Today In History: The Hobbit Is Published

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.

It had a perfectly round door like a porthole, painted green, with a shiny yellow brass knob in the exact middle. The door opened on to a tube-shaped hall like a tunnel: a very comfortable tunnel without smoke, with panelled walls, and floors tiled and carpeted, provided with polished chairs, and lots and lots of pegs for hats and coats -- the hobbit was very fond of visitors. The tunnel wound on and on, going fairly but not quite straight into the side of the hill -- The Hill, as all the people for many miles round called it -- and many little round doors opened out of it , first on one side and then on another..."

-- J.R.R. Tolkien, Ch. 1, "An Unexpected Party," p.1 , The Hobbit 

A classic in children's literature and written by the British author of high fantasy and University of Oxford professor, J.R.R. (John Ronald Reuel)Tolkien, The Hobbit was published by George Allen and Unwin on September 21st, 1937.  The Hobbit is set in Middle Earth, "ancient time between the age of the Faerie and the dominion of men." It tells the adventurous tale of Bilbo Baggins who joins Gandalf, the wizard, and Thorin's Company of thirteen dwarves to reclaim their home and treasure from Smaug, the powerful dragon, who sleeps upon it in the Mountain. They leave the Shire, their bucolic, peaceful community to bravely face trolls, goblins, giant spiders, wood elves, wargs (wolves), and more dangers in their extraordinary quest. 

The Hobbit was followed by the trilogy The Lord of the Rings, written between 1937-1949 (published by Allen and Unwin, from 1954-1955). In these latter works, J.R.R. Tolkien more deeply explores the themes of good versus evil, power versus humility, death versus immortality, with strong Christian elements. The books comprising the series are: The Fellowship of the Ring; The Two Towers; and The Return of the King.

Tolkien's works received wide acclaim; The Hobbit was nominated for the Carnegie Medal for Writing, an award that recognizes outstanding works of children's or young adult literature. The Lord of Rings, like its prequel, was adapted to highly popular film and television productions over the following decades.

The following articles are drawn from Proquest Historical Newspapers, which informs and inspires classroom teaching and learning.

• P. J. S. (1954, Dec 26). Adults Now Exposed to More Serious Side of Hobbit History: Volume For Those Who've Not Lost Sense of Wonder. Los Angeles Times (1923-1995) 
• Henniker-Heaton, P.J.. (1968, May 23). Tolkien Disguised as Himself: Slow-Burning Fuse Courage--Win or Lose. The Christian Science Monitor (1908-) 
• J. R. R. Tolkien, Hobbits' Creator, at 81. (1973, Sep 04). Newsday (1940-) 
• Kennedy, M. (1981, Aug 29). Lord of the Hobbits. The Irish Times (1921-) 
• Taylor, R. (1981, Nov 11). Imaginative Realm of the Author of 'The Hobbit'. Boston Globe (1960-) 
• Aoki, E.(1988, Aug 21). We Can't Kick 'The Hobbit': J.R.R. Tolkien's Classic Tale Is a Half-Century Old and As Popular As Ever. Boston Globe (1960-) 
• 50 Years Later, 'The Hobbit' Still Fascinates Americans. (1988, Sep 01). The Sun (1837-) 
• Williams, L. (1992, Jan 03). J.R.R. Tolkien, A Man of Myths: Trailing Hobbits Into a World of Fantasy. The Sun (1837-) 
• Wallace, A. (2018, Apr 28). From Jumble Sale to Auction: First Edition of 'Hobbit' May Fetch 30,000: Art, Antiques and Collecting. The Irish Times (1921-) 
• Battersby, E. (2000, Dec 23). Story-Teller. The Irish Times (1921-) 

Tips:

• Green, William H. The Hobbit : A Journey into Maturity. New York: Twayne Publishers, 1995. e-book.
• Lee, Stuart D., ed. A Companion to J. R. R. Tolkien. 1st ed. Chichester, England: Wiley-Blackwell, 2014. e-book.
• Strauss, Ed. A Hobbit Devotional. 1st ed. Uhrichsville, Ohio: Barbour Publishing, 2012. e-book.
• Tolkien, J. R. R. (John Ronald Reuel). The Hobbit, or, There and Back Again. Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 1938.  Closed Stacks Juvenile ; PZ8.T52 Ho2 1938.
• Wood, Ralph C., ed. Tolkien among the Moderns. 1st ed. Notre Dame, Indiana: University of Notre Dame Press, 2015. e-book.
• Widdicombe, Toby. J.R.R. Tolkien. First edition. London, UK ; Bloomsbury Academic, 2019. e-book.

Images:

• The Hobbit, 75th Anniversary Edition, Cover.
• Poster Image:  Bag End, Bilbo Baggin's House, Courtesy of Canva

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