The Hobbit Third Edition Fifth Impression

J.R.R. Tolkien

Published by George Allen and Unwin, London, 1970

About this Item

This is a great copy of the 3rd Edition 5th Impression of the Hobbit from 1970 by J.R.R. Tolkien published by George Allen and Unwin in London with 4 colored illustration plates along with the black and white.

The Hobbit, or There and Back Again is a children's fantasy novel by the English author J. R. R. Tolkien. It was published in 1937 to wide critical acclaim, being nominated for the Carnegie Medal and awarded a prize from the New York Herald Tribune for best juvenile fiction. It is recognized as a classic in children's literature and is one of the best-selling books of all time, with over 100 million copies sold.

The Hobbit is set in Middle-earth and follows home-loving Bilbo Baggins, the titular hobbit who joins the wizard Gandalf and the thirteen dwarves of Thorin's Company on a quest to reclaim the dwarves' home and treasure from the dragon Smaug. Bilbo's journey takes him from his peaceful rural surroundings into more sinister territory.

It was not Tolkien?s original ambition to become a popular author. Instead, he was interested in philology, particularly the ancient languages and epic literature of the Anglo-Saxons and Scandinavians. After graduating from Oxford he served in the First World War, then returned to the UK to take up a post as lecturer in Philology, first at Leeds and then at Oxford.

As early as 1918 Tolkien was devising the elaborate mythology and languages that would form the basis for the Middle Earth of his novels, but his first fantasy book didn?t begin to take shape until the late 1920s, when he told his young sons the stories that would become The Hobbit. These were first written down in the early 30s, and in 1936 a former student recommended the story to the publishers Allen & Unwin, who agreed to publish the book following an excited review from their most suitable reader, Stanley Unwin?s ten-year-old son Rayner.

Seller Inventory # ABE-1771968771966

Bibliographic Details

• Title: The Hobbit Third Edition Fifth Impression
• Publisher: George Allen and Unwin, London
• Publication Date: 1970
• Language: English
• Binding: Hardcover
• Illustrator: J.R.R. Tolkien
• Edition: 3rd Edition
• Printing: 5th or later Printing
• Condition: Fine
• Dust Jacket Condition: Fine