The Hobbit: The Enchanting Prelude to The Lord of the Rings

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Random House Worlds, Jul 12, 1986 - Fiction - 320 pages
The stirring adventure that begins The Lord of the Rings, the greatest fantasy epic of all time

When Thorin Oakenshield and his band of dwarves embark upon a dangerous quest to reclaim the hoard of gold stolen from them by the evil dragon Smaug, Gandalf the wizard suggests an unlikely accomplice: Bilbo Baggins, an unassuming Hobbit dwelling in peaceful Hobbiton.

Along the way, the company faces trolls, goblins, giant spiders, and worse. But as they journey from the wonders of Rivendell to the terrors of Mirkwood and beyond, Bilbo will find that there is more to him than anyone—himself included—ever dreamed. Unexpected qualities of courage and cunning, and a love of adventure, propel Bilbo toward his great destiny . . . a destiny that waits in the dark caverns beneath the Misty Mountains, where a twisted creature known as Gollum jealously guards a precious magic ring.
 

Selected pages

Contents

CHAPTER PAGE I An Unexpected Party
1
Roast Mutton
28
A Short Rest
45
Over Hill and Under Hill
55
Riddles in the Dark
68
Out of the FryingPan into the Fire
91
Queer Lodgings
112
Flies and Spiders
140
On the Doorstep
202
Inside Information
212
Not at Home
234
Fire and Water
247
The Gathering of the Clouds
257
A Thief in the Night
268
The Clouds Burst
275
The Return Journey
288

Barrels Out of Bond
171
A Warm Welcome
189
The Last Stage
297
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About the author (1986)

John Ronald Reuel Tolkien was born on January 3, 1892, in Bloemfontein, South Africa. After serving in the First World War, he embarked upon a distinguished academic career and was recognized as one of the finest philologists in the world. He was a professor of Anglo-Saxon at Oxford, a fellow of Pembroke College, and a fellow of Merton College until his retirement in 1959. He is, however, beloved throughout the world as the creator of Middle-earth and author of such classic works as The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings. He died on September 2, 1973, at the age of 81.

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