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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.
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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.
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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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Summary: Errors, but quite nice altogether
Review: I bought this leatherette edition along with The Lord Of The Rings leatherette edition. I must say, I am a bit miffed by some spelling errors or typos or incorrect tense in the text. On page 152, Chapter Eight, "Even the dwarves felt it, who were used to tunnelling, and lives at times for long whiles...". On page 161, "ÒIf you had not waked up...Ó. On page 183, Chapter Nine, ÒEach dwarf was blindfoldÓ. These are just the ones that I noticed. Are these the errors mentioned in the original, first edition? Or are they new errors committed by Houghton Mifflin? I have read this novel several times in other editions and never seen these errors. The odd use of grammar at times, even ending sentences with a preposition is understandable although curious. But the wrong word entirely isn't likely coming from a Professor of The English Language. The workmanship of the book is acceptable and worthy of the price at Borders/Amazon. The unusually wide margins are a bit strange, but quite handy when holding the book open! The inclusion of the artwork of Tolkien is a welcome treat also. I've assigned 4 stars because of the glowing errors that bring doubt to the accuracy of the text.
Rating: 
Summary: Disappointing
Review: The Hobbit, by J.R.R. Tolkien, is mediocre at best. A hobbit of the shire named Bilbo Baggins, is sent on a quest by the Maiar Gandalf the Grey to help a group of Dwarves led by Thorin Oakenshield in order to defeat Smaug the Dragon. This book is incredibly well-written, however, I find the story to be very stale and ordinary. I recommend this book as a prelude to the incredible Lord of the Rings saga and the Silmarillion. Another good series is George R.R. Martin's "A Song of Ice and Fire".
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