The first line is the authors chance to make a first impression and to capture the imagination of the reader, and the very best books will keep the reader hooked from the first line to the very last line. If you care for journeys there and back, out of the comfortable western world, over the edge of the wild, and home again, and can take an interest in a humble hero blessed with a little wisdom. It follows the adventures of bilbo baggins, a hobbit who embarks on an incredible journey. Equally, however, the story behind this famous first line is a major part of. Tolkien 1937 in a hole in the ground there lived a hobbit. The hobbit middleearth universe the timeless classic presented in the standard hardcover edition using the authors original jacket design. No name, marks, underlining, highlighting or the like. The next day, he is visited by dwarves who believe bilbo can be of use to them in their journey to the lonely mountain to reclaim their ancestral treasure, now in the possession of smaug the dragon.
Tolkien, with large portions of the trilogy inspired by the appendices to the return of the king, which expand on the story told in the hobbit, as well as new material and characters written especially for the films. Bbc culture pits it against the hobbits new trailer in our round up of the weeks viral hits. Scroll through each poignant piece of literary genius and most known book quotes below in our list. Far over the misty mountains cold, down in the valley first line. Tolkien as he was in the middle of grading english exam papers. Equally, however, the story behind this famous first line is a major part of its enduring appeal.
It seems like the first lines of books always get the most press. The first book consists of two parts and tells about frodo and his very important and dangerous mission. The first lines of novels set the tone for the story to come. The hobbit takes place in the fictional land of middle earth towards the end of the third age 29412942. The story reaches its climax in the battle of five armies, where many of the characters and. It is the first installment in a threepart film adaptation based on j. Not a nasty, dirty, wet hole, filled with the ends of worms and an oozy smell, nor yet a dry, bare.
Identifying the hobbit and lord of the rings first edition. This first printing was illustrated in black and white by tolkien, who designed the dust jacket as well. This book had a huge impact on world literature, on board and computer games and on cinema in general. The story takes place before the lord of the rings the plot is about the hobbit a small race of people invented by tolkien bilbo baggins who goes on an adventurous quest with a group of dwarves and the. The hobbit is a timeless classic, which is a tale of bilbo baggins, the wizard gandalf, gollum, and the spectacular world of middleearth recounts of the adventures of a reluctant hero, a powerful and dangerous ring, and the cruel dragon smaug the magnificent. Its been some 30 years since i read the hobbit, but im pretty certain she was exaggerating. This book was written in 1937 and even today it is a best seller all over the world. The definitive collection of tolkiens classic fairie tales, in the vein of the hobbit, illustrated by oscar winner alan lee never before published in a single volume, tolkiens four novellas farmer giles of ham, leaf by niggle, smith of wootton. Image shows a hobbit hole from the filming of the lord of the rings. If you care for journeys there and back, out of the comfortable western world, over the edge of the wild, and.
And heres a quick synopsis of the lion, the witch, and the wardrobe in its first line. Bilbo lives in a hole because he is a hobbitone of a race of small, plump people about half the size of humans, with furry toes and a great love of good food and drink. In a 1968 interview, the author describes the moment he wrote the hobbits first line. Riddles in the dark, which brings the story of the hobbit more in line with its. What portions of the book are in each hobbit movie. Identifying the hobbit and lord of the rings first edition issue points j. In 1991, one of the first printings done by harpercollins the current uk publisher of the hobbit featured the sun and rune borders in a gilt finish more recently, in 2012, houghton mifflin harcourt the books us publisher released a 75th anniversary edition that pays homage to the original cover art, but with golden mountains and a red sun on a black base. If you care for journeys there and back, out of the comfortable western world, over the edge of the wild, and home again, and can take an interest in a humble hero blessed with a little wisdom and a little courage and considerable good luck, here is a record of such a journey and such a traveler. So up he got, and trotted along with his little sword held in front of him. The story centers on bilbo baggins, a hobbit who is caught up in a grand adventure. A very nice copy, but the printing on the books spine has faded to silver from the original gold and red, otherwise a very clean copy likely never actually read. Book summary bilbo declines, reluctant to leave the safety and comfort of his hobbithole. Search, watch, and cook every single tasty recipe and video ever all in one place. This infographic features 34 compelling first lines from some of the most famous books of all time.
Elrond also translates thorins map, which clarifies the importance of durins day, the first day of the dwarves new year after two weeks, bilbo, gandalf, and the dwarves resume their journey. Bilbo plumped down the beer and the cake in front of them, when loud came a. In fact, bilbo is the hobbit of which the story is titled. Tolkiens the hobbit ends with you are a very fine person, mr. Tolkien, a famous oxford professor, essayist and writer, published in 1937. A good opening line, or incipit, is usually considered desirable. Read the hobbit absolutely for free at readanybook. The enchanting prequel to the lord of the rings, the hobbit is the classic fantasy that inspired peter jacksons major motion picture trilogy when thorin oakenshield and his band of dwarves embark upon a dangerous quest to reclaim the hoard of gold stolen from them by the evil dragon smaug, gandalf the wizard suggests an unlikely accomplice. Written for professor tolkiens own children, the hobbit met with instant acclaim. Esther lombardi is a veteran journalist who has written about literature, education, and technology.
