The Hobbit

J.R.R. Tolkien

Sep 2012 · Recorded Books · Narrated by Rob Inglis

About this audiobook

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 his 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.

Ratings and reviews

Listen to this fantastical book in the mountains! Through Mr. Baggins and Sir Tolkien's words alike, you can practically see trolls hanging 'round boulders (arguing about food), Elves singing in the woods, Men of the lake floating upon rafts as they gather barrels from an upstream kingdom, mighty Eagles upon mountain tops, and Goblin Scouts riding Warg-back in the darkness between the trees. I could've sworn I also saw a small company consisting of a wandering wizard, noble dwarves with their king, and a small Hobbit who found himself on a most unexpected, yet life altering, adventure. Thank you J.R.R. Tolkien for allowing us to believe in magic once more.

I've seen several reviews mention that this audiobook didn't include the entire book. I can assure you my copy, narrated by Rob Inglis, did. This was my first audiobook, but I am very familiar with The Hobbit. As far as I could tell, the story was complete, including The Battle of Five Armies. If you're wondering about the content of the book itself, it's not exactly epic in scale, though you do get the impression of a wider world in which this tale is just a page in the book. It's a children's story, though it precedes a much grander work. The narration was good, though I sped it up to 1.15x speed because it was a little slow for me. The voice acting for the different characters were sometimes a little too exaggerated to me, especially during the songs. I do not think it is a fault, however, given this is a children's story. Next I plan to listen to The Lord of the Rings, and if the voices aren't treated as their characters being less whimsical, it will probably affect my rating. All in all, whether you know the story like the back of your hand or you're about to listen to it for the first time, this is an excellent way to be introduced to Eä.

I've never listened to the preview of an audiobook before now... i gotta be honest it was dope AF! the narrator pulled me in and I won't pay whatever for the entire story now I'm going to look for a totes free version 🤣

About the author

A writer of fantasies, Tolkien, a professor of language and literature at Oxford University, was always intrigued by early English and the imaginative use of language. In his greatest story, the trilogy The Lord of the Rings (1954--56), Tolkien invented a language with vocabulary, grammar, syntax, even poetry of its own. Though readers have created various possible allegorical interpretations, Tolkien has said: "It is not about anything but itself. (Certainly it has no allegorical intentions, general, particular or topical, moral, religious or political.)" In The Adventures of Tom Bombadil (1962), Tolkien tells the story of the "master of wood, water, and hill," a jolly teller of tales and singer of songs, one of the multitude of characters in his romance, saga, epic, or fairy tales about his country of the Hobbits. Tolkien was also a formidable medieval scholar, as evidenced by his work, Beowulf: The Monster and the Critics (1936) and his edition of Anciene Wisse: English Text of the Anciene Riwle. Among his works published posthumously, are The Legend of Sigurd and Gudrún and The Fall of Arthur, which was edited by his son, Christopher. In 2013, his title, The Hobbit (Movie Tie-In) made The New York Times Best Seller List.