Type of bind: Audio Cassette
EAN num: 9780618087853
Format: Abridged, Audiobook
ISBN number: 0618087850
Label: Houghton Mifflin
Manufacturer: Houghton Mifflin
Quantity: 4
Printing Date: 2000-12
Publishing house: Houghton Mifflin
Age index: Ages 9-12
Sale Popularity Level: 1151713
Studio: Houghton Mifflin
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Editor's Notes and Comments:
Product Description:
If you care for journeys there and back, out of the comfortable world, over the edge of the Wild, and home again, and can take an interest in a humble hero (blessed with a little wisdom and a little courage and considerable good luck), here is the record of such a journey and such a traveler. In following the path of this adventurer you will learn much about trolls, goblins, dwarves, and elves, for Mr. Bilbo Baggins visited various notable persons, conversed with the dragon Smaug the Magnificent, and was present, rather unwittingly, at the Battle of the Five Armies. This is all the more remarkable since he was a hobbit.
Amazon.com Review:
'In a hole in the ground there lived a hobbit. Not a nasty, dirty, wet hole, filled with the ends of worms and an oozy smell, nor yet a dry, bare, sandy hole with nothing in it to sit down on or to eat: it was a hobbit-hole, and that means comfort.'
The hobbit-hole in question belongs to one Bilbo Baggins, an upstanding member of a 'little people, about half our height, and smaller than the bearded dwarves.' He is, like most of his kind, well off, well fed, and best pleased when sitting by his own fire with a pipe, a glass of good beer, and a meal to look forward to. Certainly this particular hobbit is the last person one would expect to see set off on a hazardous journey; indeed, when Gandalf the Grey stops by one morning, 'looking for someone to share in an adventure,' Baggins fervently wishes the wizard elsewhere. No such luck, however; soon 13 fortune-seeking dwarves have arrived on the hobbit's doorstep in search of a burglar, and before he can even grab his hat or an umbrella, Bilbo Baggins is swept out his door and into a dangerous adventure.
The dwarves' goal is to return to their ancestral home in the Lonely Mountains and reclaim a stolen fortune from the dragon Smaug. Along the way, they and their reluctant companion meet giant spiders, hostile elves, ravening wolves--and, most perilous of all, a subterranean creature named Gollum from whom Bilbo wins a magical ring in a riddling contest. It is from this life-or-death game in the dark that J.R.R. Tolkien's masterwork, The Lord of the Rings, would eventually spring. Though The Hobbit is lighter in tone than the trilogy that follows, it has, like Bilbo Baggins himself, unexpected iron at its core. Don't be fooled by its fairy-tale demeanor; this is very much a story for adults, though older children will enjoy it, too. By the time Bilbo returns to his comfortable hobbit-hole, he is a different person altogether, well primed for the bigger adventures to come--and so is the reader. --Alix Wilber
User popularity level:
Rated by buyers 
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when i started this book i had high hopes, u know tolkien to be the best fantasy author of all time or thats thats what all the reviews say. with this being my very first tolkien book it was horrible. it just got dumber throughout the book. i'm wondering is this guy just hype or since this book was made that long ago this was all our favorite writers had to read. i will try the lotr trilogy just to be sure.
Rated by buyers 
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I know it's heresy to give Tolkien anything less than a 5. He is the undisputed Lord and Master of the contemporary fantasy genre, from whom all subsequent attempts are somehow derivative. No one has since been able to write speculative fiction without owing Tolkien a great debt. But, while Middle Earth is certainly more complex than Hogwarts, those who sneered at JK Rowling's godawful prose stylings might want to take a look back at Tolkien's very first novel.
Rated by buyers 
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The Hobbit is a prelude to the epic The Lord of the Rings, but it still stands quite well on its own. This story tells of the finding of the Ring of Power, though at the time it seems a mere piece of luck and comes in quite handy for Bilbo during his adventure. More important to this story is the journey of Bilbo and the dwarves toward their ancient home, the Lonely Mountain, where Smaug the dragon sits atop their hoard of treasure. Always, the goal of reaching the mountain and reclaiming the gold (somehow) is foremost in their minds, even though they become sidetracked several times along the way. This is a perfect adventure story, ideal for reading to children or for anyone of any age. Bilbo, a seemingly insignificant person of a seemingly insignificant race of people, is a wonderful hero, as he finds that he possesses more courage and wits than he ever imagined. This is one of those books that everyone should read, if not for its relevance to the Middle-earth saga, but also because it's simply a wonderful story.
Rated by buyers -
This is a wonderful book to read out-loud. I dont' think I had ever read this before. I know it was assigned reading in middle school, but I never read it then. I have a strong anti-authoritarian streak evidently.
I found that Bilbo was quite engaging, as he is somewhat like myself. He likes to eat, and entertain, but doesn't much like uninvited guests. When Bilbo gets a call from a childhood acquaintence, Gandalf the wizard, he gets quite a party of uninvited visitors that accompany Gandalf the subsequent day for tea. The party sets in motion a most tumultuous adventure which is not very hobbit like.
Throughout his adventure with the thirteen dwarves, Bilbo grows from a squirming dunderhead in leading his comrades into danger with the trolls, to the fearless leader whilst conversing with a dragon. He proves his bravery many times over. Despite the growth of his testicular fortitude, he remains a humble being. Which is a trait that is perhaps lacking in myself.
Some people can go over the top with humility, and in their baseness turn humility into self-depreciation. This Bilbo never does, and I am glad of it. He does not boast of his successes, nor does he lament to long on his follies. The hobbit is too balanced for the everyman appeal, but is fun nonetheless.
Rated by buyers -
I would have to say this and the Lord of the Rings Trilogy is the best fantasy out there. I loved the movies.
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