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The Hobbit, Mr Baggins and The Return to Bag-End: Boxed Set
Marking exactly 70 years since The Hobbit was first published, this commemorative boxed set comprises hardback gift editions of 'The Hobbit' and the two-volume companion work which includes the very different unpublished draft version of Tolkien's masterpiece.
1205 pages, Hardcover
Published October 17, 2007
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319 people want to read
About the author
J.R.R. Tolkien
785 books77.5k followersJohn Ronald Reuel Tolkien: writer, artist, scholar, linguist. Known to millions around the world as the author of The Lord of the Rings, Tolkien spent most of his life teaching at the University of Oxford where he was a distinguished academic in the fields of Old and Middle English and Old Norse. His creativity, confined to his spare time, found its outlet in fantasy works, stories for children, poetry, illustration and invented languages and alphabets.
Tolkien’s most popular works, The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings are set in Middle-earth, an imagined world with strangely familiar settings inhabited by ancient and extraordinary peoples. Through this secondary world Tolkien writes perceptively of universal human concerns – love and loss, courage and betrayal, humility and pride – giving his books a wide and enduring appeal.
Tolkien was an accomplished amateur artist who painted for pleasure and relaxation. He excelled at landscapes and often drew inspiration from his own stories. He illustrated many scenes from The Silmarillion, The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings, sometimes drawing or painting as he was writing in order to visualize the imagined scene more clearly.
Tolkien was a professor at the Universities of Leeds and Oxford for almost forty years, teaching Old and Middle English, as well as Old Norse and Gothic. His illuminating lectures on works such as the Old English epic poem, Beowulf, illustrate his deep knowledge of ancient languages and at the same time provide new insights into peoples and legends from a remote past.
Tolkien was born in Bloemfontein, South Africa, in 1892 to English parents. He came to England aged three and was brought up in and around Birmingham. He graduated from the University of Oxford in 1915 and saw active service in France during the First World War before being invalided home. After the war he pursued an academic career teaching Old and Middle English. Alongside his professional work, he invented his own languages and began to create what he called a mythology for England; it was this ‘legendarium’ that he would work on throughout his life. But his literary work did not start and end with Middle-earth, he also wrote poetry, children’s stories and fairy tales for adults. He died in 1973 and is buried in Oxford where he spent most of his adult life.
Tolkien’s most popular works, The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings are set in Middle-earth, an imagined world with strangely familiar settings inhabited by ancient and extraordinary peoples. Through this secondary world Tolkien writes perceptively of universal human concerns – love and loss, courage and betrayal, humility and pride – giving his books a wide and enduring appeal.
Tolkien was an accomplished amateur artist who painted for pleasure and relaxation. He excelled at landscapes and often drew inspiration from his own stories. He illustrated many scenes from The Silmarillion, The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings, sometimes drawing or painting as he was writing in order to visualize the imagined scene more clearly.
Tolkien was a professor at the Universities of Leeds and Oxford for almost forty years, teaching Old and Middle English, as well as Old Norse and Gothic. His illuminating lectures on works such as the Old English epic poem, Beowulf, illustrate his deep knowledge of ancient languages and at the same time provide new insights into peoples and legends from a remote past.
Tolkien was born in Bloemfontein, South Africa, in 1892 to English parents. He came to England aged three and was brought up in and around Birmingham. He graduated from the University of Oxford in 1915 and saw active service in France during the First World War before being invalided home. After the war he pursued an academic career teaching Old and Middle English. Alongside his professional work, he invented his own languages and began to create what he called a mythology for England; it was this ‘legendarium’ that he would work on throughout his life. But his literary work did not start and end with Middle-earth, he also wrote poetry, children’s stories and fairy tales for adults. He died in 1973 and is buried in Oxford where he spent most of his adult life.
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
May 21, 2008
I loved this. It's interesting that Christopher Tolkien decided not to include the history of 'The Hobbit' in his History of Middle Earth Series because he claimed that it was not part of the Silmarillion Mythology. Yet the author/editor showed just how many connections there were (beyond what was obvious to the casual reader. Tolkien's 1960 'revision' was also very interesting to read.
I loved it!
I loved it!
November 22, 2015
Not a hard read, but a hard book to read...although academically it is amazing it should be read to get an understanding of what went into the Hobbit. Not to be read to enjoy the Hobbit for the story of the Hobbit itself.
January 14, 2009
What could I possibly say? This book improves a lot on re-read, as you spend less time trying to make all of the connections and more time simply enjoying the ride. Of course, it made me angry at the movie, but that's generally unavoidable.
August 2, 2011
An intriguing look into Tolkien's writing process.
Want to read
August 3, 2011(I wanted a 70th Anniversary edition but I thought heck, why not go for it and get every ounce of one of my favorite books...)
May 18, 2016
who would not enjoy this? Let's face it the book is great and so is the movie!
November 6, 2016
Really good book
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews