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The Hobbit  By  cover art

The Hobbit

By: J. R. R. Tolkien
Narrated by: Rob Inglis
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Publisher's summary

Like every other hobbit, Bilbo Baggins likes nothing better than a quiet evening in his snug hole in the ground, dining on a sumptuous dinner in front of a fire. But when a wandering wizard captivates him with tales of the unknown, Bilbo becomes restless. Soon he joins the wizard’s band of homeless dwarves in search of giant spiders, savage wolves, and other dangers. Bilbo quickly tires of the quest for adventure and longs for the security of his familiar home. But before he can return to his life of comfort, he must face the greatest threat of all - a treasure-troving dragon named Smaug.

In this fantasy classic, master storyteller J.R.R. Tolkein creates a bewitching world filled with delightful creatures and thrilling dangers. Narrator Rob Inglis will hold listeners of all ages spellbound with his skillful portrayal of hobbits, dwarves, and enchanted beasts.

©1966 J.R.R. Tolkien (P)1991 Recorded Books

Critic reviews

"Rob Inglis expertly bridges the gap between the whimsical, childlike aspects of Tolkien's fantasy classic and the hints of darker things to come later in The Lord of the Rings. Though content to enjoy his cozy life, cheerful hobbit Mr. Bilbo Baggins agrees to help his wizard friend Gandalf aid a group of dwarves seeking their lost treasure. As their various adventures ensue, Inglis treats listeners to a tour-de-force performance rich in colorful characterizations and several engaging singing performances. This story should be the unquestionable starting point for those venturing into Tolkien’s Middle-earth. Listeners experience a vocal performance that is in turn charming, gripping, a little scary, and always engaging." (AudioFile magazine)

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Continue Your Journey Through Middle earth

Continue Your Journey
Through Middle-earth

What listeners say about The Hobbit

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Classic!

great story, a timeless classic. sadly the narrator kinda falters on the songs, especially the Dwarve's singing. but a great performance nonetheless.

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Loved it

I've watched the movies and the book was definitely better! No ridiculous added love interest. Book was better than the movies and will be relisenting to it again soon.

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The Hobbit

I was in 6th grade when I first read this book. I’ve read it once a year ever sense (I’m 39 now). This audiobook is awesome. You see about 5 years ago I started to go blind. So now, marvelous narration I can keep the tradition up. The story is obviously YA but dammit I love Bilbo’s adventure to the Lonely Mountain ⛰ to steal the dragon 🐉 Smaug’s stolen treasure back. I could go on, but you know the story.

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Still One of my All Time Favorites

Great story, great performances by Mr. Inglis. I'm looking forward to his narration of The Lord of the Rings trilogy.

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excellent introduction to middle earth

I throughly enjoyed the narrator! He did excellent voices and singing. It took me a while to finish, but it was definitely worth the perserverance! i have loved Tolkien for many years, but hadn't read the hobbit. There is something magical about listening to it.

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You won’t like the songs in the beginning...

...but by the end you’ll love them. When you’ve finally acclimated to the variation of voices between the many characters, not only in timbre but in their lyrics, by the end of this book, you’ll feel that Rob Inglis had somehow inherited the soul of Tolkien and imbued a microphone with this master of writing’s inner voice as he wrote it. Mesmerizing!

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Amazing book and Narration!

This book is well written a
nd the narration is superb. I highly recommend this book!

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Great version! Great narrator!

I would highly recommend this version. The narrator is quite possibly the best I have listened to.

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The story that started it all!

What did you love best about The Hobbit?

Bilbo just kept winning the day, it's been a long time since I read the book and I had forgotten how many times he saved his companions.

What did you like best about this story?

Tolkien definitely started the fantasy world building with this great work.

Which scene was your favorite?

When Bilbo was taking on the spiders, it showed off his courage and willingness to fight for his friends.

If you were to make a film of this book, what would be the tag line be?

There and back again

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Exceptional classic

Worth every second of your time listening to this classic story. Will never go out of style.

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