Rating: 
Summary: The Best Fantasy Prelude I've Ever Read
Review: I have read this book and I loved it. It is good almost from the start. I prefer it over the Narnia series prelude 'The Magicians Nephew' which I've also read. The Hobbit is better than most of the books in the Narnia series. It should be required reading, tying in adventure and fantasy and making a pretty little bow.
Plus, with Houghton Mifflin, the Original Publisher, you can't go wrong. Happy Reading.
Rating: 
Summary: such a great book!
Review: i first read this book when i was in 8th grade (abt 10 years ago)and i fell in love with J.R.R. Tolkien. this book chronicles the adventure of a little hobbit named bilbo baggins. in the beginning he's visited by the wizard gandalf and whisked away to the greatest adventure of his life. throughout the course of the journey he comes into contact with elves, orcs, dwarves, giant spider creatures, gollum, and the One ring. there's wars, wizardry, cunning, intellect and lots of confusing place names but you'll love it anyway. this book is a classic and should be read by everyone even those who aren't big fans of fantasy.
Rating:
Summary: still with harry?
Review: I am just a reader who happened to see someone else interested in the book they were reading. it happened to be the hobbit and you might say i was inspired to read it. Now, if you are still hooked on harry potter, read this classic and you will be blown away by the magic of it. its better than harry and the rest are too.
Rating:
Summary: The Secret of the Hobbit and the Lord of the Ring!
Review: J.R.R. Tolkien's Hobbit has created a 20th Century myth base on the Jungian archetype of modern man' search for a mystical
center. The key to the Hobbit is that is the beginning of the
atomic essence of the great journey of the Hero. The call to
adventure is the beginning of the trilogy of the Lord of the Ring. The universal secret of the Hobbit is that he has achieved the power of riddle of the Egyptian god thoth who has
given man the cleverness of speech but not the "gravitas" of speech. This gives him a superficial victory over ring. The
Lord of the Ring brings Frido into the second stage of the call
to adventure which prepares the hero to enter the underworld
which is controlled by the powers of darkness and chaos. The
life and death struggle lead not only to the destruction of
the ring but the recovery of the great boon or great treasure that reveals the secret of Tolkien: the bliss is the great
center of the human quest. The bliss of discovery andknowledge of the real vs. illusion; good vs. evil and the
reality of enviroment over the commerical poisioning of Gaia.
The trials and tribulation are part of the Two Towers and
the Return of the King represent the struggle to escape from
drowning in the evil and poison of the soul. Frido must return
to the world or face a Rip Van Winkle sleep into the ages of
evil. The grand epic of the Lord of the Rings captures the
mythic quality of human existence which transcends race, sex, nationality and re-affirms Jungs universal discovery of the
profound meaning of myth which has been lost and found in the
twentieth century. Jung like Tolkien had been in a T.S. Eliot
Wasteland of World War I and the utter collapse of Western
Civilization into the dustpan of history. The Tolkien myth
has attempted to re-integrate Marcuse's One dimensional Man
into a new world based on new languages and new insight into
the Middle Earth. Jung's great perceptions of the healing power
of myth explains why The Lord of the Rings holds a new paradigm of hope in the background of the Great Terror in New York and
disintegration of human integrity.
Rating:
Summary: Excellent!
Review: With all of the current hype about the Lord of the Rings, I decided to read both that trilogy, and its predecessor, The Hobbit. I haven't quite gotten to the Fellowship of the Ring, but if it is even half as good as this book, I will be overjoyed. The Hobbit tells the story of Bilbo Baggins, who is, well, a hobbit. The wizard Gandalf and the dwarf Thorin, along with the rest of the company of dwarves, came to the doorstep of Bilbo's respectable hobbit-hole in the Shire, in need of a burglar on their "adventure" to regain the treasure currently in the possession of the great dragon Smaug. Reluctantly, Bilbo agrees to the journey. J.R.R. Tolkein weaves a wonderful story, following Bilbo's adventure. Along the way, Bilbo and his counterparts meet trolls, goblins, elves, humans, giant spiders, and many other dangers. As Bilbo learns more about being a burglar and going on adventures, he slowly gains the respect of his comrades. And in the end, it was Bilbo alone who took the weight of the company, when worse came to worse. This is a classic tale, one that has already been immortalized in literary history. I loved it, as many have before me, and many will after. I reccommend it to anyone and everyone, because it is one of those books that must be read at least once in your lifetime!
