When Was The Hobbit Published, How Long Is It, and Should You Read It Before The Lord of the Rings?
A bedtime story, a ten-year-old's book report and a first print run of 1,500
The Hobbit was published on 21 September 1937 by George Allen and Unwin in London. It is a short novel of 19 chapters, about 95,000 words, usually around 300 pages.
Yes, read it before The Lord of the Rings. It was written first, it introduces Bilbo, Gandalf, Gollum and the ring, and its lighter tone eases you into Middle-earth.
The Hobbit in numbers
| Fact | Answer |
|---|---|
| First published | 21 September 1937, London |
| Publisher | George Allen and Unwin; Houghton Mifflin in the US |
| First print run | 1,500 copies |
| Chapters | 19 |
| Length | About 95,000 words, roughly 300 pages |
| Reading time | Around 5 to 7 hours |
| Illustrations | By Tolkien himself |
| Revised edition | 1951, with a new version of the Gollum chapter |
| Followed by | The Lord of the Rings, 1954 to 1955 |
How Tolkien wrote The Hobbit
J. R. R. Tolkien was an Oxford professor of Old English when, marking exam papers one summer, he found a blank page and wrote a sentence about a hobbit living in a hole in the ground. He did not yet know what a hobbit was. The story grew from there, told partly to his own children, and for years it sat unfinished.
A former student showed the typescript to Susan Dagnall, who worked at Allen and Unwin. She urged Tolkien to finish it, and the publisher Stanley Unwin gave it to his ten-year-old son Rayner to judge. Rayner's report said it was good for children, and he was paid a shilling for it.
↑ Back to the topThe first edition
The first printing of 1,500 copies came out on 21 September 1937 with Tolkien's own drawings and a dust jacket he designed. It sold out by Christmas, was praised by reviewers and won a prize from the New York Herald Tribune for the best children's book when it appeared in America. Within weeks Unwin asked for a sequel, and Tolkien began the story that became The Lord of the Rings.
↑ Back to the topWhy the 1951 edition is different
As the sequel grew darker, the ring Bilbo found became the most dangerous object in Middle-earth, which no longer fitted the original Gollum chapter, where Gollum offers the ring as a prize. Tolkien rewrote the scene, and the new version appeared in 1951. Almost every copy sold today uses the revised text.
↑ Back to the topShould you read The Hobbit before The Lord of the Rings?
For most readers, yes. The Hobbit sets up who Bilbo is, how he found the ring and why Gollum wants it back, and The Lord of the Rings begins with Bilbo's birthday party. It is also much easier to start with: one hero, one quest and a friendly narrator who talks to the reader.
You can start with The Lord of the Rings, because its prologue recaps the important events, but you would miss the fun of meeting these characters when they are young, and The Hobbit takes only a few evenings.
↑ Back to the topMore about The Hobbit
Books Like The Hobbit
The Two TowersJ. R. R. Tolkien
The Fellowship of the RingJ. R. R. Tolkien
The Return of the KingJ. R. R. Tolkien
StardustNeil GaimanInkheartCornelia Funke
The Horse and His BoyC. S. Lewis
Nettle & BoneT. Kingfisher
Prince CaspianC. S. LewisWritten by Tori Books for readers and students.