The Hobbit

By: J. R. R. Tolkien

Narrated by: Rob Inglis

Length: 11 hrs and 5 mins

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)

Excellent storytelling

I enjoyed all of the book and was especially pleased with the storytellers sing-song abilities when part of the story required it.

eh

Get Gerald Doyle to narrate this.. He does the inheritence series. ive listened to that series like 3 times. He does a great job

A great listen

Of course a terrific story and I’ve listened to all Rob Inglis Lord of the Rings books. This one is too a delight.

the best lone standing work of fiction in existance

it's perfect in every way and has infinite replay value. this is quite possibly the best lone standing work of fiction ever penned.

A classic!

Everyone should read this work. It is a classic. I can’t wait for the next story.

Love the Hobbit

I have read and listened to the Hobbit many times and never tire of it. The reader is easy to understand and listen to. The voices do sound quite similar though

Classic Adventure

He had a great voice for the story. The songs got old but I remember thinking that while reading also. I give him credit for singing them

The Tale That Started It All

Quintessentially British!! Tolkien is always a go-to for classic, familiar tales to inspire my own fiction writing.

Quite a journey

I read this book the first time many years ago. I was hooked instantly, and went on to read the Lord of the Rings Trilogy. I have loved these books ever since.

It was great this time 'round to have it read to me by a fabulous narrator. As I have read other reviews, I was struck by how many people were lucky enough to have a parent read this to them as children, or to read it along with a parent. I did not have that experience and am envious of it. So having Mr. Inglis read it to me is second best. That is not to say his reading is anything but amazing! and I also loved his singing of the songs. I want to believe he made the melodies up himself.

All in all, I was charmed again by this book, by the characters, the journey, the deep meaning, and the flow of Tolkein's writing. I rarely reread fiction, but this one is, and will be in the future, and exception to my rule.

Am I the only one?

I may be the only reviewer of The Hobbit who does not think it is perfectly enchanting. Honestly, I wavered between 3 and 4 stars... and I cannot quite explain why. So, I will start with saying that fantasy and young adult are both book genres that I mostly avoid, and that is influencing my view I am sure. But, I made up my mind to read the classics and this one was picked by a book club I am in so I read it. I actually had high hopes as I read the Harry Potter series finally a few months ago and it blew me away. Wow! It was such a revelation and pretty much had me convinced that I had been wrong about myself and that I was a fan of both fantasy and young adult books. And, perhaps this book simply doesn't live up to the HP standard.

I did wish that I had watched the movie at some point. (And that is something I cringe to say as a person who always finds books far superior to movies.) Perhaps the movie would have made all the creatures found in this book more real to me. Perhaps I would have better pictured the countryside, the characters, the details. But generally my favorite books paint such vivid pictures that I cannot help but see what the author wants me to see. And I wasn't quite there with The Hobbit. Several times I stopped the app, rewound and listened again. Several times I stopped the app and asked my son to describe a certain character. I just did not follow the story well enough. This may be all about me... or it may be that the book simply wasn't as good as HP and I had set the barre high.

Also, if I had not listened to the incomparable Jim Dale read those books I may have given Rob Ingliss 5 stars. He is very good. But, he is not even close to as good as Dale and I think -- because of the genre of book -- I was expecting that level of superiority.