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The Hobbit Party: The Vision of Freedom That Tolkien Got, and the West Forgot
Anyone who has read "The Hobbit" and "The Lord of the Rings" can gather that their author hated tyranny, but few know that the novelist who once described himself as a hobbit in all but size was even by hobbit standards a zealous proponent of economic freedom and small government. There is a growing concern among many that the West is sliding into political, economic, and moral bankruptcy. In his beloved novels of Middle-Earth, J.R.R. Tolkien has drawn us a map to freedom.
Scholar Joseph Pearce, who himself has written articles and chapters on the political significance of Tolkien s work, testified in his book "Literary Giants, Literary Catholics," If much has been written on the religious significance of "The Lord of the Rings," less has been written on its political significance and the little that has been written is often erroneous in its conclusions and ignorant of Tolkien s intentions . Much more work is needed in this area, not least because Tolkien stated, implicitly at least, that the political significance of the work was second only to the religious in its importance.
Several books ably explore how Tolkien's Catholic faith informed his fiction. None until now have centered on how his passion for liberty and limited government also shaped his work, or how this passion grew directly from his theological vision of man and creation. "The Hobbit Party" fills this void.
The few existing pieces that do focus on the subject are mostly written by scholars with little or no formal training in literary analysis, and even less training in political economy. Witt and Richards bring to "The Hobbit Party" a combined expertise in literary studies, political theory, economics, philosophy, and theology."
Scholar Joseph Pearce, who himself has written articles and chapters on the political significance of Tolkien s work, testified in his book "Literary Giants, Literary Catholics," If much has been written on the religious significance of "The Lord of the Rings," less has been written on its political significance and the little that has been written is often erroneous in its conclusions and ignorant of Tolkien s intentions . Much more work is needed in this area, not least because Tolkien stated, implicitly at least, that the political significance of the work was second only to the religious in its importance.
Several books ably explore how Tolkien's Catholic faith informed his fiction. None until now have centered on how his passion for liberty and limited government also shaped his work, or how this passion grew directly from his theological vision of man and creation. "The Hobbit Party" fills this void.
The few existing pieces that do focus on the subject are mostly written by scholars with little or no formal training in literary analysis, and even less training in political economy. Witt and Richards bring to "The Hobbit Party" a combined expertise in literary studies, political theory, economics, philosophy, and theology."
232 pages, Hardcover
First published October 7, 2014
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Displaying 1 - 20 of 20 reviews
May 29, 2022
In The Hobbit Party, Jonathan Witt and Jay. W. Richards explore what Middle Earth reveals about Tolkien's political and economic philosophy.
"Any person who has read The Hobbit and Lord of the Rings can gather that their author was no fan of tyrants. What many people don't realize is that Tolkien was a lifelong enemy of big government in every form, not just the harsher forms we find in Soviet Communism, German Nazism, or Italian Fascism, but also as it is manifested itself in British democratic socialism and the mongrel state capitalisms in other parts of the West, where central governments collude with big business to squeeze out the up-and-comers and reward special interests."
The book clearly shows intense research and passion, with references ranging from Chesterton's influence to letters from Tolkien and his son to the creation story in The Silmarillion.
The logic is, for the most part, clearly backed and articulated. A few parts feel a little stretched. But overall I found it quite a bit interesting and thought-provoking. In particular, I liked the analysis of the Scouring of the Shire (having reached such a dramatic conclusion, why this anti-climatic sub-story?) and the short story "Leaf by Niggle."
It is fairly short and worth the read for Tolkien lovers.
"Any person who has read The Hobbit and Lord of the Rings can gather that their author was no fan of tyrants. What many people don't realize is that Tolkien was a lifelong enemy of big government in every form, not just the harsher forms we find in Soviet Communism, German Nazism, or Italian Fascism, but also as it is manifested itself in British democratic socialism and the mongrel state capitalisms in other parts of the West, where central governments collude with big business to squeeze out the up-and-comers and reward special interests."
