Rating: 
Summary: A classic!
Review: "In a hole in the ground, there lived a Hobbit . . ."To explore imaginary worlds and have adventures with the inhabitants, Tolkien's "The Hobbit", a novel filled with the author's imagination, is the one to read. Published in the 1930s, this novel is still loved by many readers and is known throughout the world, and its sequals, which are the Lord of the Rings trilogy, are famous as well. They were read during a time before "Harry Potter". Using his love of languages and cultures, John Ronald Ruel Tolkien created a world of his own, where the cultures of imaginary/mythical creatures, such as Dwarfs, Elves and Dragons, live in. In this book, we journey through the land of Middle Earth, and there, we are introduced to Bilbo Baggins, a Hobbit, or, in other words, a halfling, a little man, smaller than Dwarfs and humans and lacking a complete beard. In the land of Middle Earth, the Dwarf, Thorin Oakenshield, is determined to recover his ancestor's treaures, which now lay in the hands of the Dragon, Smaug, a fearsome and evil creature. Yet Thorin is willing to go there. So he asks help from Gandalf the Grey wizard and the other Dwarfs, who venture into forests, fields, rivers, and mountains, getting caught by trolls and any other creepy creature. But Thorin is not the hero of this story . . . During the times of trouble in the book, there comes surprise help. During times of hardship, they learn patience and persistance. And on a mission like this, there comes the MOST unexpected idea for a hero! Filled with imagination and heart warming characters, The Hobbit is novel of epic proportions, and is one that your family will enjoy! With memorable scenes, you can laugh, especially when Bilbo picks on a troll's pocket. You can fell the humor as the as he faces Smaug, the action when the Elves battle the feared dragon, and in the end, you'll have sweet dreams after bedtime. As I said before, your whole family will enjoy it!
Rating: 
Summary: The Story Begins
Review: The Hobbit is the prequel to The Lord of the Rings and tells the story of how Bilbo Baggins acquires the ring that becomes the central focus of that trilogy, however it also has its own story to tell. In fact other than Bilbo's encounter with Gollum, this book has little connection to the trilogy that would follow it other than introducing readers to the world of Middle Earth. In fact, it is written in a completely different style. The prose of The Hobbit has more of a fairy tale feel to it than the straight-forward fantasy of The Lord of the Rings. This gives the book a large appeal to children, but it can still be enjoyed by readers of all ages. In The Hobbit, the wizard Gandalf involves Bilbo in an adventure (despite hobbits' aversion to such escapades) with a company of dwarves. They seek to repossess a treasure that is rightfully theirs and is currently in the lair of the dragon Smaug. Along the way, Bilbo and his companions encounter trolls, elves, goblins, giant spiders, and a host of other fantasy story creatures. Bilbo also encounters the strange creature, Gollum, in a diversion from the main story. In this part of the book, readers meet one of the most memorable creatures of all fantasy literature in a fateful encounter that sets the stage for Frodo's later adventures. Of course Gandalf and Bilbo also rank up there among the most recognized characters of fantasy literature as well. The Hobbit gives readers an introduction to Tolkien's world of Middle Earth which is probably one of the best developed worlds in fantasy literature. Every creature in his world is alive, even the plants and the birds. This gives an animated and lively feel to the world that keeps the reader engrossed in the story. Tolkien also does a masterful job of contrasting the feeling of safety and security in places like the shire and Elrond's home with feelings of dread and uneasiness that the reader experiences as Bilbo and his companions venture through such places as the Goblin caves, Mirkwood, and Smaug's lair. This draws the reader into the story and helps them feel like they are experiencing it with the characters. Tolkien only wrote four complete novels about Middle Earth, The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings trilogy. He also wrote a wealth of background material as well as several short stories about Middle Earth. For the new initiate to Tolkien as well as the young reader, The Hobbit is the place to start. And for those revisiting Middle Earth, The Hobbit reintroduces them to the fantasy world that is as familiar as it is wonderful.
Rating:
Summary: Very beautiful
Review: I received this book for Christmas and all I can say is that it's beautiful. It contains many illustrations in the book which make it that much nicer.
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Summary: MediaGab Review
Review: I picked up "The Hobbit" to start my reading of the Lord of the Rings series. I decided to start at the beginning of the series where the Ring is initially found. Also I wanted to test out J.R.R. Tolkien writing before I dropped $56 on the hardcover box set. Plus my interests into the movies made me want to read the classics. Well once I picked this book up I couldn't put it down. It was very well written. As one of my friends described it "It is easy reading". It takes you through your imagination senses. Of course it does help to have watched the movies and have a visualization of the characters and the environment in which this tale takes place. The tale is about Biblo Baggins and his adventure with thirteen dwarfs to go after a dragons treasure. Biblo is reluctantly recruited as the burglar for this adventure by Gandolf. Gandolf insists that Biblo is perfect for the job and believes in him whole hardily. As Biblo gains courage in himself he proves to be a leader and is one of the biggest reasons that the group continues on in their journey. Bilbo's courage is amplified once he finds the ring and understands the power it posesses. I found this book to be an excellent read for all ages it truly is a classic. Obviously I give this book a 5 out of 5 rating and will be reading the next three books over time.
