Rating: 
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.
Rating:
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.
Rating:
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.
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 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.
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 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.
Rating: 
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".
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!
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