The book clearly shows intense research and passion, with references ranging from Chesterton's influence to letters from Tolkien and his son to the creation story in The Silmarillion.
The logic is, for the most part, clearly backed and articulated. A few parts feel a little stretched. But overall I found it quite a bit interesting and thought-provoking. In particular, I liked the analysis of the Scouring of the Shire (having reached such a dramatic conclusion, why this anti-climatic sub-story?) and the short story "Leaf by Niggle."
It is fairly short and worth the read for Tolkien lovers.
September 21, 2017
For the most part this book excels at refuting the false appropriation of Tolkien by Distributists or leftist. He was neither. Where this book excels is when they demonstrate documented points of view Tolkien had that are reflected in his writing. However, there are times where much of it feels a stretch and detaches from the source material and seems to shoe horn in other ideas. I think the reality is Tolkien like most people has political impulses but no consistent philosophy. Trying to attribute one to him seems a stretch. What we can learn from his writing outside of fiction, was he was against the managerial state, poor stewardship of the environment, and clearly believed in Just War as a last resort only. Also his Orthodox Catholicism is well documented. So when the book addressed these themes I think they excel. His views on economics, other than disdain for socialism, I think are very debatable. He may not have ever even really made up his mind so I felt those chapters were stretching.
October 11, 2023
A very interesting book and read. I won't give it a high rating, because I don't agree in the slightest with the political ideas represented here, but I had a fun time reading it nonetheless. The (short) book includes a summary of The Hobbit and the Lord of the Rings trilogy interspersed throughout its pages, which I appreciated as someone who hasn't read the books in a very long time.
I'm reviewing this book several months after finishing it. In books that have an opposite political persuasion to my own preferred ideology, I always look for arguments that are incisive, that I don't have an answer for. These usually haunt me; no haunting arguments appear in this book. Instead I'm left impression that the authors' are relying on Tolkien's near mythic status to do the heavy lifting of convincing folks to adopt libertarian ideas. Perhaps they succeeded in binding Tolkien to libertarian ideas, but for what purpose?
I'm reviewing this book several months after finishing it. In books that have an opposite political persuasion to my own preferred ideology, I always look for arguments that are incisive, that I don't have an answer for. These usually haunt me; no haunting arguments appear in this book. Instead I'm left impression that the authors' are relying on Tolkien's near mythic status to do the heavy lifting of convincing folks to adopt libertarian ideas. Perhaps they succeeded in binding Tolkien to libertarian ideas, but for what purpose?
August 13, 2025
I had no idea this book existed, but it would certainly have been on my want list had I known about it.
There are a lot of fascinating dives into Tolkien’s worldview in this book, many of which go beyond the superficial analysis that Tolkien usually gets. Where others talk about how the Ents and Saruman reflect Tolkien’s hatred of machinery, The Hobbit Party point out that there were certainly good machines—Hobbiton in many ways is a sort of Middle Earth “tech hub”—and bad plants in the book.
The authors are contrasting Tolkien with Nietzsche and his “will to power”.
What’s also interesting about this book is that it puts Tolkien’s writings not just in the context of his experiences in war, as, again, everybody else does, but in the context of his experiences as a devout Catholic. As importantly, they also acknowledge Tolkien’s expertise in history, something that is also oddly forgotten about Tolkien. He was a scholar whose vast knowledge of languages necessarily included a vast knowledge about a truly human history.
The science of language, at least as Tolkien treated it, requires an understanding of human nature. Tolkien infused his writings with his understanding of human nature both from a historical sense and a theological sense. The authors write this as believers, and clearly see Tolkien’s Middle Earth tales as insightful examples of a fantasy writer who understands how humans live and how history unfolds in the face of human nature.
They also describe obvious-in-retrospect examples of how Tolkien recognized the reproductive decay of the West.
