The Hobbit

The Hobbit is a famous children's story written by J.R.R. Tolkien, which was first published in 1937. It has been continually in print since then. The story tells of the adventures of Bilbo Baggins (the "hobbit" of the title), and his companions, including the wizard, Gandalf and a band of dwarves led by Thorin Oakenshield, as they traverse the fictional Middle Earth to retrieve the treasure seized by the dragon Smaug.

The hobbits are a fictional race created by Tolkien. Hobbits are very like humans in appearance, except that they are much shorter, tend to stoutness, and generally go barefoot. Their feet and toes are hairy. Hobbits are generally a shy and retiring race, keeping out of the way of "tall folk" (i.e., humans), and like their creature comforts very much, especially food - a typical day's meals will include breakfast, second breakfast, elevenses, lunch, afternoon tea, dinner and supper!

The events in this story take place before those in the even more famous Lord of the Rings.

The book has been filmed as a trilogy, by New Line Cinema, with Peter Jackson and Fran Walsh as executive producers. The original plot of the book was much extended by the inclusion of presumed background events. Jackson, Walsh and New Line Cinema previously produced the successful film adaptations of the Lord of the Rings.