The Hobbit: Illustrated Edition

** For lovers of adventures that feel like coming home, enjoyers of splendid British humour, and anybody who has strong opinions about teatime. ** When I first read this book I was just a child; by now I have read and listened to it numerous times, in various formats and languages, and I can certainly say it is always a new and wondrous experience. Tolkien's 'The Hobbit', while at times overshadowed by 'Lord of the Rings' and 'The Silmarillion', never fails to astound me with its quiet complexity. This is a book from which you get exactly that which you wish to find. It can be a cosy goodnight-story, slowly savoured chapter by chapter, or a thrilling fantasy epic, catapulting you from one adventure to the next. It is captivating, astoundingly funny, and filled with a deep love for its world and the characters that inhabit it. Even though this story was written almost a hundred years ago, I find it remarkable how much of it still resonates with me and how I love it more with each new read. It discusses many different things, but does so in a subtle, tender way. Instead of overwhelming you with a flood of lore, it lets you peel back the layers of the story chapter by chapter, read by read. Each reader is bount bound to find something that speaks to them: the courage it takes to be yourself in places where you are not always understood or appreciated, finding friendship where you would least expect it, and the longing for somewhere (or someone) you feel truly at peace. It is about grief and loss, both of people and places you have loved, about wonderful and terrible journeys, and the good winning out in the end, but not without a cost. And, of course, it is a story about finding your own potential in the most odd circumstances and discovering, even more surprisingly, that you completely live up to it. The quest doesn't change who Bilbo is at his core but he is driven beyond the boarders of his own self. He becomes more. It is also an absolutely banging adventure story about dragons and treasures. What's not to love? For a book that places so much emphasis on the value of home, it is such a point of interest that Bilbo yearns for adventure for the rest of his life. Once back in the Shire, he is never again quite content with his "simple life". This story constantly centers longing — longing for things you had but have lost, things that were taken from you, people you grieve, things you find that you never even knew were missing from your life. Now that I have finished the book, I find I also experience a longing. If you're looking for me, I will be in bed rereading 'The Hobbit'. (I'm not even kidding, I started re-listening to the audiobook as I wrote this review.) Alternatively: Gandalf is an hilarious old grump, Thorin loves giving long-winded and unnecessary speeches that nobody cares for, and Bilbo really just wants regular meals. And there's a dragon sleeping on top of their treasure. Oh well. (You can find more about Bilbo and his quest in the Lord of Rings and The Unfinished Tales.)

"The Hobbit" could have been Tolkien's magnum opus, but "The Silmarillion" has claimed that title for itself. However, that does not diminish the greatness of his first published novel. I initially read "The Hobbit" when I was 9. Since then, it has been transformed into a permanent fixture in my life, and I reread it at least yearly, despite the fact that it was originally intended for children. But then again, that is precisely what makes it so great. W.H. Auden was right when he said that "there are good books which are only for adults because their comprehension presupposes adult experiences, but there are no good books which are only for children." and "The Hobbit" just so happens to be the perfect example. With its iconic cast of characters, beautifully written prose, adventurous plot, mesmerizing world-building, and captivating portrayal of its primary villain, the sentient dragon Smaug, this book is still as enjoyable to me as it was when I was 9 years old, if not even more.