Rating: 
Summary: More than enough...
Review: This tale of a simple hobbit from the Shire suddenly taking up on a quest to find adventure and gold with thirteen burly dwarves is a most delightful tale that I've ever heard of. I have read The Lord of the Rings before, and The Hobbit is an excellent edition that precedes the expectations that unfold in The Lord of the Rings. With many features and more unfolding of past, present, and future which J.R.R. Tolkien has always been successful of invoking; it is a tale that Bilbo Baggins, the most lucky and entertaining beast out of the peaceful Shire to ever save lives, fight evil creatures, and win his way out of getting eatin' alive. I best love The Hobbit for its many attributions to new characters and places rediscovered again. The Hobbit is an equal success as to his famous trilogy and sequel, The Lord of the Rings. The book is excellent, and I don't recommend you to read this book, I order you to take up on its quest and cherish it as a simple hobbit telling fantastic tales, pertaining to one such as Bilbo Baggins of the Shire, would by the fireplace with the kettle steaming in the kitchen waiting for tea-time.
Rating:
Summary: *Quality* personified
Review: I only recently (Today in fact) recieved this book, and I had no doubts in my mind as to whether it was worth the expense to have it shipped here (I am located in the republic Ireland). I could have simply gone to my local Easons (pretty much *the* only bookstore, of note, in Ireland) and picked up one of the many (and I'm talking millions here) paperback editions of "The Hobbit" (or The Lord of the Rings, as I bought both leatherette editions), but instead I chose the leatherette edition, and I'm not sorry, not in the least!I'll start by describing the 'externals' (or asthestics) of the book: Let me first say, dont be fooled into believing this is some 'form' of leather that the book is bound in, it is, in fact (or at least appears to be), a form of plastic. Saying this, however, it does not cheapen the book, I'm saying merely to clarify. This 'plastic' is actually made to look 100% like real leather, if only for the feel, you would be fooled into thinking it was leather (leather is less resitant, scratches more easily and is softer under-hand). I personally dont mind, the book is most beautifully crafted with 'simulation' gold gild (more than likely its a gold ink or paint). The pages themselves are of good, rather great -quality, not cheap 'bright-white' 'mass market' pages, but rather a subtle shade of mild yellow, not to mention the pages being almost twice as thick as paperback editions (if not, in fact thicker), which makes for a much more comfortable read. I have only one 'gripe' or 'probleme' with this book, and that is that the text that is printed on the pages seems to be at an angle (rather than being 90deg to the pages edge, the text seems to be off by about 3-5 degrees). This is only a slight annoyance, and I am not totally convinced that it is either an error while printing nor that all copies have the same 'condition'; I personally dont mind too much, but for the 'perfectionistic reader' it can be quite distracting, but to be honest that is the fault of the reader rather than the book's. Finally (and perhaps most importantly?),
The book comes with a 'container' wich is, also, bound with 'leatherette', they both complement each other and the cover is a perfect protector against the day to day 'wear n tear' of life. Personally, I cant put the book down. I'm three chapters through and cant find fault in the book. All of this goes for the "Lord of the rings - Leatherette edition" just as much as for "The Hobbit - Leatherette edition". This book is a must for all!
Rating:
Summary: The Hobbit Review
Review: This book called "The Hobbit", is about a little ordinary Hobbit called Bilbo Baggins, who had an unexpected adventure. This adventure was filled with lost treasure, magical dwarves, mystical elves and fearsome dragons. Here, is Professor Tolkiens first book that takes place in Middle-Earth. Just the fact that such a small and "un-adventurous" little person like Mr.Baggins going on an adventure made this book a great page-turner. But with the addition of magical creatures, fierce warriors and Smaug the Dragon, I believe that this book should be recognized in the "Authors hall of Fame". The detail in this book was magnificent, letting you picture the lush environment of Rivendell, the harsh, cold Mountain range of the Misty Mountains and the dark forest of Mirkwood, with its hidden eyes of darkness and spiders the size of elephants. The characters had complex personalities, family tree descriptions, and their appearances were, in my opinion, described perfectly. Smaug, the dragon who guarded the dwarves' treasure, was quite a funny character. Not comically funny, but in the way that he talks to burglars, and the nasty habit of exploding with fury, when so much as a single coin is missing from his stockpile of gold. All in all, this book was a work of literary art, and descriptive genius. On a scale of one to ten, I would give it a ten and a half, and I believe it is suitable for all ages. If you are looking for a great book, you should consider "The Hobbit". Written by:
TheCarrot.net editor, nick
Rating:
Summary: For those who have read (or seen) the series, READ THIS!
