A Brief History of The Hobbit presents that original manuscript version of The Hobbit, and this is accompanied by John D. Rateliff’s lively and informative commentary, which looks at the story behind Tolkien’s tale. As well as recording the numerous changes made both before and after publication, it examines – chapter-by-chapter – why those changes were made and how they reflect Tolkien’s ever-growing concept of Middle-earth. In an interview conducted before the publication, Rateliff described the undertaking in the following way: Kean, Danuta (17 January 2017). "The Da Vinci Code code: what's the formula for a bestselling book?". The Guardian . Retrieved 7 August 2019. Endorsed by Christopher Tolkien as a companion to his essential 12-volume The History of Middle-earth, this thoughtful and exhaustive examination of one of the most treasured stories in English literature offers fascinating new insights for those who have grown up with this enchanting tale, and will delight any who are about to enter Bilbo’s round door for the first time. Smaug is the main antagonist. In many ways the Smaug episode reflects and references the dragon of Beowulf, and Tolkien uses the episode to put into practice some of the ground-breaking literary theories he had developed about the Old English poem in its portrayal of the dragon as having bestial intelligence. [35] Tolkien greatly prefers this motif over the later medieval trend of using the dragon as a symbolic or allegorical figure, such as in the legend of St. George. [108] Smaug the dragon with his golden hoard may be seen as an example of the traditional relationship between evil and metallurgy as collated in the depiction of Pandæmonium with its "Belched fire and rolling smoke" in John Milton's Paradise Lost. [109] Of all the characters, Smaug's speech is the most modern, using idioms such as "Don't let your imagination run away with you!"

The History of Middle-earth ( The Book of Lost Tales Part One [1983] • The Book of Lost Tales Part Two [1984] • The Lays of Beleriand [1985] • The Shaping of Middle-earth: The Quenta, The Ambarkanta, and The Annals [1986] • The Lost Road and Other Writings [1987] • The Return of the Shadow: The History of the Lord of the Rings, Part One [1988] • The Treason of Isengard: The History of the Lord of the Rings, Part Two [1989] • The War of the Ring: The History of the Lord of the Rings, Part Three [1990] • Sauron Defeated: The History of the Lord of the Rings, Part Four [1992] • Morgoth's Ring: The Later Silmarillion, Part One: The Legends of Aman [1993] • The War of the Jewels: The Later Silmarillion, Part Two [1994] • The Peoples of Middle-earth [1996] • Index [2006]) 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. [7] 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. [52]

Customer reviews

The Monsters and the Critics, and Other Essays · Beowulf and the Critics · Tolkien On Fairy-stories · Bertenstam, Åke (1 September 2002) [1996]. "A chronological bibliography of the writings of J.R.R. Tolkien".

In one volume for the first time, this revised and updated examination of how J.R.R. Tolkien came to write his original masterpiece The Hobbit includes his complete unpublished draft version of the story, together with notes and illustrations by Tolkien himself. Campbell, Stuart (December 1991). "Top 100 Speccy Games". Your Sinclair. 1 (72): 22. Archived from the original on 9 May 2008 . Retrieved 6 July 2008. In one volume for the first time, this revised and updated examination of how J.R.R.Tolkien came to write his original masterpiece ‘The Hobbit’ includes his complete unpublished draft version of the story, together with notes and illustrations by Tolkien himself.

From the publisher

Shippey, Tom (December 1980). "[Review:] Tolkien's Art: 'A Mythology for England' by Jane Chance Nitzsche". Notes and Queries. 27 (6): 570–572. doi: 10.1093/nq/27.6.570-b. a b Kocher, Paul (1974). Master of Middle-earth, the Achievement of J. R. R. Tolkien. Penguin Books. pp.31–32. Contains the second half of Tolkien's original manuscript draft, with commentary and later drafts and appendices. For the first time in one volume, The History of the Hobbit presents the complete unpublished text of the original manuscript of J.R.R.Tolkien’s The Hobbit, accompanied by John Rateliff's lively and informative account of how the book came to be written and published. As well as recording the numerous changes made to the story both before and after publication, it examines – chapter-by-chapter – why those changes were made and how they reflect Tolkien's ever-growing concept of Middle-earth.

Walne, Toby (21 November 2007). "How to make a killing from first editions". The Daily Telegraph. Archived from the original on 11 January 2022 . Retrieved 5 July 2008. a b Helms, Randel (1976). Myth, Magic and Meaning in Tolkien's World. Granada. pp. 45–55. ISBN 978-0-415-92150-3.

The publisher was encouraged by the book's critical and financial success and, therefore, requested a sequel. As Tolkien's work progressed on its successor, The Lord of the Rings, he made retrospective accommodations for it in The Hobbit. These few but significant changes were integrated into the second edition. Further editions followed with minor emendations, including those reflecting Tolkien's changing concept of the world into which Bilbo stumbled. The work has never been out of print. Its ongoing legacy encompasses many adaptations for stage, screen, radio, board games, and video games. Several of these adaptations have received critical recognition on their own merits. Hammond, Wayne G.; Anderson, Douglas A. (1993). J. R. R. Tolkien: A Descriptive Bibliography. New Castle, DE: Oak Knoll Books. ISBN 0-938768-42-5. Lawrence, Elizabeth T. (1987). "Glory Road: Epic Romance As An Allegory of 20th Century History; The World Through The Eyes of J. R. R. Tolkien". Epic, Romance and the American Dream; 1987 Volume II. Yale-New Haven Teachers Institute . Retrieved 15 June 2008. a b Steele, Felicia Jean (2006). "Dreaming of dragons: Tolkien's impact on Heaney's Beowulf". Mythlore (95/96) . Retrieved 3 December 2017. The task of creating a history of The Hobbit was given to Taum Santoski in the 1980s. Santoski had connections to the Marquette University collection of Tolkien material, which is where the original manuscripts reside. He died in 1991, and ultimately the task passed to the Inklings scholar John D. Rateliff. The History of The Hobbit is in a similar vein to the "literary archaeology" of Christopher Tolkien's The History of Middle-earth. [5] The Annotated Hobbit [ edit ]