The History of The Hobbit
The History of The Hobbit is a two-volume study of J.R.R. Tolkien's novel The Hobbit, published in 2007.
It contains Tolkien's unpublished drafts of the novel, with commentary by John D. Rateliff. It also details Tolkien's various revisions to The Hobbit, including abandoned revisions for the unpublished third edition of the work, intended for 1960, as well as previously unpublished original maps and illustrations drawn by Tolkien himself.
An abbreviated version was published by HarperCollins in 2015 as A Brief History of The Hobbit. This version retains Tolkien's text and the textual notes provided by Rateliff but omits his essays on various aspects of the texts.
First edition
The first edition of The History of The Hobbit was released in two volumes:
- Part One: Mr. Baggins
- Part Two: Return to Bag-End
First in May and June of 2007 in the U.K. by HarperCollins, then in September in the U.S. by Houghton Mifflin, which also released it as a boxed set in October. The Houghton Mifflin boxed set also includes a new edition of The Hobbit with a short introduction by Christopher Tolkien, a reset text incorporating the most up-to-date corrections, and all of Tolkien's own drawings and color illustrations, including the rare "Mirkwood" piece.
In an interview conducted before the publication, Rateliff described the undertaking in the following way:
Revised one-volume edition
On 24 March 2011, Rateliff announced that The History of The Hobbit will be reprinted, together with an Addendum, as a single-volume book. This "Revised edition" was released on 27 October. The Addendum includes:
- "Timeline of Events"— a timeline of fifteen days following Durin's Day
- "Notes on a Parley"— a detailed description of the Front Gate
- "Responses to Queries"— some proofreader's concerns addressed by J.R.R. Tolkien
- "Personae"— an interesting listing of Thorin and Company
- "Runic Charts"— details on using dwarven runes
- "Feanorian Letters"— details on writing in Tengwar, including punctuation and numbers
Publication history and gallery
First edition
- HarperCollins hardcover (2007), pp. 480. ISBN 0007235550
- HarperCollins hardcover (2007), pp. 480. ISBN 0007250665
- HarperCollins paperback (2008), ISBN 0007266464
- HarperCollins paperback (2008), ISBN 0007266472
Revised one-volume edition
- HarperCollins hardcover (2011), pp. 960. ISBN 0007440820
- 2011 hardcover edition, 4th impression (2023)
- HarperCollins hardcover with slipcase (2023), ISBN 0008601402
Referencias
1. Esta ficha se ha importado inicialmente de TolkienGateway.net el día 30/05/2026.
