The Hobbit, J R R Tolkien

The Hobbit is a novel by J R R Tolkien. It was first published in 1937. I loved this book as a child. I read it again as an “adult” and it hadn’t lost its charm. The only book I found more addictive was Lord of the Rings. Tolkien had a love of language and it shows in his books. This is not surprising as he was a philologist and professor of Anglo-Saxon studies. Tolkien recalls in a letter to W H Auden that the idea for the hobbit came to him in the 1930s whilst marking School Certificate papers. Uninspired by this, he found a blank piece of paper and wrote down the words, “In a hole in the ground there lived a hobbit.”

J R R Tolkien

The book revolves around a small creature with furry feet called Bilbo Baggins of Bag End, The Shire. Happy in his hole in the ground, this hobbit, was not particularly looking for adventure, but adventure came looking for him in the shape of a wizard called Gandalf and twelve dwarves. Thorin Oakenshield, leader of the dwarves plans to claim back the Lonely Mountain back from the dragon Smaug. The dwarves are looking for a burglar for this expedition and Gandalf has suggested Bilbo (unbeknown to him).

The books moves along with pace, jam packed with adventure. All characters and place names are carefully thought out and help to centre the story and fill the imagination. Your mind wanders into this world of Middle Earth and your imagination is filled with Misty Mountains, Mirkwood, The Shire , Lonely Mountains, trolls, goblins, dragons, Gollum, a Neckromanca and much more. Be warned travellers, it’s easy to enter this world, not so easy to get out.