The Hobbit, or There and Back Again in Never too Late to Read Classics

Oct 10, 2011 midnightfaerie rated it really liked it

Shelves: classics

The copy of The Hobbit I read was a special one. It's an old faded paperback that was published in 1937 with the original painting "Bilbo comes to the Huts of the Raftelves" by J.R.R. Tolkien himself on the front cover. But the most special thing about it to me, that really shows it's weathered age, is the name of my older sister; in that bubbly sort of handwriting from her youth when she sometimes had the occasion to dot her "I's" with hearts, just inside the front cover. I will not say she is The copy of The Hobbit I read was a special one. It's an old faded paperback that was published in 1937 with the original painting "Bilbo comes to the Huts of the Raftelves" by J.R.R. Tolkien himself on the front cover. But the most special thing about it to me, that really shows it's weathered age, is the name of my older sister; in that bubbly sort of handwriting from her youth when she sometimes had the occasion to dot her "I's" with hearts, just inside the front cover. I will not say she is that old, she is not, only slightly older than I, my age being presently 37 and 1/2. And although this is not old in most standard terms, holding this tattered and well-used book, that bears the name of a sibling, and that was passed down through my brothers and sisters, brings me back to when I was a child. I lived with my parents, stole snacks from the kitchen, and hid with my books away from my family, life, and most of all, my little sister. This bittersweet time was when I read The Hobbit for the first time.

And for those that need further clarification on my edition, it is the one with the statement from Tolkien himself on it which reads:

"This paperback edition, and no other, has been published with my consent and co-operation. Those who approve of courtesy (at least) to living authors will purchase it, and no other." -J.R.R. Tolkien

This is the edition I grew up with, had long forgotten, and flew through once I picked it up again, remembering all that of Middle Earth which I had so originally loved.

Having recently read The Lord of the Rings Trilogy, I have to admit I was a bit jaded at the prospect of tackling yet another Tolkien tale, especially one with so many names to remember. But to my surprise and everlasting delight, I found myself enchanted with this tale, and reading through it quickly and easily, unlike the LOTR trilogy. This time I had no problems remembering names and places and found the imagery much more detailed and fantastical than I remember. I really liked LOTR's, but not until reading The hobbit again in my "old age" did I fall in love with Tolkien again. I'm not sure why the difference, perhaps the simplistic story line was easier to follow for me. In LOTR's I kept getting the men characters mixed up. Also, I found Bilbo selfish and slightly annoying in LOTR's, but in The Hobbit, he was endearing and a much beloved character. I won't go into the plot, much like my statement from my Harry Potter review, you have to live in a box not to have the basic premise of the story line down.

Also, I'm not one of those fanatic fans that will sit here and analyze the symbolic reference of various story lines. I'm just a lover of books, and a lover of all things Fae, and this definitely qualifies, as you can read in Tolkien's, "Fairy-stories". A book I used for many quotes when arguing with my brother on the fact that the elves in LOTR can be classified as faeries. They can, by the way.

In any case, this is a classic, for all the reasons I stated in my LOTR's review and more. If you're not a big fantasy fan and want to dive in somewhere, there is no better place to start than a Tolkien book. I highly recommend it.

ClassicsDefined.com ...more

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Oct 26, 2011 Zuzana rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: classics, children-s-books, 2012-challenge, fantasy, re-read, 2015-challenge

Intented for children the tone is much lighter than in the Lord of the Rings trilogy.

re-read
The Czech translation made the book sound even more childish than the original. I prefer more adult LOTR.

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