The Hobbit, or There and Back Again

Interesting Facts

• The book was written for children but became popular among adults.
• The main character, Bilbo Baggins, finds a ring that plays a key role in Tolkien's subsequent works.
• Tolkien created an entire world with its own history, languages, and mythology, which became the foundation for his later works.
• The book features the dragon Smaug, who guards treasures in the Lonely Mountain.
• Bilbo's journey begins with an unexpected visit from the wizard Gandalf and thirteen dwarves.
• The book was written in the 1930s and was originally intended to be read aloud to Tolkien's children.
• The work introduces Middle-earth, which becomes the primary setting in The Lord of the Rings.