The editionThe Hobbit — Paperback cover Paperback

Fantasy & adventure

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An unexpected journey, one chapter at a time.

Bilbo Baggins is comfortable with a small, predictable life. The arrival of Gandalf and a company of dwarves changes its scale completely. Their journey towards the dragon Smaug turns an unlikely traveller into the centre of a quest. The Hobbit offers a direct way into Tolkien’s imagined world: begin with a single character leaving home, then discover how far that departure can take him.

Format
Paperback
Publisher
HarperCollins Publishers
Edition date
27 Oct 2011
ISBN-13
9780261103344

Digital reading

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A closer look

Before you turn the first page.

Choose it for the journey

The attraction here is the movement from the familiar to the unknown. Rather than beginning with a history of an entire world, you follow Bilbo as each encounter expands what he understands. If you are choosing between this book and a longer fantasy series, that single journey gives you a useful starting point. The description identifies it as a prelude to The Lord of the Rings; you can begin here without treating the catalogue as a reading-order checklist.

What this edition identifies

This record is the HarperCollins paperback with ISBN 9780261103344, published on 27 October 2011. That date belongs to this edition, not the first appearance of the story. Use the ISBN when comparing sellers: a matching title can still lead to a different cover, binding or illustrated edition. The format shown here is paperback. A digital edition offered elsewhere should be checked separately rather than assumed to match this record.

A useful next step

If the idea of an unfamiliar world appeals but you would prefer dialogue to a narrated quest, compare it with Harry Potter and the Cursed Child in the fantasy collection. The difference in form matters as much as the shared shelf. Our edition guide explains how to check a title, format and ISBN together before buying.

Readers & editions

How readers find this book.

Want to read
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Reading now
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Have read it
841
Reader rating
4.3/5 · 501 ratings

Subjects

  • Fantasy
  • Arkenstone
  • Battle of Five Armies
  • Invisibility
  • Thrushes
  • Eagles
  • Hobbits
  • Wizards
  • Dragons
  • Dwarves
  • Elves
  • Men

Other editions & translations

From Wikidata

Awards & adaptations

Adaptations

Meet the authors

About the author

Portrait of J. R. R. Tolkien

J. R. R. Tolkien

English writer and philologist (1892–1973)

John Ronald Reuel Tolkien was an English writer and academic philologist. He was the author of the high fantasy works The Hobbit (1937) and The Lord of the Rings (1954–1955).

Digital reading tips

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The details behind this edition

Full title
The Hobbit
Language
English
ISBN
9780261103344

Reading notes updated 16 October 2026.