Much of The Lord of the Rings is about the desire for physical longevity over spiritual immortality, or as Tolkien put it, “Death and the desire for deathlessness”. It’s everywhere in the book, and central to the Rings of Power, at least the One Ring and the nine rings of men. The authors discuss this going back to The Silmarillian and Númenór up through the Scouring of the Shire. And then into one of my favorite of Tolkien’s non-Middle Earth stories, “Leaf by Niggle”, which I first ran across in high school in Humphrey Carpenter’s biography of Tolkien.
The “Party” of the book’s title is more of a community celebration than a political movement. As the Hobbit party in the first Lord of the Rings book is as well.
There are a lot of fascinating dives into Tolkien’s worldview in this book, many of which go beyond the superficial analysis that Tolkien usually gets. Where others talk about how the Ents and Saruman reflect Tolkien’s hatred of machinery, The Hobbit Party point out that there were certainly good machines—Hobbiton in many ways is a sort of Middle Earth “tech hub”—and bad plants in the book.
But we began to see that Tolkien was hinging that modern life also exhibited a less imposing if more curious urge. Call it the will to ugliness—the curious tendency, amid unparalleled prosperity, to embrace a host of things that are tasteless, deadening, depraved, or some combination of all three.
The authors are contrasting Tolkien with Nietzsche and his “will to power”.
What’s also interesting about this book is that it puts Tolkien’s writings not just in the context of his experiences in war, as, again, everybody else does, but in the context of his experiences as a devout Catholic. As importantly, they also acknowledge Tolkien’s expertise in history, something that is also oddly forgotten about Tolkien. He was a scholar whose vast knowledge of languages necessarily included a vast knowledge about a truly human history.
Tolkien and the American founders also both understood the paradox that many of earlier political experimenters had failed to appreciate: sin is the main reason we need government and also the main reason to limit government.
The science of language, at least as Tolkien treated it, requires an understanding of human nature. Tolkien infused his writings with his understanding of human nature both from a historical sense and a theological sense. The authors write this as believers, and clearly see Tolkien’s Middle Earth tales as insightful examples of a fantasy writer who understands how humans live and how history unfolds in the face of human nature.
They also describe obvious-in-retrospect examples of how Tolkien recognized the reproductive decay of the West.
When Gandalf and Pippin ride into Minas Tirith on Shadowfax, the narrator paints an unsettling picture of the great city’s decline, noting that “it was in truth falling year by year into decay; and already it lacked half the men that could have dwelt at ease there.” Many houses of great families now “were silent, and no footsteps range on their wide pavements, nor voice was heard in their halls, nor any face looked out from door or empty window.”
Much of The Lord of the Rings is about the desire for physical longevity over spiritual immortality, or as Tolkien put it, “Death and the desire for deathlessness”. It’s everywhere in the book, and central to the Rings of Power, at least the One Ring and the nine rings of men. The authors discuss this going back to The Silmarillian and Númenór up through the Scouring of the Shire. And then into one of my favorite of Tolkien’s non-Middle Earth stories, “Leaf by Niggle”, which I first ran across in high school in Humphrey Carpenter’s biography of Tolkien.
The “Party” of the book’s title is more of a community celebration than a political movement. As the Hobbit party in the first Lord of the Rings book is as well.
The most improper job of any man, even saints, is bossing other men. Not one in a million is fit for it, and least of all those who seek the opportunity.—J.R.R. Tolkien, to his son Christopher
May 11, 2017
This non-fiction book is an exploration of the politics of J. R. R. Tolkien, the Oxford philologist and don, as expressed in The Hobbit and in The Lord of the Rings (and, very occasionally, to The Silmarillion and other writings of Tolkien); the authors also refer from time to time to Peter Jackson's three-movie epic based on The Lord of the Rings (2001 - 2003, which I do not care for). Having said that, this is a very entertaining book, and a must-read for those who love Tolkien and for those interested in how Tolkien's opinions in favor of economic freedom and small government.
