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Rating: 
Summary: Dramatization of the Hobbit with a medieval flavor
Review: As with the BBC production of the Lord of the Rings, the acting and sound effects in this dramatization of "The Hobbit" are excellent. The story follows the book closely, and I was impressed at how well BBC adapted and condensed Tolkien's work into this radio drama. The only disappointment was the soundtrack. I love medieval music, and have appreciated much of David Munrow's work, but the music in this production is a little too discordant. The elvish music is good, but some of the instruments of the dwarves are a little harsh. Other than that, this was a great version of Tolkien's classic.
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Summary: Wonderful memories - glad to have on CD
Review: Back in the late 1970's, in an era when radio drama was disappearing from public radio, the American prodcution of "The Lord of the Rings" and "The Hobbit" were created with a full cast of voice actors along with music and sound effects. Reminiscent of the radio dramas of the 1940's and 50's, these productions were usually aired on Sunday afternoons, when a family could listen and enjoy the week's story. Released on Jabberwocky Audio on cassette tapes, I remember the Christmas when I received the entire collection of Jabberwocky's stories on tape. From "The Hobbit" to "Alice in Wonderland" to "The Red Badge of Courage," all were classic tales. They even re-released on cassette some of the original radio productions, such as "War of the Worlds" and "The Gift of the Magi." These stories were designed to get the listener interested and promote reading the books the productions were based on. They were not designed for an adult audience, but rather for children and families to share. Wonderfully edited and masterfully performed, many modern audiences find these old productions a little silly or even perhaps dated, but play it for a child, and they will listen in rapture, just as I did 25 years ago when they were new. Of all my collection of the Jabberwocky tapes, "The Hobbit" and "The Lord of the Rings" are the only ones that I have trouble playing today, because they have been played so many times over the years that they are worn out. We would play them in the car on road trips, I would play them in my room while putting together a puzzle, and I played them for my friends, who enjoyed them as much as I did. I am delighted to have it on CD to listen to over and over again. At seven years of age, I had not yet read the books when I first listened to the tapes. But the tapes were perfect for a small girl just getting interested in reading. If only all the rest of the old radio dramas were also on CD! I would buy them all. It was unfortunate to come to this website and see the poor reviews written by people who have no understanding of the history of the production or what demographic it was originally intended for. I look forward to the day when I can play these CD's for my own children and see the wonder and delight in their faces when they hear the same stories that I grew up with.
Rating:
Summary: Dramatized audio edition does "The Hobbit" justice.
Review: I am not normally one to endorse 'dramatized' versions of books. An author's work deserves to be viewed as created by the author, not as condensed and interpreted by actors/directors, in the case of a movie dramatization or the audio presentation of a book. That being said, I am willing to endorse this dramatized version of J.R.R. Tolkien's "The Hobbit". The storyline is true to the book, as are the dialogs. This Four CD collection presents an opportunity to listen to several hours of a classical fantasy tale, complete with songs, pronunciations of elven and dwarven words and names, and limited, appropriate, sound effects. I played the CD's in the car on a long road trip; it helped to keep my mind occupied as the miles ticked away. I purchased the CD version over the Cassette version of this B.B.C. production so that I might use this collection to entertain, and very likely introduce to the genre of Fantasy, my future children. I wholeheartedly recommend this collection to parents, and future parents.
Rating: 
Summary: Not anything to jump at...
Review: I recommend the Mind's Eye dramatization of this. At least Mind's Eye gets the pronunciation of names correct. GahLOOM for Gollum? All it takes is listening to Tolkien himself reading "Riddles in the Dark" (I recommend the Tolkien Audio Collection) to know that these producers didn't do their homework. Also, the split narrative is a bit distracting, and Bilbo's constant hemming and hawing makes him sound like he has a mental condition. The voice casting leaves MUCH to be desired as well. Gandalf (or GawnDAWLF as they mispronounce it) sounds awful! This actor would be interesting as Wormtongue in LOTR, but as Gandalf - PTOOIE! The script is not badly written, although they emphasize some WEIRD things in the plot, like an overlong description of Elrond.
Rating:
Summary: Not anything to jump at...
Review: I recommend the Mind's Eye dramatization of this. At least Mind's Eye gets the pronunciation of names correct. GahLOOM for Gollum? All it takes is listening to Tolkien himself reading "Riddles in the Dark" (I recommend the Tolkien Audio Collection) to know that these producers didn't do their homework. Also, the split narrative is a bit distracting, and Bilbo's constant hemming and hawing makes him sound like he has a mental condition. The voice casting leaves MUCH to be desired as well. Gandalf (or GawnDAWLF as they mispronounce it) sounds awful! This actor would be interesting as Wormtongue in LOTR, but as Gandalf - PTOOIE! The script is not badly written, although they emphasize some WEIRD things in the plot, like an overlong description of Elrond.
Rating:
Summary: Worthwhile listening to
Review: The story itself is on four CDs, the fifth CD contains several songs. This audio production won't replace reading the book, but may serve as an overview of the book. The sound effects at times seem a bit overdone - you'll hear a lot of huffing and puffing. As a previous reviewer noted, children may enjoy this set of CDs more than adults and the sound effects can help to hold their attention. Gollum sounds rather spooky, and Bilbo sounds as if he were out of breath most of the time.
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Summary: Hard to follow...
Review: this book is very good especially for the type who love action thrillers and i would suggest it for the young and old alike
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Summary: A Delightful Trip into the Misty Mountains!
Review: This wonderful set of audio CDs has been a delight in my family. About 10 years ago we got rid of our television, and we spend a lot of time listening to audio drama and reading to each other. My five children have spent countless hours listening to this series, with its fantastic dramatizations of Tolkien's characters. The music and sound effects are also a real treat. It's also a great companion to the BBC's other Tolkien series, "The Lord of the Rings."It's my precious!!
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Summary: What a wonderful story from another era.
Review: What a wonderful story from a another era. J.R.R. Tolkien had the ability to weave a story and pull the reader (or listener) into his tale. It must be 25 years ago when I first read this story and what a story it was. The Hobbit opened my eyes to a whole other world of reading. Being the son of a librarian, I was accustomed to books, but when I received this book I did not want to put it down. As I have read this story yearly, I was very excited to see the BBC dramatization released on CD. I must tell you that the BBC did a wonderful job with this story, bringing out the highs and the lows with precision and believability. You will not be disappointed with this series. Now is the time to join Bilbo and the company of Dwarves. Your adventure awaits.
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