The Hobbit, or There and Back Again

TOLKIEN, J. R. R.

Published by Publication Date: 1955

TOLKIEN, J. R. R. The Hobbit, or There and Back Again London: George Allen & Unwin Ltd., 1955 8vo., original dark green cloth, elaborately blocked and lettered in black to both covers and spine; with decorative map endpapers printed in black and red; and a colourful frontispiece on gloss paper showing Hobbiton; enclosed in the original unclipped pictorial dustwrapper (9s. 6d. net to front flap); with the iconic wraparound image printed in black, blue and green showing woodland, mountains, and flying dragons; all by the author; pp. [xi], 12-315, [i]; a wonderful, bright copy internally, one tiny nick to the front endpaper; one small scratch to the outer edge of the text block, and a couple of faint creases to pages, else near-fine; the boards with a hint of pushing to spine tips and touched by sun to the upper edge; text block at head a little dusty; the wrapper similarly excellent and near-fine, with some ever-so-slight darkening and a couple of tiny nicks/rubbing to ends of folds; a couple of spots/patches of browning to the upper panel, mostly though only evident to the verso. Second edition, seventh impression, in the uncommonly bright dustwrapper . Together with The Lord of the Rings, The Hobbit is Tolkien's best-known work, and has been elevated to cult status since its initial publication in 1937. The opening lines 'In a hole in the ground there lived a Hobbit' have become synonymous with a whole generation of fantasy and adventure-seeking readers, and the exploits of characters such as Gandalf, Bilbo, Smaug the dragon and the dwarves have been enmeshed into popular culture. The plot follows the group as they travel to the lonely mountain in order to reclaim the dwarves' ancient home, encountering trolls, goblins, elves and giant spiders along the way, as well as Gollum and the infamous ring, which allows Bilbo to escape and rejoin his company. The book culminates in the dramatic battle of the five armies between the wargs, goblins, dwarves, men and elves, with Bilbo returning home a wealthy man. Tolkien was working at the University of Oxford, and had already experimented with characters such as goblins and gnomes when he conceived of the idea for the Hobbit. In a later letter to W. H. Auden, Tolkien claimed that he was in the middle of marking a series of school certificate papers when he happened across a blank page and, inspired, immediately wrote down the opening lines. Two years later the book was finished, and Tolkien sent early copies to his friends, including C. S. Lewis. It was published in 1937 to great critical acclaim. The Hobbit is one of the best-selling books of all time, with over 100 million copies reportedly sold. It is increasingly hard to find early editions with the wrapper in such bright condition. Seller Inventory # 101

Bibliographic Details

Title: The Hobbit, or There and Back Again
Publication Date: 1955
Binding: Hardcover
Condition: Very Good
Dust Jacket Condition: Dust Jacket Included