The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien

It's been years now since I've re-read The Hobbit. When I was growing up, every couple years or so I'd think, "I'd like a visit to Middle Earth," and I'd re-read The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings trilogy. Back when someone told me that someone was going to make a movie of The Lord of the Rings, I went into a kind of rant, saying that Hollywood would ruin it and no one would know how great the books were, etc., etc. But they proved me wrong. Peter Jackson and the others actually did seem to catch the spirit of the books, and I like the movies.

I've just started my re-reading of The Hobbit and I'm struck by the friendliness of the author's writing. I'm curious to see whether he writes this way in The Lord of the Rings.

The wind was howling and the thunder still growling, and they had a business getting themselves and their ponies along.

"They had a business." Can't you just hear a British accent in that? Sometimes I like to use the phrase "to-doing," which I hear in British movie conversations. "Oh, what a to-doing!" I also like "argle-bargle." I'd say that to my kids sometimes. "Time to go to bed, and no argle-bargle."

Tolkien also speaks directly to the reader -- a lot. You feel like he's telling the story to you the entire time.

He lit up his wand--as he did that day in Bilbo's dining-room that seemed so long ago, if you remember--, and by its light they explored the cave from end to end.

I can just see Tolkien looking at me as he says "if you remember." And he calls Bilbo "little Bilbo" a lot. It's endearing.

Somewhere in this mess of a library I have a hard cover copy of The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings but I happened to find this paperback first. I like that it's old and worn (copyright 1973). The picture on the front was painted by J.R.R. Tolkien himself. And don't you love the map? He was a pretty amazing man.