... has left me with several book versions of this wonderful story. This rendition of the hobbit is a ...
926650
I've been a fan of the hobbit (book) since my father read it to me as a nighttime story and my fondness of the story has left me with several book versions of this wonderful story.  This rendition of the hobbit is a fantastic addition to any bookshelf.  This Hobbit story is small enough to fit into a jacket pocket and carry around with you when you have time or need to escape into an adventure!
2257104
Read The Hobbit as a teenager and loved it.  Read it again and loved it even more.  Kindle version has excerpts read by Tolkien himself and it was breathtaking to hear this master storyteller say the words the way they were meant to be read.
1704500
I have read this little gem at least a dozen times over the past many years and I still laugh out loud throughout much of the read. You really have to be a great fan / admirer of the original story as well as Professor Tolkien to appreciate this re-telling. Having it in hardcover is great as the paperback simply cannot take years of re-reading.
1000193
This is my least favorite of the Narnia stories, and always has been. Either it's because I read this one first, and have read it more times than the others, or it's because I just generally find the others to be more fascinating. Either way, I listened to it as I am going through all the Narnia stories in audio form, for yet another reread of these stories that I have been reading since grade school.

This story is a fantasy take on the resurrection of Christ. The Christ like figure is the lion Aslan, and the son of the creator (emperor) of Narnia. 4 children from England during WWII find their way into this fantasy land by a wardrobe that exists in their uncle's house. The children are humans and Narnia is a land of fairy creatures and talking animals. But the children are here by Aslan, and they are to save his creation.

The voice acting on this story was excellent, one of the best I've heard. The actor must of has 20 different voices for all the characters. So this was a very good production of the story in audio form.
3509124
This is a story written by J.J.R. Toliken and it is a fantasy and classical book. But please read even it is Classic because it is humorous and fun to watch the little hobbit named Bilbo going around and making  funs. Also this story is very simple worded and i sure could tell you that  by just reading the first twenty pages. This book will make you turn pages  and pages. It's fascinating and it's a part of the British literature. You  will also find that this book is not the same as the other book because  J.J.R Toliken had made such careful and intensive on this book, he created  one whole new world with language, culture, calenders, etc. I am sure that  it will help you because it have given such great influence about different  methaphors. (p.s. this story has many poems and there are few old british  words that are not found today)
3011032
This is the book that started an industry. Written for children, it is a wonderful piece of magical fiction that was loved by children and adults alike from the 1930s onwards. When Tolkien eventually wrote the more mature "Lord of the Rings" story, he went back and changed some parts of the Hobbit to tie in more closely with that story - and it was this revised version that I read.

But this book works well on its own. Despite being written a long time ago now, it still reads well. It is exciting, hugely imaginative and with nearly all the classic story elements that make a good tale.

Hobbits are a people who keep themselves to themselves, so a company of dwarves are confused as to why the wizard, Gandalf, chooses one Bilbo Baggins to be the company "burglar" in their quest to find and defeat the dragon Smaug. But before long Bilbo proves his worth.

The final part of the book is amusing. I won't detail it to avoid spoilers - but it wraps up the grand adventure very nicely.

The Hobbit is Tolkien's most accessible work. Many people skip it and go straight to "The Lord of the Rings", but I think this is a mistake. The book was clearly written for children, but that should not put off older readers - there is plenty to enjoy in this book.
2918875
Loved the movie so much that I had to read the book.  Tolkien's  genius , imagination, vision and rarely matched ability to weave such a unique and believable world is astounding.  If I didn't know better I would think I was reading actual events from history.  I'm glad that I read the book AFTER watching the movie (several time I might add and I just purchased the extended blue ray edition from Amazon) because it left me unbiased and  free to loved and appreciated both but for different reasons (IMO, usually if one reads the book first they are forever making comparisons to the book that more  often than not  leave them dissatisfied with the movie version.)  I still find myself amazed that Tolkein could remember so many details and relate this story in such vivid voice.  BTW, I literally just finished reading the Lords Of the Rings for the first time and find myself in awe of Tolkien vision and literary genius even more.