After a Foreword by James V. Schall, Jr., the authors (who were friends in Texas since first grade, but they both discovered Tolkien when they were in junior high and high school, at different schools) settle down to explaining how the overriding themes of Tolkien's work, especially as related to hobbits, espouse small government and freedom. They explain how, although Tolkien was co-opted by just about every political party (usually by creative cherry-picking), Tolkien was a party unto himself. In one chapter the authors note that the One Ring, in conveying absolute power, also corrupts absolutely; and that the "freedom" given by the One Rings and the other Rings is an illusion. There is also a chapter about just war theory (after all, there is a lot of warfare going on in the epic), and an exploration into planetary stewardship vs. human industry that is complementary rather than adversarial. My only regret is that the last chapter, "Love and Death in Middle-Earth", deals more with the Gift of Men (from the point of the view of the Elves, who, unless they are killed, are immortal) than with Love per se. (I have always objected that we have no idea that Sam has a girlfriend back home until very late in the epic.)
I very much enjoyed reading this book, and I recommend it to all those who love Middle-Earth.
After a Foreword by James V. Schall, Jr., the authors (who were friends in Texas since first grade, but they both discovered Tolkien when they were in junior high and high school, at different schools) settle down to explaining how the overriding themes of Tolkien's work, especially as related to hobbits, espouse small government and freedom. They explain how, although Tolkien was co-opted by just about every political party (usually by creative cherry-picking), Tolkien was a party unto himself. In one chapter the authors note that the One Ring, in conveying absolute power, also corrupts absolutely; and that the "freedom" given by the One Rings and the other Rings is an illusion. There is also a chapter about just war theory (after all, there is a lot of warfare going on in the epic), and an exploration into planetary stewardship vs. human industry that is complementary rather than adversarial. My only regret is that the last chapter, "Love and Death in Middle-Earth", deals more with the Gift of Men (from the point of the view of the Elves, who, unless they are killed, are immortal) than with Love per se. (I have always objected that we have no idea that Sam has a girlfriend back home until very late in the epic.)
I very much enjoyed reading this book, and I recommend it to all those who love Middle-Earth.
December 25, 2019
Debo confesar que soy un gran admirador de la vida y la obra de Tolkien, el Señor de los Anillos me parece uno de los mejores libros que he leído, así que he empezado a leer este libro con una clara predisposición que afortunadamente no ha sido decepcionada.
Los autores del libro hacen un recorrido por los grandes temas que permean la obra de Tolkien: desde la importancia de la práctica de las virtudes para poder vivir en libertad en una sociedad armoniosa hasta la correcta relación entre el hombre, la naturaleza y la tecnología, pasando por el deseo de inmortalidad presente en el corazón humano, inmortalidad que es inútil y contraproducente buscar en este mundo. Los autores también nos descubren como, sin contener elementos abiertamente religiosos, las obras de Tolkien reflejan su fe católica, con su correspondiente cosmovisión, en la que a pesar de todas las dificultades y derrotas, el bien y la verdad terminarán imponiéndose al mal (a diferencia del maniqueísmo que define otras fantasías, como la saga de Star Wars).
Aunque el mismo Tolkien afirmaba que sus libros, especialmente El Señor de los Anillos, no debían interpretarse como alegorías políticas o sociales que hicieran referencia a eventos históricos concretos, es verdad que contienen enseñanzas en estos campos sobre las cuales es importante reflexionar y valorar. Dada la extensa literatura acerca de Tolkien, parecería que ya todo ha sido escrito sobre él, sin embargo este libro aporta elementos novedosos que nos hacen apreciar todavía más la profundidad y la riqueza contenidos en las obras de este gigante de la literatura del s. XX.
