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The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien
Published by Del Rey Books
Reviewed by Leigh Kimmel
"In a hole there lived a hobbit." Thus begins one of the most popular fantasy stories of history.
It started almost by accident. Professor Tolkien was grading papers at the end of the term and discovered a blank sheet at the end of one student's essay booklet. He idly scribbled the opening line of the story, and almost immeditely was captivated. He had to find out what a hobbit was and what would happen to this hobbit. The only way he could was to write the story, and so he did.
Bilbo Baggins was a quietly respectable hobbit, living in comfort in his hobbit-hole, enjoying five meals a day and never dreaming of having adventures. All that changed when a band of dwarves suddenly dropped by for an unexpected party.
Suddenly Bilbo is on his way through the wilderness on a quest for the golden hoard stolen from the dwarves by a dragon. Life on the road is a lot different from his cozy hobbit-hole. Soon he is encountering trolls, elves, goblins, and the mysterious slimy Gollum who lives beneath the mountains.
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Review posted October 5, 2000
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