Review: At the age of 28 and having read the Lord of the Rings series 3 times, as well as having watched the first two installments of the films in the theatre, I must, shamefully, admit, I have only recently read the one book from which the epic series was born and I LOVED IT! I can't believe it took me this long to finally read The Hobbit, but I am mightly glad I did! If you have only read the series, then you are missing out on several "in" jokes all pertaining to Bilbo's exciting and dangerous adventure. Immediately upon finishing The Hobbit, I re-read The Fellowship of the Ring, again, and it suddenly opened up for me. I found myself laughing at events, phrases, etc. that I missed entirely before. The Hobbit is well worth reading, even if have already read the series (though I would recommend first-timers to read this first), because you'll just get so much more out of the series. Moreover, for those who have only seen the films, READ THE BOOKS! I'm serious. The films are great fun, but the books are real, intense, go deeper, and just carry you away from your daily life into Middle Earth. Don't you just love escapism? I do! Cheers!
Rating:
Summary: The book not the text
Review: Just a short note re build quality of the book, rather than a review of the story everyone should know.
This hardback edition features a strong stitched spine with no visable glue (so you can open it right out without worrying about damaging the spine) , fantastic quality thick paper pages printed with easy to read lettering, loverly colour prints by Alan Lee, a colourful embossed dust jacket with the main cover embossed with a silver dragon and Hobbit titled spine. This version is worth every single penny, take my word for it, you wont be disappointed.
Rating:
Summary: And it's only the beginning!
Review: Now I know how great series like Dragonlance and Forgotten Realms came about. Perhaps they wouldn't even be here if it weren't for Tolkien. I'm unfamiliar with the Lord of the Rings books and have just recently finished The Hobbit, but I can still see the vast similarities between Tolkein's works and other fantasy novels. A couple of them are the recurring theme of race relations (elves don't care for dwarves, dwarves don't really care for elves, and so on) and the classic scenarios in which the heroes get into an impossible situation but find a way out (sometimes an uncomfortable one involving barrels) at the last moment. These are the elements that make a grand and exciting adventure tale, and Tolkien knew how to use them. Until recently, my experiences with fantasy novels were limited to Dragonlance books for the most part. Seeing the first two Lord of the Rings movies roused an interest in the books for me, as well as the desire to not be one of the millions of people who can eagerly claim to have enjoyed the movies greatly but must admit that he or she has never read a word of the books. So, I've started with The Hobbit, and have stumbled upon a very entertaining story. To put it very, very concisely, our protagonist, a halfling named Bilbo Baggins, is much like other hobbits-he prefers to stay in his own home, have some tea and plenty of food, and never spend a day outside of his secure village. Gandalf, a wizard, comes along and convinces him (with the help of a baker's dozen of dwarves) that he ought to abandon his philosophy and act as the burglar on their journey to the faraway mountain where Smaug, a massive, evil dragon, resides and defends a vast treasure that belonged to the dwarves long ago. Mr. Baggins finds himself off on a very dangerous journey where he meets countless foes, one of the most interesting being Gollum, the pathetic, miserable creature who covets the ring that reappears in the following trilogy. Mr. Baggins learns much about life, people, and the wide world he would not have seen otherwise, and returns to his hobbit hole a different person. Don't be misled-this is not a children's book exclusively. It may be written somewhat lightly, but has much to offer to an adult, as do other novels that fall into that category like The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn and Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH. There are some books out there so versatile that one can enjoy reading them as an adult and find elements he or she missed out on when reading them as a child. The book is full of interesting characters and storylines, unique humor, and a distinctive style of writing, and I imagine it can spark an interest in the Lord of the Rings trilogy in any reader. Aside from all that, one can easily develop a great empathy and fondness for Bilbo's character, who proves to be quite multi-faceted. He's both selfish and selfless at times, remarkably brave, clever, and compassionate, and generally very much like humans.