Los autores del libro hacen un recorrido por los grandes temas que permean la obra de Tolkien: desde la importancia de la práctica de las virtudes para poder vivir en libertad en una sociedad armoniosa hasta la correcta relación entre el hombre, la naturaleza y la tecnología, pasando por el deseo de inmortalidad presente en el corazón humano, inmortalidad que es inútil y contraproducente buscar en este mundo. Los autores también nos descubren como, sin contener elementos abiertamente religiosos, las obras de Tolkien reflejan su fe católica, con su correspondiente cosmovisión, en la que a pesar de todas las dificultades y derrotas, el bien y la verdad terminarán imponiéndose al mal (a diferencia del maniqueísmo que define otras fantasías, como la saga de Star Wars).
Aunque el mismo Tolkien afirmaba que sus libros, especialmente El Señor de los Anillos, no debían interpretarse como alegorías políticas o sociales que hicieran referencia a eventos históricos concretos, es verdad que contienen enseñanzas en estos campos sobre las cuales es importante reflexionar y valorar. Dada la extensa literatura acerca de Tolkien, parecería que ya todo ha sido escrito sobre él, sin embargo este libro aporta elementos novedosos que nos hacen apreciar todavía más la profundidad y la riqueza contenidos en las obras de este gigante de la literatura del s. XX.
February 23, 2024
This books is an exploration of the politics of JRR Tolkien as expressed in his "Lord of the Rings" trilogy. It is an interesting argument, but I think the author is more focused on presenting his own point of view, and complaining about the fact that most people don't agree with it. I also think the author undercuts his own argument, after spending the whole book making arguments for Tolkien's very traditional, agrarian philosophy, the author argues that he wouldn't want to actually take up most of the ideas that Tolkien promotes. So, I'm left to wonder what the point of the book is. For example, Tolkien praises the rural farming life, and the author complains that in his neighborhood, he isn't allowed to keep cows or hens (he appears to live on a large plot of land in a semi-rural area). However, in the final chapter, he says he wouldn't want to farm for his own food, and his family would probably starve if they relied on his farming skills. Overall, he gives the impression of Tolkien as someone who greatly enjoyed his bourgeoisie Victorian upbringing, but who couldn't necessarily see that this is not the preferred way of life for everyone.
August 12, 2022
I'm with Frodo!
This was a fascinating look at Tolkien's work, primarily The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings. Richards and Witt analyze the plots, characters, and settings to reveal Tolkien's values and beliefs woven throughout. Far from being didactic, as even a first-time Tolkien reader could attest, both works are at once entertaining and politically, socially, religiously and economically valid and insightful.
Adding this little volume to my wishlist. Although I may just end up buying it for myself!
This was a fascinating look at Tolkien's work, primarily The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings. Richards and Witt analyze the plots, characters, and settings to reveal Tolkien's values and beliefs woven throughout. Far from being didactic, as even a first-time Tolkien reader could attest, both works are at once entertaining and politically, socially, religiously and economically valid and insightful.
Adding this little volume to my wishlist. Although I may just end up buying it for myself!
September 11, 2017
I've read this twice now ... it's interesting to look at Tolkien's work through a Catholic and free market lenses. This is one of my favorite books analyzing JRRT's work. Sometimes authors writing about Tolkien (I think) get basic facts wrong. In this book, the facts are correct and the analysis is interesting. If you are looking for a paper to write, this book may provide you with some ideas.
October 9, 2025
An excellent representation of Tolkien’s ideas as I have always imagined he would like to be represented. A succinct and engaging interweaving of political, economic, and religious thought
August 7, 2017
A discussion of various themes in the worlds of The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings. Freedom, trade, and more.
January 14, 2015
When you hear the title for The Hobbit Party, you might think the word party is referring to a gala of sorts, like I did. In actuality the title is a play on politics, like the Republican or Democratic Party. While most authors/commentators on Tolkien's work tend to focus on the religious themes in The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings, the authors, Jonathan Witt and Jay Richards, chose to focus on how the political environment of his day shaped his writings and the political and economic themes we find in his writings if we look closely.
