseira como Bilbo — que, a par das peripécias, muito entreterá o leitor adulto.
A aventura de Bilbo Baggins, seu “there and back again”, é um processo de transformação vital, no qual cada um de nós poderá se enxergar, mas cada um de maneira sempre particular, levemente adaptada ou traduzida. Eis aí uma possível definição de “símbolo”.
— 2.4. Ainda sobre a linguagem empregada, vale destacar a relação lúdica que Tolkien estabelece com a sonoridade, com a melodia da língua inglesa. As canções de elfos e anões são prova disso, e na pena do autor até as preposições, que têm fama de vazias e sensaboronas, ganham relevo:
«The return of Mr. Bilbo Baggins created quite a disturbance, both under the Hill and over the Hill, and across the Water; it was a great deal more than a nine days’ wonder.»
As primeiras páginas do Capítulo V, “Riddles in the Dark”, brindam-nos com uma série de frases deliciosas. Olhe por alguns instantes para fotografias do velho J.R.R. Tolkien, e em seguida leia seu texto em voz alta, como um avô lendo para seus netos — ou como seu avô para você.
« Deep down here by the dark water lived old Gollum, a small slimy creature. I don’t know where he came from, nor who or what he was. He was Gollum — as dark as darkness, except for two big round pale eyes in his thin face. He had a little boat, and he rowed about quite quietly on the lake; for lake it was, wide and deep and deadly cold. »
— 2.5. Por fim, Tolkien mostra-se habilidoso na técnica de produzir tempo e espaço com palavras. “O Hobbit” é um conto de aventura e viagem, e para descrever uma viagem é preciso fazer com que a distância entre os diferentes cenários deixe-se sentir por mais do que palavras indicativas de lapso temporal (“três dias”) ou espacial (“trinta milhas”).
Temos o mapa, é claro, mas acima do mapa reina a história; a esta Tolkien confere duração por meio do ritmo das frases, da inclusão de detalhes e acontecimentos intermediários, da alternância de aspetos objetivos (auroras e crepúsculos, estações do ano, paisagens) e subjetivos (fome, sono, cansaço, ânimo), facultando ao leitor uma experiência espessa, no tempo e no espaço, da jornada de Bilbo, Gandalf e os anões.
🐉🗻 — 3. VEREDICTO
« In a hole in the ground there lived a hobbit. Not a nasty, dirty, wet hole, filled with the ends of worms and an oozy smell, nor yet a dry, bare, sandy hole with nothing in it to sit down on or to eat: it was a hobbit-hole, and that means comfort. »
“O Hobbit” não uma história genial e grandiosa, mas justa e boa, que nos captura com facilidade e consegue ir além do mero entretenimento. A edição é barata, o que compensa as dificuldades que relatei — mapas, ilustrações, notas.
De zero a dez, temos uma nota oito — mas um oito cheio, redondo, numa poltrona confortável e com um café pequeno ao lado. Não há nota mais digna para um Hobbit.
I would imagine it would be quite difficult to find someone who didn't know the tale of The Hobbit, at the very least from the movies. But The Hobbit, the novel, is something else entirely and an experience all its own. Tolkien's narrative is lyrical, completely compelling and, whilst not nonsensical at all, has a whimsical feel to it akin to Alice in Wonderland. I adored how the story is addressed to the reader, as though a secret is being shared of a story well-known and enjoyed between friends. Perhaps that was Tolkien's intention, given that it was ostensibly a tale to entertain his children, initially.
There are some unusual choices and some areas which, for me, lack depth. It feels absolutely crazy to say that about a world so rich and beautiful, but The Hobbit really does feel like a more accessible and less descriptive world than that of The Lord of the Rings, presumably to allow for a younger audience to enjoy it. Battle scenes, deaths and transitions between key moments are sometimes more quickly resolved than I expected from such a rich tapestry, and character connections are formed with the reader from very superficial descriptions. Because of this, I didn't enjoy the book as much as I expected to, and nor did I really feel the connection I hoped to with key characters. But you'd be hard pressed to criticise this book anywhere else.
The Hobbit is a perfect adventure; a terrifying, hilarious and heart warming combination uniquely its own. Tolkien's imagination is limitless, and The Hobbit feels so small in the grand scheme of the world he created, but it's a world I would gladly explore to the ends of its map.