Summary plot overview bilbo baggins lives a quiet, peaceful life in his comfortable hole at bag end. Gandalfhobbit tolkienthe hobbit hobbit booklotrhirsch tattoorings filmart magiqueconcerning hobbits. The hobbit is the main character in the book the hobbit by j. The hobbit is a film series consisting of three high fantasy adventure films directed by peter jackson. Auden in 1955, tolkien revealed that hed been marking school certificate papers in his role as professor of anglosaxon at oxford in the early 1930s, when he was hit by sudden inspiration and wrote down on a blank sheet of paper, in a hole in the ground there lived a hobbit. Not a nasty, dirty, wet hole, filled with the ends of worms and an oozy smell, nor yet a dry, bare, sandy hole with nothing in it to. This childrens classic and literary masterpiece was first published in 1937 and has since become a treasured work of fantasy literature. Much like with ishmael, the first line of the first harry potter book makes no mention of potter, hogwarts, or wizardry.
The hobbit by tolkien, 1966, first edition abebooks. Tolkiens the hobbit and t he lord of the rings trilogy are some of the most iconic and sought after first. Approaching the misty mountains, they take shelter from a storm in a cave that turns out to be the great goblins cavern. And when the story becomes a classic, the first line can sometimes become as famous as the novel itself, as the quotes below demonstrate. Opening lines are the initial portions of dialogue or text in a written book or other media work often constituted by at least the first sentence or a fragment thereof. Tolkien wrote it in the 1930s for his children as a bedtime story. The hobbit opening lines from childrens books medium. Bilbo is mentioned in the first line of the hobbit by j.
Baggins, and i am very fond of you, but you are only quite a little fellow in a wide world, after all. A member expedition invites bad luck, so they wish to hire a fourteenth member, a burglar and gandalf assures them that bilbo is a firstrate burglar, or will be when the time comes. A number of them are so wellknown that they are remembered long after the work, while others are so famous that they can end up parodied. Our guide to the greatest opening lines of novels in the english language, from jane austen to james joyce.
An unexpected journey is a 2012 epic high fantasy adventure film directed by peter jackson. The hobbit, or, there and back again analysis shmoop. Not a nasty, dirty, wet hole, filled with the ends of worms and an oozy smell, nor yet a dry, bare, sandy hole with. The hobbit, opening lines lord of the rings, the hobbit, tolkien. The hobbit, or there and back again, is a book written by j.
Many great first lines do little more than introduce us to the characters were going to be following through the book. In the first edition of the hobbit, gollum willingly bets his magic ring on the outcome of the riddlegame, and he and bilbo part amicably. Not a nasty, dirty, wet hole, filled with the ends of worms and an oozy smell, nor yet a dry, bare, sandy hole with nothing in. The 10 best first lines in fiction books the guardian. It contains the best elements of fantasy, adventure, and humor, unforgettable characters, and plenty of daringdo. The hobbit simple english wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. It was deep, deep, dark, such as only goblins that have taken to living in the. One of the candidates had mercifully left one of the pages with no writing on it, which is the best thing that can possibly happen to an examiner, and.
Well, considering that they took about 25 pages of the book and turned it into a 2 hour movie, not terrible. What are you doing, down in goblin town first line. Songs and verses the one wiki to rule them all fandom. First linesfirst pages of the fellowship of the ring. The novel lord of the rings actually is a continuation of a great story about little creatures the hobbit, or there and back again. The opening line in the book is in a hole in the ground there lived a hobbit. He was grading essays and one student had mercifully left a blank examination page. Not a nasty, dirty, wet hole, filled with the ends of worms and an oozy smell, nor yet a dry, bare, sandy hole with nothing in it to sit down on or to eat. It is followed by the desolation of smaug 20 and the battle of the five armies 2014, and together, they act as a prequel to jacksons the lord of the rings film trilogy.
Gandalf also says that bilbo will present a slight advantage to the company when infiltrating smaugs lair. This is a story of how a baggins had an adventure, found himself doing and saying. The hobbit cliffsnotes study guides book summaries. One of the candidates had mercifully left one of the pages with no writing on it, which is the best thing that can possibly happen to an examiner, and i wrote on it. The hobbit, or there and back again is a childrens fantasy novel by english author j. Likely in the summer of 1928, j r r tolkien began his popular literary career by writing the first line of the hobbit. Having that in mind, weve rounded up the first lines of some of the worlds most famous books, and they stand as excellent examples of how a short sentence or two can set the tone for an entire story and define its legacy for decades to come. What is the first sentence of the book the hobbit answers. But while having the first scene centered on nonmagical folk might seem like a curious decision, the snappy narration thank you very much both amuses us and keeps our eyes glued, as we eagerly await the arrival of the title character. The word hobbit may come from the old english word holbytla, which means holedweller. The hobbit or there and back again is a fantasy novel written by j. Most scholars believe that tolkien based this world off britain at the height of the middle ages.
1374 697 1029 167 622 71 1333 818 1258 268 559 1594 726 1134 421 368 823 68 810 1079 223 336 1180 251 97 485 221 1313 444 96 402 1246 1238 93 47 491 34 1164 677 1201 492 1388 685