Middle-earth Journeys

Sounds good to me !!!!

I try to aspire to Sam's humility and love, Gandalf's wisdom, and Faramir's nobility. Above all I keep my sense of wonder and playfulness that is the gift of one's childhood.

Those are great things to aspire to, Bruce! You can't go far wrong with that trio.

The Hobbit was published on this date (9/21) in 1937. Viva Bilbo!

Happy 69th Birthday to the Hobbit!!

Nice to know is that we will get a nice celebration edition this year... more info follows as i can find it!

My edition of The Hobbit is the 50th anniversary edition. (My first paperback fell apart from use!) My, how time passes!

A celebration edition would be wonderful - beautifully illustrated of course! My old paperback doesn't have any pictures at all, so I think I deserve a new one .

I still have my old paperback copy as well, and it is falling apart. I also have the Houghton Mifflin edition with illustrations by Michael Hague. I HAD the newer Houghton Mifflin edition with the Alan Lee illustrations, and then loaned it to my mother-in-law. That was just after PJ's RotK came out, and the movies had sparked her interest in reading the books. I have a feeling I'm never getting it back.

Ah well, sacrificed in the cause of a new convert .

While the publication date of both volumes of The History of the Hobbit by John D. Rateliff is still uncertain, probably around may or june, it is now certain that we will get a commemorative boxed set in September. This box wil comprise a hardback gift edition of The Hobbit and the two-volume companion as seen above. It will be called THE HOBBIT, MR BAGGINS AND THE RETURN TO BAG-END: Boxed Set Anniversary Collectors edition. For now i'm unable to give any images, but I do have some info already.

Thanks Beren . I note that Rateliff's work will contain the original Hobbit text along wih discussion of the changes and a lot of other fascinating unpublished stuff (including pictures). Tolkien is busting my budget . Maybe it can be my birthday present to myself.

Sorry to be late in thinking of this, but maybe we could discuss the changes here. It would be interesting to do a side-by-side comparison of the original text and the revised one. As I understand it, the crucial changes are in the 'Riddles in the Dark' chapter, and consist of making Gollum more menacing in light of his later role.

Does anyone have the original text who is willing to do some scanning or transcribing?

i got the original text... multiple copies... but the History of the Hobbit is really into all that... it will maybe be better to see over the shoulder of Rateliff and start from there to see if we make different interpretations. I don't think we will need to start photocopy the text because there are numerouse 'cheap' solutions to get a text of the chapter. It has been reprinted in some 'tales' collections... i'll try and get some titles for you!