The Hobbit
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The Hobbit, or There and Back Again is a children's fantasy novel by the English author J. R. R. Tolkien. It was published in 1937 to wide critical acclaim, being nominated for the Carnegie Medal and awarded a prize from the New York Herald Tribune for best juvenile fiction. The book is recognized as a classic in children's literature and is one of the best-selling books of all time, with over 100 million copies sold.
Bilbo's role as burglar places him in the trickster tradition of figures like Prometheus who stole fire from the gods. Painting by Jan Cossiers, 1637
Bilbo's character and adventures match many details of William Morris's expedition in Iceland. 1870 cartoon of Morris riding a pony by his travelling companion Edward Burne-Jones
Dustcover of the first edition of The Hobbit, taken from a design by the author
J. R. R. Tolkien
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John Ronald Reuel Tolkien was an English writer and philologist. He was the author of the high fantasy works The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings.
1892 Christmas card with a coloured photo of the Tolkien family in Bloemfontein, sent to relatives in Birmingham, England
Birmingham Oratory, where Tolkien was a parishioner and altar boy (1902–1911)
King Edward's School in Birmingham, where Tolkien was a pupil (1900–1902, 1903–1911)