The Hobbit, or There and Back Again

Boston / New York: William Morrow / Harper Collins, 2012. Reprint. Trade Paperback. Fine. 5x0x8. Tolkien, J.R.R. Recent reprint. Brand new from publisher. 2012 Trade Paperback. 300 pp. Maps precede and follow text, black-and-white illustrations by J.R.R. Tolkien. The classic prelude to The Lord of the Rings. "In a hole in the ground there lived a hobbit." So begins one of the most beloved and delightful tales in the English language - Tolkien's prelude to The Lord of the Rings. Set in the imaginary world of Middle-earth, at once a classic myth and a modern fairy tale, The Hobbit is one of literature's most enduring and well-loved novels. 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.