Gosh, I wish that there were more authors still alive that have Tolkien's  vision, depth and talent for writing Epic Fantasy Series.  The only person that I can think of that even comes close is the author of The Game of Thrones Series.  However, alas, I really don't think that he is going to finish the series because I think that he is "Stuck" and doesn't have a vision of how to proceed and/or how to end the series which is very sad because I really love the books in the series so far.
For me, the book was a wee bit slow paced at times but I will forever remember the literary experience and pleasure of having read it.  It is a wonderful children's book but is appropriate for anyone seeking to immerse themselves into a  world  of mystery, danger, suspense, joy, sadness, lore, wonderful characters, beings and creatures from which they may never want to leave!
1341654
Let's face it -- there is nothing that can be written about the actual story of "The Hobbit" that has not been written about a bazillion times before.  Much more accessible than the Lord of the Rings trilogy, J.R.R. Tolkien's delightful tale of Bilbo Baggins' adventures will delight you, dear reader, no matter what your age.  Enough said about that.

What I will opine about is this edition.  I had this when I was a youngster but over the years the book disappeared.  I always swore that some day I would get another copy and now that I have, I remember why I loved it so much.  This hardbound copy comes handsomely detailed on the cover with elvish runes (you can even find out in the book what they mean!)  The illustrations and maps inside are lively and add to the reader's enjoyment.  The paper quality and the binding are decent, but nothing to write home about.  Still, my 8-year old has started reading the book and it hasn't fallen apart yet, so it seems pretty well made.

The bottom line is that I have read other editions of "The Hobbit" -- several -- and I prefer this one over all others.  Some stories just deserve a substantial feel that paperbacks cannot convey.  It's a matter of permanency, and certain works like "The Hobbit" will remain after many others have faded.  This edition just feels good in your hands and really does justice to the story and its author.
3441326
I really love the Hobbit.  I have read it so many times that my paperback copy has
fallen apart and needed replaced.
1236386
I cannot tell you how many times I have read this book. While Tolkien is not my favorite writer by any means, this is my favorite novel of all times. I believe that Tolkien's talent lies in character, relationship and world building and that's what makes books go from GOOD to GREAT to AWESOME. I really adore the characters in this book and Bilbo will always have a place in my heart. I 100% recommend picking up the audiobook as well. My favorite thing to do after a hard week is to put on the audio book and bake bread while I delve into words I've practically memorized. The audible audio book has little to no frills and the narrator does a phenomenal job at keeping to the heart of the series. You can tell who the different characters are by the subtle changes in his voice, yet he's not so drastically different that it's disorienting.

There's really not much I can say here that hasn't already been said. The Kindle Version is JUST like the old tattered paper back I have in my bookshelf (I actually purchased the deluxe set to replace said tattered copy). I'm really glad I have this as apart of my kindle library! It definitely held up to the paper back and kept the magic of Tolkien with little to no changes in the editing.
2999887
I am the type of reader who will pick up a book and spend months reading it.  I go through books in different cycles.  Sometimes I can't put them down.  Sometimes it takes me forever to finish them.  In regards to The Hobbit, I can say that I have read and reread this wonderful book many times.  While I have read The Lord of the Rings trilogy, and most would curse me in some form of literary blasphemy, I have to admit that I enjoyed this book more than the trilogy.  If I remember correctly I've read it about five or six times.  (Coming from a very inconsistent reader, it has to be a pretty good recommendation.)  While I loved the trilogy, I did find that the pacing of The Hobbit to be much better, and aside from the fact that this book was geared more towards children, I found the story to be exciting and very entertaining to read.  (I suppose I am a bit biased since I watched the cartoon movie from when I was a child and this film greatly fascinated me, enough to end up reading the novel.)  Regardless of the fact that this novel was geared towards a younger audience, one can't deny that it holds its own as a great tale of adventure and personal growth.  Bilbo Baggins' transformation is one that all readers can relate to.  One can't deny the impact Tolkien's work has had on the world of literature, and this piece is no exception.  In all this book is a wonderful introduction to the world of J. R. R. Tolkien's Middle Earth and whether or not readers venture into his other books, they  will find this one to be entertaining and exciting to read.
1134806
I bought this edition back in 1997. I was blown away by the story and the way Tolkien was able to create an entire world rich with interesting races, creatures, and places. His descriptions are amazing. You will be drawn into Middle Earth like a moth to a flame.

