The Hobbit: An Epic Journey Begins

Today is the anniversary (1937) of the publication of The Hobbit. The author, John Ronald Reuel Tolkien, developed the book out of his love for philology - the study of language in literature - and fantasy. Early in his life he was creating languages and incorporating them in stories that he later told to his children. Eventually The Hobbit would emerge as the first of several books based on Tolkien's fantasy world.

For all Tolkien fans who have come to love The Silmarillion, The Lord of the Rings trilogy, and several others, Corey Olsen, a scholar known as the Tolkien Professor, wrote a history of The Hobbit for its 75 anniversary in 2012. Here is a post he wrote about the book and the evolution of its main character, Bilbo Baggins.

The dust jacket from 1937

Olsen included seven illustrations Tolkien drew for the book, one of them being the dust jacket, proving he was not only a superb writer but also an accomplished artist.

I first read The Hobbit almost sixty years ago. It was an instant favorite, and like all of Tolkien's fantasy, an armchair journey to be enjoyed over and over again. My appreciation for his works was easily passed on to my children. One of them took that appreciation to a much higher level and now writes fantasy fiction. Like Bilbo Baggins, he's going on an adventure.