The Hobbit (hardcover, illustrated by the author, slipcase edition)

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 lives a comfortable, unambitious existence, seldom venturing beyond the pantry of his hobbit-hole at Bag End. But his serenity is interrupted when the wizard, Gandalf, and a band of thirteen dwarves appear on his doorstep one day to take him away on an unexpected adventure ‘there and back again’. They want to plunder the treasure trove of Smaug the Magnificent, a gigantic and fearsome dragon…

The Hobbit, written for J.R.R. Tolkien’s own children, was released on September 21, 1937. The book was an immediate success, with a gorgeous cover design, a handful of black and white illustrations, and two maps by the author himself, and it was reissued soon thereafter with five colour plates.

Tolkien’s final paintings and sketches have grown inseparable from his text, gracing editions of The Hobbit for over 85 years. However, the published art has merely provided a taste of Tolkien’s creative process; numerous further sketches, coloured drawings, and maps, although shown and published elsewhere, have never appeared inside the pages of The Hobbit.

The whole panoply of Tolkien’s art is recreated for the first time in this unique expanded edition of Tolkien’s charming classic story, showcasing more than 50 drawings to follow Bilbo Baggins on his voyage ‘there and back again’.

This version includes two poster-size, fold-out maps of Thror’s Map and Wilderland, an illustrated 88-page booklet, and a printed art card replicating Tolkien’s original dustjacket picture.

It is also quarterbound in green leather with raised ribs on the spine, stamped in three foils on black cloth boards, and contained in a custom-made clothbound slipcase. The pages are gold-edged and include a ribbon marker.