The Hobbit: Illustrated Edition

I just wanted to take the time to update anyone who is interested in purchasing this illustrated edition of The Hobbit. As you probably know, there aren't many illustrated editions of the hobbit and most that are illustrated aren't all that incredible. So far, my favorite edition has been the one by Alan Lee. I must say, it's hard to top his work. Alan Lee really helped bring the story to life for me when I first read this incredible adventure by Tolkien. However, because I believe that The Hobbit is a tale directed at the hearts of children and adults that are young at heart, I believe that Jemima Catlin's illustrated edition has topped even the great Alan Lee's. First off, the quality of this book is excellent. The book has been wrapped in cloth so the book feels high quality and soft to the touch. Also, the cover has a beautiful illustration from the book that includes carefully placed gold etching on the leaves, title, and author's name. This really gives the book a nice luster and shine. The book doesn't come with a book jacket and honestly I think that was smart based off of how high quality the book feels and looks. It just doesn't need a cheap paper jacket to cover such a beautiful looking book. The illustrations that are presented in the book are a thing of beauty. Not only are there a great many (every two or three pages or so) but they are incredibly colorful and really pop when you look at them. I do think the illustrator's style is to appear more colorful and simple at first glance, but at the same time you will look at the illustrations carefully and see the amount of time and effort that she put into this work. I love this style of simplicity and use of color. Though not the exact same style, I feel like it reminds me of illustrators like William Steig who just have this incredible knack for bringing out amazing details with small illustrations. In fact, I truly and desperately hope that Jemima Catlin will be commissioned for Lord of the Rings. If you happen to read this Jemima, I just wanted to say thanks for putting so much passion and hard work into this book. I look forward to reading this to my children someday and plan on using your version when I do! As a side note, I should mention that some of Tolkien's original maps are included in the front and back of the book. Lastly, it wouldn't be an appropriate review of The Hobbit without mentioning how amazing this story really is. If there is any part of you that believes in things like magic, risk-taking, adventure, friendship to the end, finding faith in the smallest of people or things, and good triumphing over evil, this is the book for you. I fell in love with the characters of this story and am thankful for authors like J.R.R Tolkien for having that God-given ability to captivate readers through these characters and the adventures they set out on. Every time I read this book I feel like I'm a kid again and that in itself is a great thing in my eyes. However, as an adult this book not only brings about those childhood feelings, but also strengthens my personal faith, and leads me to believe that those who truly live life to the fullest are those who go against the flow, take risks despite the fears or consequences when they know that it's in the name of doing what they feel is right inside of there hearts. I think there really is some of Bilbo Baggins in all of us and we learn a great deal from his adventure. If you cannot tell, I love this book. It is saying a lot for me that this is my favorite edition of the book so far. This truly is a high-quality, gift edition that you will be very proud to own. Don't hesitate to purchase! Thank you J.R.R Tolkien and Jemima Catlin!

This Hobbit: Illustrated Edition is beautiful! While a purist would probably wish for Tolkien’s own amazing drawings, like in the copies I grew up on, this makes the book a more approachable story for elementary school kids and their expectations in our world I think. There’s a small illustration on almost every page, and several bigger ones every dozen pages or so. The artwork looks almost Scandinavian in appearance, with the dark lines and the two-dimensional look. The quality is very good and worth the price. Consider this for reading to your kids or for a beautiful display!

My almost nine-year-old has recently become obsessed with The Hobbit after we watched the first two films in Peter Jackson's trilogy. I did inform her that the films are not altogether faithful to the book, and was happy to learn she is keen to read the book! I have several editions of The Hobbit (and other works by J.R.R. Tolkien) in my home library (yes, I am a diehard Tolkien fan), and although I love them all, I am glad I found this edition since it reminds me so much of a high-quality children's book, especially the ones I read as a child. This 2013 Houghton Mifflin Harcourt edition is bound in cloth with the cover art stamped onto it (there is no dust jacket), giving it a vintage feel, and what better presentation for a classic like The Hobbit? The paper quality is excellent as well, with text and illustrations printed on glossy paper. The sewn binding will ensure this book lasts for a long time, perhaps allowing for it to be handed down through generations. The illustrations in this book, by illustrator Jemima Catlin, capture the essence of a story meant for children - they are not overly scary (not even the illustrations of the goblins and trolls, unlike the depictions in the films), which makes them perfect for reading aloud to children and/or for independent young readers to enjoy perusing on their own. The story of The Hobbit itself is a timeless tale of loyalty, friendship, teamwork, and courage. This quest-themed tale featuring the hobbit Bilbo Baggins and a band of dwarves makes for a great introduction to quality fantasy literature for children and is also one that will reward young readers with lessons on courage and wisdom. Highly recommended.

My kids really enjoyed it - though gollum’s picture scares them a bit. The drawings aren’t exactly my style but good for kids and after checking several other editions this one seemed to have the most illustrations. They are frequent enough to keep the attention of younger kids as older siblings read along with you. And of course the book itself it’s a classic. The print quality of this edition seems good. Would recommend it highly since the hobbit is a bit more geared to a younger audience than tolkien’s other works, so having more illustrations is very helpful.

