The Hobbit facts for kids
Cover of the 1937 first edition, from a drawing by Tolkien
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| Author | J. R. R. Tolkien |
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| Illustrator | J. R. R. Tolkien |
| Cover artist | J. R. R. Tolkien |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Language | English |
| Subject | Tolkien's legendarium |
| Genre |
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| Set in | Middle-earth |
| Publisher | George Allen & Unwin (UK) |
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Publication date
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21 September 1937 |
| Pages | 310 (first edition) |
| OCLC | 1827184 |
| LC Class | PR6039.O32 H63 |
| Followed by | The Lord of the Rings |
The Hobbit, also known as There and Back Again, is a famous fantasy book written by J. R. R. Tolkien. It was first published on September 21, 1937. Tolkien wrote this exciting story in the 1930s for his own children as a bedtime story. The adventures in The Hobbit happen before the events in his other very popular book series, The Lord of the Rings.
The main character is a hobbit named Bilbo Baggins. Hobbits are a small, peaceful race of people created by Tolkien. Bilbo goes on an unexpected and dangerous journey with a group of 13 dwarves and the wise wizard Gandalf. Their big goal is to fight the scary dragon Smaug. Smaug stole the dwarves' home and all their valuable treasures.
Even though Tolkien used ideas and names from his larger world called Middle-earth, The Hobbit was not first meant to be part of it. Later, when he wrote The Lord of the Rings, Tolkien connected the stories of both books into his amazing Middle-earth world.
Contents
Main Characters in The Hobbit
Bilbo Baggins is a hobbit who loves his quiet life in the Shire. He is suddenly pulled into a big adventure during the book. The wizard Gandalf the Grey visits him and asks him to join a group of 13 dwarves. Bilbo is supposed to be their "burglar," which means he's good at sneaking around.
Thorin Oakenshield is the brave leader of the dwarf group. He is the true King under the Mountain of the old Dwarf kingdom, which was in the Lonely Mountain. The dwarves are on this adventure to take back their home from the dragon Smaug. Smaug took over the Lonely Mountain years ago and made the dwarves leave.
The other dwarves in the group are Thorin's young nephews, Fíli and Kíli. There are also Thorin's cousins, Balin and Dwalin. Other dwarves include Óin and Glóin, Dori, Nori, Ori, and the dwarves Bifur, Bofur, and Bombur.
Along their journey, Bilbo and the dwarves meet many different people and creatures. They meet Elrond, a wise elf who lives in Rivendell. They also encounter goblins, and a strange creature named Gollum who has a magic ring. They are helped by speaking Great Eagles and meet Beorn, a man who can turn into a bear. They also meet the Elvenking of Mirkwood and Bard the Bowman.
The Story of The Hobbit
The hobbit Bilbo Baggins enjoys a very quiet and peaceful life. One day, the wizard Gandalf arrives at his home. With Gandalf are thirteen dwarves, including their leader, Thorin Oakenshield.
The dwarves tell Bilbo their sad story. A long time ago, they lived happily in the Lonely Mountain. Thorin's father was their king, known as the King under the Mountain. But then, the terrible dragon Smaug came to the Lonely Mountain. Smaug killed many dwarves and took all their gold and treasures. Now, Smaug lives in the Lonely Mountain. Some dwarves, including Thorin, managed to escape.
Now, the dwarves want to go back to the Lonely Mountain. They want to get their home and treasures back from the dragon. Gandalf wants Bilbo to join them as a "master thief" because hobbits are good at being quiet and unnoticed. At first, Bilbo doesn't want to go, but he eventually agrees to join the adventure.
Gandalf, the dwarves, and Bilbo begin their long journey heading east towards the Lonely Mountain. Early on, Gandalf saves the group from three mean trolls. They find the trolls' cave and discover some gold and swords. Gandalf, Thorin, and Bilbo each take a special sword. The group then continues their journey to the beautiful elven city of Rivendell. The wise master of Rivendell, Elrond, gives them important information for their quest.
As the group travels east over the Misty Mountains, they are attacked by Goblins (also called Orcs). The Goblins capture the dwarves and Bilbo and take them into their dark caves. Gandalf rescues them, and the group quickly escapes. During their escape, Bilbo gets lost and tries to find his way out alone. In the dark tunnels, Bilbo finds a ring and puts it in his pocket.
By an underground lake, Bilbo meets a strange creature named Gollum. Gollum and Bilbo decide to play a game of riddles. If Bilbo wins, Gollum will show him the way out. If Gollum wins, he will eat Bilbo. When Bilbo can't think of another riddle, he feels the ring in his pocket and asks himself, "What have I got in my pocket?" Gollum thinks this is a riddle but cannot answer it, so Bilbo wins the game.
Gollum gets very angry and doesn't want to help Bilbo. He goes to get his own special magic ring, which makes the wearer invisible. But Gollum can't find his ring and realizes Bilbo must have it. Gollum runs back, but Bilbo is scared and tries to run away. As he runs, the ring slips onto Bilbo's finger, and he becomes invisible! Gollum runs right past Bilbo, heading towards the cave exit. Bilbo realizes the ring makes him invisible. He uses the ring to follow Gollum and escape the caves. Outside, Bilbo happily reunites with Gandalf and the dwarves.