Rating:
Summary: Amazing prelude, yet independent, to the Lord of the Rings.
Review: About the story:
The Hobbit is an excellent story. Its plot is perfectly developed, though the first chapters may seem boring to some. It is much less complex and deep than LOTR, but is able to deliver the same type of emotion and interest. A must read if you are beginning with LOTR, giving you easy to remember background info before you begin the actual masterpiece or the much more advanced Silmarillion -even though it actually isn't ONE story-. About the edition:
This paperback edition is well enough for an average reader. It has a nice cover design along with a good size and clear maps. The only problem I found is that there are a couple of spelling mistakes through the story -gonig=going-, but hey, what edition is free of them? Overall, it is a great value for what you get, both an excellent story and a nice new edition.
Rating:
Summary: A Whole New World
Review: This book is definately worth reading. It captures your imagination and takes you into a whole new world. It takes you into the world of dragons and gold and dwarves. If you read this book then your probably going to love it. This book is really special. Not very many authors can create books as good as this. If you get this book then your in for a real treat. So take the advantage and read this wonderful book.
Rating:
Summary: prelude to a kiss
Review: This is a wonderful work and achievement. It is a splendid escape from our current fast forward high tech world. Enter a world of greens and giants. The hobbit is the prelude and the first chronologically in the Lord of the rings series. It is a great place to get started enjoy.
Rating:
Summary: Super!!!!!
Review: It is just great! If you're a fantasy reader you just need to read this book. Its about bilbo( the Hobbit). Bilbo (in this) is not actully how he seems in the Lord of the Rings. Its a very high standerd book, and i think really good. You'll read about a whole new world and there are such lovely characters!!!!
Rating:
Summary: The Sweet, Dark, Intoxication of Middle Earth
Review: If you've never smelled cinnamon rolls on a frosty morning or have never lain in bed on the sleeping porch inhaling the perfume of night-blooming jasmine or if you've never read The Hobbit then you do not know the majesty of imagination. Do not be fooled! Though ostensibly a children's book there is a veil of darkness about it that only adults or precocious children can appreciate. Tolkien himself admitted adding the trappings of a child's fantasy to what was a basically dark and forboding story for fear of being laughed at for producing an adult fantasy. The Hobbit is a sweet, dark, and intoxicating work of fantasy that enrobes the reader in a parallel world of mythical events and beings that closely echo the themes of life necessary to adulthood. The Hobbit warns of power used for material gain and the horrors of greed and waste but also teaches the value of being true to one's self and friends. That The Hobbit succeeds so transcendently well that the reader barely realizes he or she has been reading a modern parable stands as a testament to the genius of Tolkien and his sheer love of the English language. When Tolkien began writing Lord of the Rings years later the early chapters were of a tone similar to The Hobbit yet, as he progressed, the tone changed to a more adult and complex use of language as the story began to progress. Tolkien fans say that The Hobbit is to be read as a child and Lord of the Rings to be read as an adolescent. I whole-heartedly agree. These books are life as we live it and The Hobbit is an outstanding introduction to the lessons, bitter, enobling, and ultimately wisening, that we must all learn or become but shadows of what we have the potential to be. I'm sure you know there is a wizard, a dragon, eagles, and furry-footed Hobbits, but there are also fearsome monsters, werebears, haughty elves, greedy humans, and even greedier dwarves. Evil in The Hobbit doesn't disappear when dear Mr. Baggins goes home to petty and avaracious relatives thinking him dead and auctioning off his home and household goods. And that is the greatest triumph of the book as I see it. For evil in Tolkien's world is never wholly put away but is instead resisted and overcome with the lessons of life gained in the struggle. All of us have our moments of dread, fear, and temptation. Listen carefully to Tolkien's quiet but enduring message and you will never be alone no matter what life gives you. "The Hobbit" isn't just a book you give your children to read, it's a lesson in the labors of life in the adult world.
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