Exploring J.R.R. Tolkien's 'The Hobbit'

Corey Olsen is a medieval scholar and a professor at a bricks-and-mortar university as well as an online professor. HIs podcasts of The Tolkien Professor are in-depth discussions of The Hobbit, Lord of the Rings, The Silmarillion, and other Tolkien works. He also founded the Mythgard Institute for online studies.

I am so pleased that Corey narrated this himself. He has a wonderful way of expressing his enthusiasm for Tolkien's work that comes across well.

I rationed myself to a half hour of listening a day to make it last longer.

More, please!

His enthusiasm for this subject is quite evident and contagious. The ideas and background are quite interesting and show his knowledge of all things Tolkien. He's easy to listen to and the organization of the topics was easy to follow.

Professor Olson gives a thorough, and highly-entertaining, introductory class in Tolkien's "The Hobbit." Professor Olson touches on all the major themes and history of the novel and whets the appetite for a deeper, more thorough analysis.

A very in-depth study of what is going on in the hobbit beyond the story. It reveals a lot about what Tolkien was thinking and his writing process.

Read by the author. He does a surprisingly good job. A few times he messes up, but it does not detract from the message or his passion about the subject.

No. I liked to listen to this one in smaller chunks because it was easier to absorb the information. But it was exciting to come back to it.

Really good for people who are interested in literature and the writing process.