Some of the interesting topics discussed include just war, free market/capitalism, and big government. The most interesting chapter to me however was the last one which touched on the topics of love and death. The authors begins this chapter by stating that "Death and the desire for deathlessness was Tolkien's central theme of The Lord of the Rings. We are then given a litany of examples, including the obvious One Ring and Gandalf's death and resurrection; as well as less obvious example of the White Tree of Gondor. Despite all the mention of death, Tolkien however had the right perspective on death. He saw it as a gift, and not a curse. This may sound confusing at first, because death is a consequence of the Fall, but without death we would continue to live on and sin and never reach the ultimate reward of Heaven.
Overall, this book was an interesting read. While it is hard to argue that these political and economical messages/themes are in Tolkien's work, I question whether it is worth reading this much into the works of Tolkien. Sometimes you can over-analyze a work that you risk killing it. Just my two cents. If you are a fan of Tolkien and politics, then this is the perfect book for you. If politics aren't your cup of tea, then you're probably better off avoiding this book. I will end by saying that the book is worth checking out for the End Notes section alone. It contains a great deal of interesting/edifying works that I plan to read in the future.
Some of the interesting topics discussed include just war, free market/capitalism, and big government. The most interesting chapter to me however was the last one which touched on the topics of love and death. The authors begins this chapter by stating that "Death and the desire for deathlessness was Tolkien's central theme of The Lord of the Rings. We are then given a litany of examples, including the obvious One Ring and Gandalf's death and resurrection; as well as less obvious example of the White Tree of Gondor. Despite all the mention of death, Tolkien however had the right perspective on death. He saw it as a gift, and not a curse. This may sound confusing at first, because death is a consequence of the Fall, but without death we would continue to live on and sin and never reach the ultimate reward of Heaven.
Overall, this book was an interesting read. While it is hard to argue that these political and economical messages/themes are in Tolkien's work, I question whether it is worth reading this much into the works of Tolkien. Sometimes you can over-analyze a work that you risk killing it. Just my two cents. If you are a fan of Tolkien and politics, then this is the perfect book for you. If politics aren't your cup of tea, then you're probably better off avoiding this book. I will end by saying that the book is worth checking out for the End Notes section alone. It contains a great deal of interesting/edifying works that I plan to read in the future.
January 5, 2015
I loved this book. The authors clearly have a broad knowledge of Tolkien's works - not only The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings, but also The Silmarillion and beyond (one of my favorite sections of the book was an extended explanation of a story Tolkien wrote called "Leaf by Niggle"). And they use that broad knowledge to unfold what Tolkien has to say about the size of government, power, economics, war, freedom, and mortality. Though it's early, I suspect that this will be one of may favorite books of 2015. It was that good.
December 30, 2016
The authors share what they believe Tolkien thought about freedom, government, markets and death, as evidenced by The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings trilogy. Well done. It made me go back to the end of the third book, The Return of the King, for the "Scouring of the Shire", a part of the story that I had forgotten (and not covered in Peter Jackson's movies).
They bring in other sources for additional explanation. Overall, an enjoyable read.
They bring in other sources for additional explanation. Overall, an enjoyable read.
October 3, 2024
Excellent critique of modern politics using Tolkien's views as support. The Ring symbolizes power, which seduces everyone (well-intentioned politicians included), while the Hobbits and their like are seen as the ideal, demonstrating free market principles and little government interference.
Want to read
November 17, 2014Janet Parshall. 11-16-14. Both r Ph.Ds
November 18, 2014
A nice set of chapters on Tolkiens social thought derived from his fiction.
July 24, 2015
Essential for anyone wondering why Tolkien's stories resonate with us so much.
September 8, 2021
More thoughtful than I had anticipated, but most of the book still stretches the writings of Tolkien very thinly over the usual drivel espoused by the Acton Institute.
Displaying 1 - 20 of 20 reviews