J. R. R. Tolkien: In a Hole in the Ground There Lived ...

The Hobbit: An Illustrated Edition, With Text by J. R. R. Tolkien and Illustrations from the Film by Arthur Rankin, Jr. and Jules Bass. (1977)

One of my inaugurating purchases from the Science Fiction Book Club (four books for a penny plus shipping), probably from late 1978. I wrote my name and phone number in it, because I had to take it to school to show off. Even through all these years I’ve managed to preserve the plastic see-through cover with Smaug on it; the occasional copies I’ve seen in used bookstores are inevitably missing it. It is somewhat brittle. John used to have (still does maybe) a smaller, softcover copy. At the time, the next best thing to having the animated special. Full of cell illustration, production art, and had two foldouts: The Elves capture the Dwarves and The Battle of Five Armies.

Ranking: Bass … I mean, Essential.

File Code: Fantasy. Novel. Animation. Hardback.

The Annotated Hobbit, by J. R. R. Tolkien. Annotated by Douglas A. Anderson. (1988)

“The definitive edition of this beloved children's classic, featuring a wealth of accompanying illustrations and notes which take the reader further into both the story, and the tale of how it was written. … As with all classics, repeated readings continue to bring new detail and perspectives to the reader's mind, and Tolkien's Middle-earth is a vast mine of treasures and knowledge, its roots delving deep into folklore, mythology and language. The Hobbit is, therefore, an ideal book for annotation: as well as offering a marvellous and entrancing story, it introduces the reader to the richly imagined world of Middle-earth, a world more fully and complexly realised in The Lord of the Rings and The Silmarillion. Douglas Anderson's annotations make fascinating reading. Additionally, many of Tolkien's own illustrations embellish the text, and numerous illustrations from foreign editions exhibit an extraordinary range of visual interpretation. In an appendix there are details of the revisions made by Tolkien at various times to the published text, which provide an uncommon and privileged glimpse into the special concerns of an exceptional and painstaking writer.” – Amazon. Includes personal photos and the postcard of ‘The Mountain Spirit’ that Tolkien labeled ‘Origin of Gandalf’. I love a fine annotated edition!

Ranking: Essential.

File Code: Annotated. Fantasy. Novel. Hardback.

The Hobbit, by J. R. R. Tolkien. Illustrated by Michael Hague. (1984)

I had so many other books illustrated by Hague, of course I had to get this one too, especially since it was ‘The Hobbit’. I can’t say I’m especially fond of his Bilbo, though; he looks like he’s five years old and not quite heavy enough. Hague later went on to do illustrations for Easton Press editions of The Lord of the Rings; his style, more suited for juveniles, was not the best fit there, although it brings a good Rackham-esque quality here. I remember when I bought this at Hastings, I was able to bargain for a discount because the cover was damaged.

Ranking: Essential.

File Code: Fantasy. Novel. Hardback. Illustrated.

The Annotated Hobbit by J. R. R. Tolkien: Revised and Expanded Edition. Annotated by Douglas A Anderson. (2002)

“The Annotated Hobbit: Revised and Expanded Edition is a new edition of The Annotated Hobbit (1988). This new edition includes several hard-to-find poems by J.R.R. Tolkien:

• "Goblin Feet"
• "Enigmata Saxonica Nuper Inventa Duo"
• "Iúmonna Gold Galdre Bewunden"
• "Progress in Bimble Town"
• "The Root of the Boot"
• "The Dragon's Visit"
• "Elvish Song in Rivendell" (previously unpublished)
• "Glip" (previously unpublished)
• "The Quest of Erebor"

