For the first time ever a beautiful slipcased edition of the enchanting prelude to The Lord of
the Rings illustrated throughout with over 50 sketches drawings paintings and maps by
J.R.R. Tolkien himself with the complete text printed in two colours and with many bonus
features unique to this edition. Bilbo Baggins is a hobbit who enjoys a comfortable
unambitious life rarely travelling further than the pantry of his hobbit-hole in Bag End. But
his contentment is disturbed when the wizard Gandalf and a company of thirteen dwarves arrive
on his doorstep one day to whisk him away on an unexpected journey 'there and back again'. They
have a plot to raid the treasure hoard of Smaug the Magnificent a large and very dangerous
dragon... Written for J.R.R. Tolkien's own children The Hobbit was published on 21 September
1937. With a beautiful cover design a handful of black & white drawings and two maps by the
author himself the book became an instant success and was reprinted shortly afterwards with
five colour plates. Tolkien's own selection of finished paintings and drawings have become
inseparable from his text adorning editions of The Hobbit for more than 85 years. But the
published art has afforded only a glimpse of Tolkien's creative process and many additional
sketches coloured drawings and maps - although exhibited and published elsewhere - have never
appeared within the pages of The Hobbit . In this unique enhanced edition of Tolkien's
enchanting classic tale the full panoply of his art is reproduced for the first time
presenting more than 50 illustrations to accompany Bilbo Baggins on his adventure 'there and
back again'. Unique to this edition are two poster-size fold-out maps revealing all the detail
of Thror's Map and Wilderland an illustrated 88-page booklet and a printed art card
reproducing Tolkien's original dustjacket painting. It is additionally quarterbound with
raised ribs on the spine stamped in three foils on black cloth boards and housed in a
custom-built clothbound slipcase. The pages are edged in gold and include a ribbon marker.