Rating:
Summary: Five Stars, no doubt
Review: My introduction to the world of Middle-Earth happened last year. I was never very enthusiastic about the world created by Tolkien, but when I finally read Lord of The Rings (which I'm actually still reading: I'm in the beginning of RotK) and The Hobbit last year, in 8th grade, I could''t be more impressed, and I'm an official Fantasy geek (and I mean this in a friendly way).
The Hobbit is a fairy-tale like adventure, easy to read and told in a much less accurate and serious way than LoTR, one of the greatest Fantasy tales ever published. But don't take this book as a work of less importance, because though it is not as epic as LoTR, The Hobbit is a excellent book that can be used as an introduction to the world of Middle Earth, or as a separate tale. The book shows Tolkien doing what he seems to do best: it's an aventure full of carachter development, with both sad and lighter, even comic moments. Though this book isn't a epic war tale, it's a great and easy read, reccomended for everibody.
Rating:
Summary: One Hobbit to rule them all........
Review: The Hobbit is a prolude of The Lord of the Rings. This story is about Bilbo Baggins, who had discover the ring of power the ring to rule them all. But Bilbo doesn't know about it, he just thought it were a ring that make the wearer invisible.
So Mr. Baggins wear his ring through all his danger adventure and at the end, back again to his little Hobbit hole, and he write his story about his adventure and called it 'There and Back again'. This book is so good you better read it.
Rating:
Summary: Makes a long car trip bearable
Review: The Hobbit is a book that can be re-read multiple times, like any good classic. That's why it's worth the investment to get the CD and enjoy the story again and again while traveling in your car. I find driving long distances boring, but listening to a good book makes the time pass quickly. This edition is the entire book, unabridged. You already like the story, so you just want to know if it is well-read. The answer is that Rob Inglis does a superb job of reading the story, just as you might read it to your kids. He is easy to understand and varies his voice to represent the characters. More importantly, he makes the characters sound much like I had already imagined them.
Rating:
Summary: Great!!
Review: The Hobbit' is a lightly-written fairy-tale of Hobbit Bilbo Baggins' journey to the Dwarven home. It includes elves, a wizard, and wonderfully odd characters such as Tom Bombadil and the River's Daughter. Bilbo is caught up in a strange adventure with a troupe of dwarves and a wizard. The tone of 'The Hobbit' is very different from the rest of the series; it is an adult story written as a children's story. Bilbo awakens one morning to an old man blowing smoke rings outside of his 'hole in the ground'. This old man rested on a staff and wore a pointed blue hat, and his beard hung nearly to his waist. It seems the old wizard, Gandalf, has chosen Bilbo as the fourteenth man to accompany a troup of thirteen dwarves. Thirteen is an unlucky number, and in any case they needed a good burglar. That Bilbo never considered himself a burglar, and in fact had never burgled, bothered the wizard not in the slightest. I think that part of the success of 'The Hobbit' can be attributed to its 'moral' about war (which I can't explain further until you've read the book, and then you won't need me to). But it is also an engaging story of a middle-aged nobody's coming-of-age. Bilbo passes through fire, literally, and emerges, if not a hero, than at least a story-teller. Overall I think this is a great book and I recommend it to anyone who is interested in a good read. Other good books are Paul Omeziri's Descent into Illusion and L ARon Hubbard's Battleship Earth.
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