Gorgeous art kept my 6 year old and I rapt throughout the adventure. It's a beautifully made book in itself, a wonderful gift.

We love the Hobbit! What a fabulous story written by an Amazing author. This version is illustrated by Jemima Caitlin and it is well done, though a few caveats. I feel like on some of the pages the illustrations give away too much too early since there is a lot of text to get through and my kids are asking what is happening in the picture and we haven't gotten to that yet. But overall it's well done. The cover is a fabric like material with a screen printed/embossed image. It is definitely a lovely book that will look great on your book shelf for years to come. I have already read it twice to my 6 year old and she loved it. The book is WAY better than the movies. You definitely should read the book no matter what. All kids should get a chance to read Tolkien. He is such a fabulous author and story teller. He doesn't tell a lot of detail just for the sake of making the book longer, but for genuinely setting the scene and giving you the detail you need to understand what is going on and the journey they have before them, the scenery and/or treachery that lies ahead. But it doesn't drag on and make you want to skip to the "action". You really want to hear it all and take it all in and are building this whole world in your mind. I also wish there were more maps included or drawings of their journey throughout. I think it is illustrated well but a handful more illustrations and maps would have been lovely for an illustrated edition. I would SO love to see a companion to this book for the LOTR trilogy perhaps by another illustrator even... no offense to Ms. Caitlin at all...just someone with a deeper interest into the lore of Middle earth and not quite such a whimsical theme as the work in The Hobbit version here. Maybe drawing some influence by the movie artwork and that of Alan Lee but still being family/kid friendly. I would pay $20-$30 per book for that if it is well done and bound well.

Here I am , still reading The Hobbit. This is by far my favorite book. I love this edition. The print is large enough and the illustrations are lovely. The only con is that it is so heavy, especially for a 76 year old. But I prop it up and enjoy every word all over again!

Beautiful as a gift

Me encantó este libro, es hermoso.

It was exactly what we wanted

Kuşe kağıt, kalın kumaş kapak. Harika harika !!! 😬

Warum mache ich das so? Weil man nur EIN Hobbit oder Herr der Ringe Buch/Hörbuch/Artbook egal ob deutsch, englisch, japanisch etc. etc. etc. rezensieren kann. Ziemlich schlecht gelöst von AMAZON. Wenn man also schon einmal rezensiert hat kann man diese Rezension nur bearbeiten aber keine zusätzliche erstellen. 1. Der erste Hobbit von 1937 - The Hobbit Facsimile First Edition ISBN 0007440839 Dieses Buch richtet sich sicherlich allein an Sammler und Tolkien-Begeisterte die quasi mal das "Original" von 1937 in den Händen halten möchten.....insofern sie nicht schon eines der knapp 1.500 damals gedruckten Exemplare besitzen ;-) Ein Faksimile ist praktisch eine 1:1 Kopie eines vorhandenen Originals. Das Exemplar, welches als Vorlage diente schien ein recht sauberes gewesen zu sein. Auch der Umschlag ist sehr gut reproduziert worden. Mir wäre es aber lieber wenn das Buch nicht so "neu" aussehen würde. Ein wenig mehr Gilb hätte das Feeling eines alten Buches unterstützt. An Zusatzmaterial ist ein Zettel mit einigen Infos zu den Hobbit Veröffentlichungen beigelegt. Das Buch ist von einem schön gestalteten, stabilen Schuber geschützt. Die Erstauflage dieser Ausgabe zum 80. Geburtstag des Hobbits liegt bei 4.000 Kopien. Ob eine zweite Auflage nachkommt wird sich zeigen. Ich finde die Idee sehr gut, das Original mit der ersten Textfassung und dem alten Umschlag, anstatt einer neuen Luxus- Sonder-Edition in Goblinleder gebundenen und von den Elben verzierten Ausgabe zum Jubiläum zu veröffentlichen. Der Fan wird es zu schätzen wissen. Bilder weiter unten. 2. The Hobbit, neu illustriert von Jemima Catlin ISBN 0007497903 Zum Text bzw. zur Version dieses Hobbits ist eigentlich nur noch zu sagen, dass er auf der Höhe der Zeit ist. Soll heißen: Die überarbeitete Version der Geschichte. Was bei diesem Kinderbuch sehr erwähnenswert ist sind die Neuillustrationen der Künstlerin Jemima Catlin. Diese sind ich sage mal viel liebevoller, kindgerechter und passender zu dieser Geschichte als Vorausgegangenes. Passender als Tolkiens Zeichnungen und unbeeinflusst durch die Filme. Wobei Smaug doch schon gewisse Ähnlichkeiten zu seinem Original aufweist. Es gibt noch eine Deluxe-Edition in rotem Kunstleder und mit Schuber. Die "normale" Hardcoverversion hier ist meiner Meinung nach aber viel schöner. Leinen mit geprägten Buchstaben und Verzierungen sowie der ruhende Bilbo.

I'm quite glad with this illustrated version of my favourite story so that it will be more interesting for kids because of the wonderful pictures.