The Hobbit: Or There and Back Again Hardcover - 1997

About this book

Summary

From the rear cover

Whisked away from his comfortable, unambitious life in his hobbit-hole in Bag End by Gandalf the wizard and a company of dwarves, Bilbo Baggins finds himself caught up in a plot to raid the treasure hoard of Smaug the Magnificent, a large and very dangerous dragon. Although quite reluctant to take part in this quest, Bilbo surprises even himself by his resourcefulness and his skill as a burglar! Written for J.R.R. Tolkien's own children, The Hobbit met with instant success when published in 1937. Now, in 1997, this special new edition, illustrated by Alan Lee, commemorates the sixtieth anniversary of a great classic.

First Edition Identification

The first impression of the first edition ran as a limited printing of 1500 copies, published by George Allen & Unwin Ltd, 1937. Authentic copies with the dust jacket will include a well known hand correction, in black ink, of a misspelling of the last name of Reverend Charles Dodgson (better known as Lewis Carroll) on the back flap. A first edition, first printing of the original U.K. edition can run over $40,000. Signed copies of this edition have been appraised at over $100,000 U.S. Later printings of the first edition also retain much value for collectors. The first U.S. Edition, printed in 1938 by Houghton Mifflin Company, is prized and is commonly sold to collectors at prices well over $2,000. Chips to the cover, a missing dustcover, wear to the spine, and damage to the map in the endpaper, are some of the more common flaws for this book. 

Media reviews

Citations

• Entertainment Weekly, 07/05/2013, Page 101