The Annotated Hobbit - Hardcover

J.R.R. Tolkien

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0618134700 ISBN 13: 9780618134700

Publisher: William Morrow, 2002

Synopsis

For readers throughout the world, The Hobbit serves as an introduction to the enchanting world of Middle-earth, home of elves, wizards, dwarves, goblins, dragons, orcs and a host of other creatures depicted in The Lord of the Rings and The Silmarillion -- tales that sprang from the mind of the most beloved author of all time, J.R.R. Tolkien.
Newly expanded and completely redesigned, Douglas A. Anderson's The Annotated Hobbit is the definitive explication of the sources, characters, places, and things of J.R.R. Tolkien's timeless classic. Integrated with Anderson's notes and placed alongside the fully restored and corrected text of the original story are more than 150 illustrations showing visual interpretations of The Hobbit specific to many of the cultures that have come to know and love Tolkien's Middle-earth. Tolkien's original line drawings, maps and color paintings are also included, making this the most lavishly informative edition of The Hobbit available.
The Annotated Hobbit shows how Tolkien worked as a writer, what his influences and interests were, and how these relate to the invented world of Middle-earth. It gives a valuable overview of Tolkien's life and the publishing history of The Hobbit, and explains how every feature of The Hobbit fits within the rest of Tolkien's invented world. Here we learn how Gollum's character was revised to accommodate the true nature of the One Ring, and we can read the full text of The Quest of Erebor, Gandalf's explanation of how he came to send Bilbo Baggins on his journey with the dwarves. Anderson also makes meaningful and often surprising connections to our own world and literary history -- from Beowulf to The Marvellous Land of Snergs, from the Brothers Grimm to C. S. Lewis.

About this title

Review

The Hobbit

Six Different Editions

Pick the version of the Hobbit that best suits your needs.

The Hobbit; or, There and Back Again

The Hobbit; or, There and Back Again

A great modern classic and the prelude to The Lord of the Rings, with an iconic cover inspired by Tolkien’s designs.

The Hobbit: Deluxe Pocket Edition

The Hobbit: Deluxe Pocket Edition

This charming deluxe pocket-sized edition contains the complete unabridged text and features a beautiful leatherette cover and gilt-edging. The perfect gift for little Hobbits everywhere!

Hobbit Illustrated Edition

Hobbit Illustrated Edition

A beautiful gift edition of J.R.R. Tolkien's enchanting tale, fully illustrated by Jemima Catlin.

Hobbit 75th Anniversary Edition

Hobbit 75th Anniversary Edition

This deluxe hardcover edition of J.R.R. Tolkien's classic prelude to his Lord of the Rings trilogy contains a short introduction by Christopher Tolkien, a reset text incorporating the most up-to-date corrections, and all of Tolkien’s own drawings and full-color illustrations, including the rare “Mirkwood” piece.

Hobbit Young Reader’s Edition

Hobbit Young Reader’s Edition

The text in this 372-page paperback edition is based on that first published in Great Britain by Collins Modern Classics (1998), and includes a note on the text by Douglas A. Anderson (2001).

Hobbit Collector’s Edition

Hobbit Collector’s Edition

This deluxe collector's edition of Tolkien's modern classic is boxed and bound in green leatherette with gold and red foil rune stamping on the spine and cover. The text pages are printed in black with green accents. It includes five full page illustrations in full color and many more in two colors, in addition to Thror's map -- all prepared by the author.

Review

From the Illustrated Edition of The Hobbit

"[This was] in fact no other than the great Thorin Oakenshield himself, who was not at all pleased at falling flat on Bilbo's mat with Bifur, Bofur, and Bombur on top of him." "All that the unsuspecting Bilbo saw that morning was an old man with a staff. He had a tall pointed blue hat, a long grey cloak, a silver scarf over which his long white beard hung down below his waist, and immense black boots." "Smaug lay, with wings folded like an immeasurable bat, turned partly on one side, so that the hobbit could see his underparts and his long pale belly crusted with gems and fragments of gold from his long lying on his costly bed."

Edition details

• Publisher: William Morrow
• Publication date: 2002
• ISBN 10: 0618134700
• ISBN 13: 9780618134700
• Binding: Hardcover
• Language: English
• Number of pages: 399
• Editor: Douglas A. Anderson