So, then the movies came out. I watch them every year during the Holidays. So, they are fairly well ingrained into my memory. I had forgotten much of the original story. So, I decided to read the book again. I found it even better the second time around. If you've never read the book and have watched the movies, I urge you to savor every word that Tolkien wrote. The movies are different from the book. The basic story is the same, but many details and scenes were left out.

As others have said, there are a few minor printing issues with this edition. Some of the text is printed a little lighter than the rest on the page. But, it is completely readable. The artwork by Alan Lee more than makes up for this minor annoyance.

I was very sad when I came to the end of this epic tale. I want more!
3712334
We love the Hobbit! What a fabulous story written by an Amazing author. This version is illustrated by Jemima Caitlin and it is well done, though a few caveats. I feel like on some of the pages the illustrations give away too much too early since there is a lot of text to get through and my kids are asking what is happening in the picture and we haven't gotten to that yet. But overall it's well done. The cover is a fabric like material with a screen printed/embossed image. It is definitely a lovely book that will look great on your book shelf for years to come. I have already read it twice to my 6 year old and she loved it. The book is WAY better than the movies. You definitely should read the book no matter what. All kids should get a chance to read Tolkien. He is such a fabulous author and story teller. He doesn't tell a lot of detail just for the sake of making the book longer, but for genuinely setting the scene and giving you the detail you need to understand what is going on and the journey they have before them, the scenery and/or treachery that lies ahead. But it doesn't drag on and make you want to skip to the "action". You really want to hear it all and take it all in and are building this whole world in your mind.

I also wish there were more maps included or drawings of their journey throughout. I think it is illustrated well but a handful more illustrations and maps would have been lovely for an illustrated edition.

I would SO love to see a companion to this book for the LOTR trilogy perhaps by another illustrator even... no offense to Ms. Caitlin at all...just someone with a deeper interest into the lore of Middle earth and not quite such a whimsical theme as the work in The Hobbit version here. Maybe drawing some influence by the movie artwork and that of Alan Lee but still being family/kid friendly. I would pay $20-$30 per book for that if it is well done and bound well.
1920923
This is a fantasy-adventure story similar to "The Never Ending Story", where a boy feeling out of place goes off to a far away world.  The yearning and wonderment of the protagonist at the end of the novel has always stayed with me.  I looked this up and found a used version on Amazon for cheap.  I always liked the jagged pages that come with version, it further added to the story.  The beginning was a little difficult to follow when I was 9 or 10 as were some other bits of the book but later re-reads over the years brought these bits into focus and I was able to enjoy the book on a new level the older I got.  How this hasn't been optioned as movie with today's CGI capabilities is beyond me.
3718768
I now have four different versions of this book...two soft covers, a hard cover, and now a kindle version. This is probably one of the best stories I have read and I enjoy the existential approach that this story offers...for we are all children of the great IS.
79825
if you love the book you will like this animated version, i still have my original vhs copy of this movie, and its cool to see it re-realesed on dvd, its a good adaption of the book version i used to get read this story as a young kid from my great grandmother, long before i ever saw this movie version of it, and she was in love with the book, but myself i was never a big fan of the story as i always hated the ending, so happy and so sad all at the same time, but still a pretty good story, and just like the ending of the book the ending of this movie always makes me cry, this is a good story for all ages.
1782094
I loved the Hobbit when I was little. After the movie came out I wanted to read it again and purchased it through Amazon to share it with my grand kids. They really enjoyed the story and the character I could put into different characters by changing my voice a little It's a great family book to share