The Hobbit
In the early 1930s, J. R. R. Tolkien sat at his desk as a professor of Anglo-Saxon at Oxford University. He was marking School Certificate papers when he found a blank page. Suddenly inspired, he wrote the words "In a hole in the ground there lived a hobbit." This single sentence launched a literary career that would span decades. By late 1932, Tolkien had finished the story and lent the manuscript to friends including C. S. Lewis. The publisher George Allen & Unwin received the book through a chain of recommendations involving Susan Dagnall and her colleague Stanley Unwin. Rayner Unwin, Stanley's ten-year-old son, reviewed it favorably. His comments settled the decision to publish the work. The first edition appeared on the 21st of September 1937 with a print run of 1,500 copies. These sold out by December due to enthusiastic reviews.
Gandalf tricks Bilbo Baggins into hosting a party for Thorin Oakenshield and his band of twelve dwarves. They go over their plans to reclaim their ancient home, Lonely Mountain, and its vast treasure from the dragon Smaug. Gandalf unveils Thror's map showing a secret door into the Mountain and proposes that dumbfounded Bilbo should serve as the expedition's burglar. The group travels into the wild where they are caught by goblins and driven deep underground. Lost in the goblin tunnels, Bilbo stumbles across a mysterious ring and then encounters Gollum. Gollum engages him in a game, each posing a riddle until one cannot solve it. If Bilbo wins, Gollum will show him the way out of the tunnels, but if he fails, his life will be forfeit. With the help of the ring which confers invisibility when worn, Bilbo escapes and rejoins the dwarves. The company enters the dark forest of Mirkwood without Gandalf who has other responsibilities. In Mirkwood, Bilbo first saves the dwarves from giant spiders and then from the dungeons of the Wood-elves.
Tolkien's works show many influences from Norse mythology reflecting his lifelong passion for those stories and his academic interest in Germanic philology. Examples include the names of the dwarves Fili Kili Oin Gloin Bifur Bofur Bombur Dori Nori Dwalin Balin Dain Nain and Thorin Oakenshield along with Gandalf which was a dwarf-name in the Norse. Tolkien borrowed several elements from Beowulf including a monstrous intelligent dragon. Certain descriptions in The Hobbit seem to have been lifted straight out of Beowulf with some minor rewording such as when the dragon stretches its neck out to sniff for intruders. Named swords of renown adorned with runes similarly have Old English connections. In using his elf-sword Bilbo finally takes his first independent heroic action. By his naming the sword Sting we see Bilbo's acceptance of the kinds of cultural and linguistic practices found in Beowulf signifying his entrance into the ancient world in which he found himself. This progression culminates in Bilbo stealing a cup from the dragon's hoard rousing him to wrath an incident directly mirroring Beowulf and an action entirely determined by traditional narrative patterns.
In December 1937 The Hobbit publisher Stanley Unwin asked Tolkien for a sequel. In response Tolkien provided drafts for The Silmarillion but the editors rejected them believing that the public wanted more about hobbits. Tolkien subsequently began work on The New Hobbit which would eventually become The Lord of the Rings. In the first edition of The Hobbit Gollum willingly bets his magic ring on the outcome of the riddle-game and he and Bilbo part amicably. In the second edition edits to reflect the new concept of the One Ring and its corrupting abilities Tolkien made Gollum more aggressive towards Bilbo and distraught at losing the ring. The encounter ends with Gollum's curse "Thief! Thief, Thief, Baggins! We hates it, we hates it, we hates it forever!" This presages Gollum's portrayal in The Lord of the Rings. Tolkien sent this revised version of the chapter Riddles in the Dark to Unwin as an example of the kinds of changes needed to bring the book into conformity with The Lord of the Rings but he heard nothing back for years. When he was sent galley proofs of a new edition Tolkien was surprised to find that the sample text had been incorporated.
On its publication in October 1937 The Hobbit was met with almost unanimously favourable reviews from publications both in Britain and America including The Times Catholic World and New York Post. C. S. Lewis writing in The Times reports that the book unites good things never before united: a fund of humour an understanding of children and a happy fusion of the scholar's with the poet's grasp of mythology. The Hobbit was nominated for the Carnegie Medal and awarded a prize from the New York Herald Tribune for best juvenile fiction of 1938. While reliable figures are difficult to obtain estimated global sales of The Hobbit run between 35 and 100 million copies since 1937. This makes it one of the best-selling books of all time. In the UK The Hobbit has not retreated from the top 5,000 bestselling books measured by Nielsen BookScan since 1998 when the index began achieving a three-year sales peak rising from 33,084 in 2000 to 142,541 in 2001. The enduring popularity of The Hobbit makes early printings of the book attractive collector's items. The first printing of the first English-language edition can sell for between £6,000 and £20,000 at auction while the price for a signed first edition has reached over £60,000.
The Hobbit has been adapted many times for a variety of media starting with a March 1953 stage production by St. Margaret's School Edinburgh. The first motion picture adaptation was Gene Deitch's 1966 short film of cartoon stills. In 1968 BBC Radio 4 broadcast an 8-part radio drama version by Michael Kilgarriff. In 1974 Nicol Williamson recorded an abridged version of the book on 4 long-playing records for the Argo Records label voicing all the characters. In 1977 Rankin/Bass made an animated film based on the book. In 1978 Romeo Muller won a Peabody Award for his teleplay though critics described it as execrable and confusing. A children's opera composed by Dean Burry appeared in 2004 in Toronto. Between 2012 and 2014 Peter Jackson's three-part live-action film version appeared on cinema screens. Several computer and video games have been based on the story including a 1982 game by Beam Software. During the COVID-19 lockdown Andy Serkis read the whole of The Hobbit to raise money for charity. He then recorded the work again as an audiobook with cover art by Alan Lee.
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Common questions
When was The Hobbit first published?
The first edition of The Hobbit appeared on the 21st of September 1937 with a print run of 1,500 copies. These copies sold out by December due to enthusiastic reviews.
Who wrote The Hobbit and what inspired its creation?
J. R. R. Tolkien wrote The Hobbit while working as a professor of Anglo-Saxon at Oxford University in the early 1930s. He began writing after finding a blank page while marking School Certificate papers and composing the opening sentence In a hole in the ground there lived a hobbit.
What Norse mythology influences appear in The Hobbit?
Tolkien drew names for dwarves from Norse mythology including Fili Kili Oin Gloin Bifur Bofur Bombur Dori Nori Dwalin Balin Dain Nain and Thorin Oakenshield. The story also borrows elements from Beowulf such as a monstrous intelligent dragon and descriptions of swords adorned with runes.
How did The Hobbit perform commercially upon release?
Estimated global sales of The Hobbit run between 35 and 100 million copies since 1937 making it one of the best-selling books of all time. First editions can sell for between £6,000 and £20,000 at auction while signed first editions have reached over £60,000.
When was The Hobbit adapted into film by Peter Jackson?
Peter Jackson released his three-part live-action film version of The Hobbit on cinema screens between 2012 and 2014. Earlier adaptations included a March 1953 stage production and a 1966 short film by Gene Deitch.