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Summary: Grade inflation threatens to rear its head.
Review: I've already whined about not being able to give six stars out of five to "A Christmas Carol", given how much better it is than other books that I've rated five stars; given that this book is better than that one, (or at least, more fun, anyway) can I rate this one seven stars? Seriously, this book is one of the most enjoyable stories ever told. With all the attention that the new movie series is bringing to Tolkien's writings, there is a resurgence of interest in the "Lord of the Rings", but a great many of the newfound fans are failing to start with "The Hobbit", and this is a mistake; this book is a great deal easier to get into than "The Lord of the Rings", and once you're read this one, you'll likely find it much easier to enjoy that one. Granted, there are people who like "Lord of the Rings", but aren't fond of this book because they feel patronized by the easy, "children's book" writing style. If you don't enjoy ""Alice's Adventures in Wonderland" or C.S. Lewis's "Narnia" series (and if what you object to in the "Narnia" series is the writing style, rather than the blatant Christian symbolism) then you may not care for this book. If, on the other hand, you enjoy an occasional romp in a light-hearted style that still has serious plot, characterization, and deeper meanings, rather than insisting that all of your literature act its age and take itself (and the world) seriously, there are few books more enjoyable than this one.
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Summary: The Hobbit
Review: The Hobbit is a fantasy book written by J.R.R. Tolkien about a hobbit named Bilbo Baggins and his adventures with some dwarves and a wizard. Mr. Baggins has many different encounters with trolls, elves, and giant spiders, and finds himself close to death more than once. At the end of the book Bilbo and his companions reach the cave where the dwarf's treasure lies. After the dragon guarding the cave is slain they reclaim the treasure with a little bit of trouble. The book is well written and once you start reading it, you will have trouble putting it down. The one bad thing about the book is that it is hard to follow sometimes with all the complicating names of people and places.
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Summary: very nice edition of Tolkien's classic adventure tale
Review: The Hobbit is JRR Tolkien's prequel to The Lord of the Rings trilogy. Though it stood on its own legs for 30 years, it is now difficult to disentangle this tale of Bilbo Baggins' adventuring with dwarves and finding of the One Ring from the grandly-scaled tale that would follow. This is a charming story, less an epic than a good old-fashioned tale, as Bilbo, Gandalf, Thorin Oakenshield and the rest trek to the Lonely Mountain to wrest dwarvish gold from the dragon Smaug. Along the way they encounter Beorn the Bear-Man, elves, trolls and giant spiders. This edition is quite beautiful, and would make a lovely gift for someone who has read the story and considers it something special. The binding is dark green and embossed with maroon and gold runes and an image. The paper is heavy and augmented by Tolkien's own illustrations.
Rating: 
Summary: Good book, but not anything special
Review: The Hobbit, the prequel to the Lord of the Rings series, is a very well written book, but I recommend it only for those who are true fans of fantasy books. This book is about the expedition of a hobbit, Bilbo Baggins, and a company of dwarves. A wizard, Gandalf, also accompanies the hobbit. They intend to travel to the Lost Mountains to recover the treasure of the dwarves from the dragon, Smaug. Tolkein does very well at describing the adventures of Bilbo and his companions, but sometimes he gets too descriptive and the book gets a little dull. Still, other parts in the book are very exciting. I ended up enjoying this book very much, but I have read better books. This book is not a light book and will take some time to read. Overall, I don't consider this one of Tolkein's best literary works, but it deserves some recognition.
Rating:
Summary: Good book, but not anything special
Review: The Hobbit, the prequel to the Lord of the Rings series, is a very well written book, but I recommend it only for those who are true fans of fantasy books. Tolkein does very well at describing the adventures of Bilbo and his companions, but sometimes he gets too descriptive and the book gets a little dull. Still, other parts in the book are very exciting. I ended up really enjoying this book very much, but I have read better books. Overall, I don't consider this one of Tolkein's best literary works, but it deserves some recognition.
Rating:
Summary: Good book, but not anything special
Review: The Hobbit, the prequel to the Lord of the Rings series, is a very well written book, but I recommend it only for those who are truly fans of fantasy books. Tolkein does a very well at describing the adventure of Bilbo and his companions, but sometimes he gets too descriptive and the book gets a little dull. Still, other parts in the book are very exciting. I ended up enjoying this book very much, but I have read better books. Overall, I don't consider this one of Tolkein's best literary works, but it deserves some recognition.
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