The Hobbit

J.R.R. Tolkien

Nov 2007 · Lord of the Rings Book 1 · BBC Digital Audio · Narrated by Anthony Jackson, Heron Carvic, and Paul Daneman

About this audiobook

Dwarves, elves, goblins, trolls, dragons and wizards - these are the ingredients of J.R.R. Tolkien's wonderful fantasy, the prelude to The Lord of The Rings, now the subject of a major feature film series. The hero of the tale is Bilbo Baggins, a home-loving unambitious hobbit who is suddenly thrust into what turns out to be the biggest adventure of his life. Guided by Gandalf the wizard, Bilbo and a company of dwarves set out to destroy Smaug the Magnificent, a ferocious dragon who guards a treasure hoard. Their journey contains many dangers, and in facing them the reluctant Bilbo's great resourcefulness and courage surprises everyone - not least himself! Since it was first broadcast in 1968, this BBC Radio 4 dramatisation has become a classic in its own right, perfectly evoking Tolkien's magical other world and its enchanting, fantastic inhabitants.

Ratings and reviews

I'm sure they put alot of effort into making this but I definitely do not recommend buying it. This is not an audio book it is an audio play and as such you do not hear any of the detailed description of the atmosphere or internal dialog. Many aspects of the story have been modified due to the lack of narration (including the fact that Gandalf can turn invisible). The sound effects are what really destroyed this performance, many characters are impossible to understand due to a combination of bad voice effects, strange sound effects and background music that was definitly recorded without a budget.

I am a huge fan of Tolkien, but was not wild about the reading performance in this particular publishing. They used some strange voice effects that often times made it difficult to understand what the characters were saying. Aside from that though, it's the same Hobbit I fell in love with as a kid.

Wonderful performance. The kazoo music gave me a giggle.

About the author

J. R. R. Tolkien was born in 1892 in Bloemfontein, South Africa. From 1925-1959 he was an Oxford Professor, first of Anglo Saxon and then of English Language and Literature, but is best known as the author of the fantasy classic The Lord of the Rings.