For readers throughout the world, The Hobbit serves as an introduction to the enchanting world of Middle-earth, home of elves, wizards, dwarves, goblins, dragons, orcs and a host of other creatures depicted in The Lord of the Rings and The Silmarillion -- tales that sprang from the mind of the most beloved author of all time, J.R.R. Tolkien. Newly expanded and completely redesigned, Douglas A. Anderson's The Annotated Hobbit is the definitive explication of the sources, characters, places, and things of J.R.R. Tolkien's timeless classic. Integrated with Anderson's notes and placed alongside the fully restored and corrected text of the original story are more than 150 illustrations showing visual interpretations of The Hobbit specific to many of the cultures that have come to know and love Tolkien's Middle-earth. Tolkien's original line drawings, maps and color paintings are also included, making this the most lavishly informative edition of The Hobbit available. The Annotated Hobbit shows how Tolkien worked as a writer, what his influences and interests were, and how these relate to the invented world of Middle-earth. It gives a valuable overview of Tolkien's life and the publishing history of The Hobbit and explains how every feature of The Hobbit fits within the rest of Tolkien's invented world. Here we learn how Gollum's character was revised to accommodate the true nature of the One Ring, and we can read the full text of The Quest of Erebor, Gandalf's explanation of how he came to send Bilbo Baggins on his journey with the dwarves. Anderson also makes meaningful and often surprising connections to our own world and literary history -- from Beowulf to The Marvellous Land of Snergs, from the Brothers Grimm to C. S. Lewis.” – From the Publisher [quoted on Tolkien Gateway]. Expanded – yet physically smaller than the original, which makes the pictures a little harder to appreciate.

Ranking: Essential.

File Code: Fantasy. Novel. Annotated. Hardback.

The Hobbit, by J. R. R. Tolkien. (2007)

This edition was produced to go along with “The History of The Hobbit” and has all the line and color drawings by Tolkien, and the cover is reproduced exactly to Tolkien’s own original design and desires.

Ranking: Essential.

File Code: Fantasy. Novel. Hardback.

The Hobbit, by J. R. R. Tolkien. Illustrated by Jemima Catlin. (2013)

“The first new illustrated edition of J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Hobbit since Alan Lee’s iconic illustrations brought the much-loved children’s tale to life in 1997. The Hobbit, illustrated by Jemima Catlin, published in both hardback and a deluxe foiled slipcase edition, contains 150 brand new colour illustrations. Jemima’s work is quirky and whimsical, taking inspiration from classic children’s book illustrators like E.H. Shephard’s Winnie the Pooh and Tove Jansson’s Moomins, along with Japanese anime from Studio Ghibli such as Howl’s Moving Castle and Spirited Away.” – tolkienlibrary.com. Not, in my opinion, all that good, but it’s The Hobbit, dammit, and somebody already had it (was it Kenny? Or Morgandy?) and Hobbit envy DEMANDED I have it. I’M the Tolkien guy!

Ranking: Essential.

File Code: Fantasy. Novel. Illustrated. Hardback.

The Hobbit, by J. R. R. Tolkien. (Russian 2005)

“I do not read Russian; I do not speak Russian. So why would I buy (at a rather steep price, at that) a book almost completely in Russian? Why, because it's an edition of The Hobbit with original illustrations, both painted and sketched, of course! I first discovered the existence of this volume on a site called Babel Hobbits (fortuitous name!), a place dedicated to foreign editions of Tolkien. Here I found out not only the date of publication (2005) and the name of the illustrator (Denis Gordeev), but also reproductions (via photographs, not scans) of all the color illustrations. These were detailed enough and obscure enough, due to the book not laying completely flat, to excite my admiration. I could see that here were pictures that were definitely Tolkienian, but untouched by most Western conceptions: a vision characteristically Russian. I conceived the compulsion to own this book. First, I had to make sure I got the right Russian Hobbit. There have been at least several different editions over the years, and some have been re-released in the last decade or so. Apparently there are Tolkien enthusiasts over there as rabid as any in the world. I finally tracked down what I made sure was the correct one on eBay; the seller was actually in Russia, and the shipping was almost half again the cost of the book. Fortunately I was flush at the time with my tax return, so I dropped almost ninety dollars on a book that not only had I read many times before, but at the same time couldn't read at all. And I sat down to wait. It takes a long damn time for a package to come from Russia. I waited almost three months. During that time I constantly fretted; after the second month I checked the mailbox obsessively, and even began to wonder if maybe I had been suckered. What the heck could I do if someone half a world away had simply taken my money and ran? I had almost decided to contact the seller (there was no tracking on the package) if only to comfort myself, when at last a wrinkled, exotic looking bundle finally turned up on the porch. My Russian Hobbit had arrived. It is a beautiful book, and a revelation in person. Not only are there the paintings displayed at Babel Hobbits, there are little pencil sketches on every page to illustrate small elements of the story, if only a pipe or a plant or a sword or a bat. A particularly good one was of Smaug's skeleton moldering on the bottom of Long Lake. Bilbo himself seems based on the body type of a real (human) dwarf; the dwarves are in contrast closer to "normal" body types, and only a little shorter than the elves and men who appear. The style of clothing, weapons, and even hair and beards are (to my eyes) in a definite traditional historic Russian mode. What I found particularly refreshing was the complete freedom from the influence of the Jackson films which has lately swamped Tolkien art.  The type of painting is what I can only describe as a clear "Northern" method, as opposed to the misty "Celtic" style of, say, Alan Lee; it is realistic in depiction and not stylized like other Russian illustrations, especially those clearly aimed at younger readers. Two elements I found interesting were the absence of quotation marks and that the table of contents was placed in the back of the book; I don't know, but it wouldn't surprise me, if this is just true of all Russian books. And so it joins my Tolkien books as certainly the most exotic curiosity in my collection. Its interesting format and unique visual interpretation helps me to once more look at an old favorite in a new way. As a lover of both Middle-earth and book illustration, I am very pleased indeed.” – Power of Babel, (2015).