The group is later attacked by Goblins and Wargs (evil wolves), but they are saved by the Great Eagles. The group then arrives at the home of Beorn, a very large man who can change into a bear. After resting at Beorn's house, they continue their journey to the dark forest of Mirkwood. At the edge of Mirkwood, Gandalf leaves the group. Bilbo and the dwarves must go through Mirkwood without him.
Inside Mirkwood, the dwarves are attacked and captured by giant spiders. Using his magic ring and his sword, Bilbo bravely saves them. He names his sword Sting. Later, the Wood-Elves capture the dwarves. Bilbo uses his ring again to save the dwarves. He frees them and puts them into barrels, which he sends floating down a river out of Mirkwood. The group eventually reaches Lake-town, a human city built near the Lonely Mountain.
The dwarves and Bilbo finally travel to the Lonely Mountain. They find the secret door into the mountain and manage to open it. Bilbo goes inside twice and meets the dragon Smaug. Bilbo cleverly steals a golden cup and discovers that Smaug has a weak spot on his left chest. Bilbo tells this to the dwarves, and a thrush (a bird) also overhears it. Smaug becomes furious and flies out to destroy Lake-town. But in Lake-town, the thrush tells the archer Bard about the dragon's weak spot. Bard shoots the dragon, killing Smaug! A large part of Lake-town is destroyed, but the dragon is gone.
The dwarves are overjoyed to be back in their old home and to have their treasures back. Thorin sends a message to other dwarves of his people, telling them to come. But soon, people from Lake-town and the Mirkwood-Elves arrive. Both groups want a share of the treasure, but the dwarves do not want to give them anything. The humans and elves begin a siege around the Lonely Mountain. After a while, more dwarves from Thorin's people arrive, led by Dáin II Ironfoot and his army.
The three armies are almost ready to fight each other, but then the wizard Gandalf appears. Gandalf tells them that a huge army of Goblins is coming to the Lonely Mountain. Because of this new danger, the humans, elves, and dwarves must fight the Goblins together. This big battle is called the Battle of Five Armies. It is long and very difficult, but it is finally won with the help of the Great Eagles and Beorn. Thorin's nephews, Fíli and Kíli, are killed in the battle. Thorin is badly hurt and dies later. Dáin becomes the new King under the Mountain. Everyone gets a part of the dwarves' treasure. In the end, Bilbo returns home to the Shire and lives happily ever after.
How The Hobbit Was Illustrated
J. R. R. Tolkien was not just the writer of The Hobbit; he was also very involved in designing and illustrating the book! He drew many of the pictures himself. Tolkien spent a lot of time making sure everything was just right, from the maps to the cover.
The publisher first planned to only include maps in the book. But Tolkien's first drawings were so good that they decided to add more pictures without making the book cost more. Tolkien then sent even more drawings, and the publisher accepted them all. So, the first edition of The Hobbit had ten black-and-white pictures and two maps inside the covers.
Tolkien also designed the dust jacket for the book. He drew it many times, trying different colors. His final design used four colors, but to save money, the publisher printed it with only black, blue, and green ink on white paper. The writing around the edges of the cover drawing uses special Anglo-Saxon runes, which spell out the book's title and author details.
The book's binding (the cover and spine) also had runes. The spine shows two "þ" (Th) runes for Thrain and Thror, and one "d" (door) rune. The front and back covers had a long dragon drawing and a sketch of the Misty Mountains.
Later, for the American edition, Tolkien's drawings were even used in color! These new color pictures were so popular that the British publisher also added them to later printings of the book. Many different versions of The Hobbit have been made over the years, with illustrations by various artists.
Tolkien's use of runes in the book, both as decorations and as magical signs, helped make runes more popular. People found them fascinating because of Tolkien's famous stories.
The Hobbit on Screen and Stage
The Hobbit has been made into many different types of entertainment over the years. The first time it was performed was in March 1953 as a stage play by a school in Edinburgh.
- In 1966, Gene Deitch made a short animated film using cartoon pictures.
- In 1968, BBC Radio 4 broadcast an 8-part radio show based on the book.
- In 1977, Rankin/Bass created a popular animated movie of The Hobbit.
- From 2012 to 2014, Peter Jackson directed a series of three big live-action movies based on the book.
- Several computer and video games have also been made, including one in 1982 by Beam Software.
- During the COVID-19 lockdown, actor Andy Serkis read the entire book online to raise money for charity. He later recorded it as an audiobook.
Why The Hobbit is Important
The Hobbit is very important because it led to Tolkien's even more famous series, The Lord of the Rings. Many people say The Lord of the Rings is its greatest legacy.
This book also helps young readers improve their reading skills. It can prepare them to read more complex books by writers like Charles Dickens and William Shakespeare. Teachers have found that The Hobbit is a great way to encourage reading, especially for boys aged 11 to 14.
Related Pages
See also
In Spanish: El hobbit para niños
