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.
Rating: 
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: Masterful Adaptation of Print to Audio
Review: Bilbo Baggins entertains a number of strange visitors and becomes enmeshed in a perilous hunt for a fabulous treasure. The episodic quest story is at least as old as Homer's "Oddyssey," and as current as "O Brother Where Art Thou," and Tolkien proves a master in the format.I first read "The Hobbit" (and the entire "Lord of the Rings" trilogy)during finals week of my Freshman year in college. My grades suffered, and I remember almost nothing about the courses I took that semester, but thirty years later I still know the story of Bilbo, Frodo, Gandalf, and THE RING. Conan, Harry Potter, and multitudes of lesser fantasy heroes and heroines owe their inspiration to "The Hobbit" and "The Lord of the Rings." Read or audit the original and all else suffers in comparison. One off-putting motif Tolkien employs is the ad nauseum setting forth of songs and poems (none very good) sung and recited by the characters. After suffering through a few poems, I began to skip them as I encountered them. The poetry almost persuaded me not to get the BBC radio play. I didn't think I could suffer through such an incessant cacaphony of subpar songs. Thankfully, the BBC edited out almost all the songs. As to the play itself, the characters were well conceived and well executed. You couldn't have asked for a more convincing Bilbo. Almost all the major episodes remain in the play. The sound effects are great. When I drive, I prefer dramatizations to the dry reading of prose, and such high quality dramatizations as this are almost on a par with reading the written word.
Rating:
Summary: Audio brings the Classic to life!!!
Review: EVERYONE SHOULD READ 'THE HOBBIT' AND LISTEN TO THIS AWESOME AUDIO RENDITION. I cannot praise BBC enough. Their dramatizations are incredible! The sound effects and music in 'The Hobbit' especially deserve to be lauded ~ Gollum, the trolls, the elves, the eagles are all given the kind of sounds and voices we tried to contrive as kids. Everything the characters are doing - climbing mountains, riding in barrels down river, running, marching, drinking/eating - is captured with a multitude of sounds. Put on your headphones and you will disappear to Bilbo's discovered world. Parents who are sick of bad programming and dumbed-down childrens' books should try this one out! They're great for long car rides. There are tons of other great titles from BBC - The Lion The Witch & The Wardrobe, Great Expectations, The Lord of the Rings, etc. They all measure up to the same kind of superior quality!
Rating:
Summary: This book is great for measuring idiots!
Review: For those of you reading comments on this book I can assure that it is one of the greatest fiction works of all time and that anybody who says anything different is truly a moronic idiot and merely a waste of precious DNA.
Rating:
Summary: Audio masterpiece..
Review: Having just purchased both BBC productions of "The Hobbit" and "The Lord of the Rings", I've decided to write a quick review. First off, "The Hobbit" is the classic story of Bilbo Baggins' adventure across Middle-earth to help recover the dwarves gold, and defeat the evil dragon Smaug. If you live and breath hobbits, you can't go wrong with this audiobook. It comes in a green slipcase, containing a hardback (almost book-like) holder of five compact discs. A booklet containing all the characters, production cast, and track titles is included. Also in the set is a fold out map of Middle-earth. The production itself, is a lot of fun to listen to. The English actors are great, the music is superb. Overall this is a great item for any Tolkien lover, sure to bring joy and put a smile of your face for a long time to come.
Rating:
Summary: Audio masterpiece..
Review: Having just purchased both BBC productions of "The Hobbit" and "The Lord of the Rings", I've decided to write a quick review. First off, "The Hobbit" is the classic story of Bilbo Baggins' adventure across Middle-earth to help recover the dwarves gold, and defeat the evil dragon Smaug. If you live and breath hobbits, you can't go wrong with this audiobook. It comes in a green slipcase, containing a hardback (almost book-like) holder of five compact discs. A booklet containing all the characters, production cast, and track titles is included. Also in the set is a fold out map of Middle-earth. The production itself, is a lot of fun to listen to. The English actors are great, the music is superb. Overall this is a great item for any Tolkien lover, sure to bring joy and put a smile of your face for a long time to come.
Rating:
Summary: Fantasy Thinking
Review: Having never read a fantasy book before, I found myself engrossed in The Hobbit's Middle Earth. Mr. Tolkein takes the reader on a journey that challenges any mind that ever thought the body carrying it was unfit for life's journey to broaden it's horizon of possibilities. Bilbo Baggins is anyman that ever became a hero out of sheer necessity. Our wordsmith, Tolkein, creates a world full of fantastic delights and magic. Suggested reading for just about any age.
Rating:
Summary: People losing their way in normal life should read this book
Review: Hobbit is translated to Turkish late - in 1998- as usual. I was very impressed with the realistic structure although the novel is about very small creatures which in fact are not found in the nature. But the reality was lying under the personalities of them. Then the great Lord of The Rings serial was the next to read naturally.
Rating: 
Summary: Don't Purchase
Review: I always thought unabridged meant you could read along with the book. This is not unabridged, the actors miss pronounce the names, it was not well done at all. I could not even get through the first CD.
| 