Ranking: Essential.

File Code: Fantasy. Novel. Russian. Hardback.

The Hobbit, or There and Back Again, by J. R. R. Tolkien; Adapted by Charles Dixon, Illustrated by David Wenzel. A Graphic Novel in Three Parts, Part I (1998), Part II (1999), Part III (1999). Eclipse Books.

“In 1989 The Hobbit was adapted in a three issue comic book series, published by Eclipse Comics. The story was adapted from the original by Chuck Dixon, and illustrated by David T. Wenzel. Even as a young boy David Wenzel, of Durham, knew he wanted to be an artist. When he went to Hartford Art School and read The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien, he knew he wanted to be an illustrator. The Hobbit has been a big part of his life ever since. "Back then, there were no illustrations for the book," he said, "so I started illustrating it because I thought it needed drawings. My senior year I had a show of paintings that I did for The Hobbit and Lord of the Rings."
His drawings at a Simsbury gallery drew the attention of a publisher, who asked him to redo the illustrations for Middle Earth, the World of Tolkien Illustrated. After freelancing for Marvel Comics, he and his friend, Rob Walsh, who was versed in Nordic mythology, decided to work together on a book he had conceived. "The premise," Wenzel said, "was to make one of Tolkien’s character races seem to exist in reality. We found out that there were incidences where dwarfs were integral to moments in history. Some of the hieroglyphics in ancient Egypt show dwarfs making jewelry. Their small hands allowed them to make intricate designs." When a college friend learned that the publisher he was working for was doing a graphic novel version of The Hobbit, he told them, "You gotta call David Wenzel." Wenzel illustrated the three volumes that eventually were compiled into one book.” – TolkienLibrary.com

Ranking: Essential.

File Code: Graphic Novel. Adaptation. Softcovers.

The Hobbit, by J. R. R. Tolkien.

Movie tie-in release (2012), with a photo of Bilbo (Martin Freeman) stepping out of Bag-End. Had to have it.

Ranking: Essential.

File Code: Fantasy. Novel. Softcover.

The Hobbit: A Musical. Book by Ruth Perry, Lyrics by David Rogers. (1972)

“This adaptation of ‘The Hobbit’ is authorized by Professor J. R. R. Tolkien.” When I was in 3^rd Grade in 1972, our class went to see a production of this play put on at the high school by the Drama Department under Nancy Rowley. This was my first introduction to the world of Middle-Earth, and Tolkien was still alive; he would pass away in the September of 1973. Years later when I was in the drama class myself, I got this play from her library, along with a couple of pointed dwarf-hats and Bilbo’s green bobble hat that were still in the wardrobe. I remember seeing “Thorin Was Here” painted on some of the old flats. It seemed unbearably ancient to me then, and now … it’s like the memory of the memory of a forgotten world.

Ranking: Essential.

File Code: Play. Adaptation. Softcover.

The Hobbit, by J. R. R. Tolkien. Illustrated by the Author. (1988)

Houghton Mifflin. Softcover with a dust jacket; picture by Alan Lee. Used to be Kameron’s second-hand copy, former owner’s name on the inside page.

Ranking: Essential.

File Code: Fantasy. Novel. Softcover.

J. R. R. Tolkien The Hobbit, Illustrated by John Howe. A 3-D Pop-Up Adventure. (1999)

Possibly (nay, certainly) the simplest and strangest of my Tolkien ‘books’; it’s more of an artifact. Only the fact that it’s between covers convinces me it belongs in this list.

Ranking: Keeper.

File Code: Pop-Up Book. Adaptation. Hardback.