My favorite Hobbit edition is the one I bought back in 1977 when I was 14 years old, the one with all the illustrations from the cartoon movie. I was so proud of myself being able to purchase it with money from my first job, it was quite expensive for the time, more than double the price of a regular hardback. Still have it in mint condition with the dust jacket, I always treated it quite gingerly. For actually reading I still go to my paperback edition from the same time period (ditto with LOTR).

Personally, I always pick Douglas Anderson’s Annotated Hobbit. As someone who’s read the novel countless times, the annotations and illustrations from numerous editions really allow it to always be a fun experience.

The pocket edition was my first read. Loved it so much. When new, it looked beautiful. However it does wear and tear and flake easilly. I liked the styling, weight, page feel, font, gilded features. If it were up to me, there would be a true leather version of it.

Great video! I just came across your channel today and glad I did. After a couple months of saving up, I bought the Easton Press Tolkien's Classics set. They are the the nicest books in my collection. I thought my bookshelf deserved them since I reread The Hobbit, LOTR, and The Silmarillion every year. I took the plastic off the The Hobbit and looked through the pages and was blown away! All original artwork and Full maps included. Super cool!

Wonderful presentation! As if I was in a store, talking to a friend about what I see and even touch! Thanks a lot!

Thank you for sharing your collection... I have been thinking of getting all the books made by a bookbinder for my husband, I've been watching a few amazing craftsmen who use traditional bookbinding techniques and they look amazing.

The pocket edition has been my main "The Hobbit" book since it came out. I leave it in my backpack at all times so I know I'll always have it for a flight or trip. I don't mind the wear and tear, but you're very right about needing to pick up all the flakes. Sometimes, my hands are covered in little "leather" flakes after reading it!

I’m enjoying the deluxe collectors edition I picked up on Amazon, has a green leatherette cover and slipcase with gold and red foil stamping adorning both covers and spine, with green leafs adorning the edges of the pages. It definitely feels like you are reading something special when you open it.

Hey James, I do own the Jemima illustrative edition of the Hobbit and next to the deluxe illustrative edition it is one of the best ones I’ve seen. Beautiful hardback, with almost a felt-like feel with gold inlay in the leaves and lettering on front page. Great edition!

The illustrated Hobbit by Jemima Catlin is absolutely gorgeous. It really feels like an art book, with its glossy and thick paper, sewn in binding and cloth hardcover. In fact it is so well made that it's quite heavy and not very comfortable to read, almost like a single edition LOTR!

I have the Jemima Catlin edition and I love it! Yes, it's all on semi-glossy papered it's white, but the construction is solid and the materials are top notch. It's more of a piece of art than a durable reader. It needs to be handled with care. Good for adults, but maybe wait with the kids.

As usual, great comparison, James. I have somehow preserved my pocket edition but i rarely touch it knowing that there's the risk it'll one day flake apart

I want the Alan lee illustrated edition box set with the lord of the rings so bad it's like the perfect balance between immersion and storytelling and keeps the reader entertained with the artwork

I personally went for the facsimile edition but decided to go for the gift set version. The one you show looked like a real hassle to get out of the slipcover and the slipcover art itself was no different from the book itself (under the dust jacket). Also the gift set just seemed like a nice complete package...it comes in a box with the artwork recreated in lenticular, it has a separate map with runes on the back, it has a booklet with info and an essay by Tolkien, and best of all it has a CD of Toljien reading some passages (including, I think, the revised Riddles in the Dark so that gives us what we don't get in the book). I feel like whatever version you get you will always be missing something, so unless you buy all of them you just have to decide which elements you prefer.

I have the illustrated edition you mentioned at the end. I got if for Christmas and I really like it. It is my first time reading The Hobbit.

Wow thanks for going through all those. Very interesting.

Awesome as usual! Great video, value your advice!

I’m new to your channel, and I really like it. I’m not a reader, I’ve always been into mathematics and physics, but also movies and music. My mom is a big reader though, as is her oldest brother. They read SO much, and they’re really fast readers as well. I’m trying to get into reading. I’m 21 and have never read a book from start to finish outside of the classroom when we would read together as a class and take turns reading aloud. Even then, I would still miss some days because we never read books often, so the few times we read one I had missed a day or two. That and sometimes we didn’t finish the book. So now I’m trying to get into reading. I love The Lord of the Rings movies from 2001-2003, so I want my first book to be an original Lord of the Rings book, but since The Hobbit came first, I want to read it first. Anyway, I really like the Allen Lee one. Am I missing anything as far as the story goes in that version? Is it the exact same as the 70th anniversary edition(2007) when it comes to the writing? Also, will you review the 75th anniversary edition (2012) and compare it to the 70th anniversary edition (2007) please? And lastly, will you make a video on the best Lord of the Rings editions that are in 3 books (The Fellowship of the Ring, The Two Towers, and The Return of the King) rather than just the really thick ones? I know that the original LotR was one book, but that’s too overwhelming for me to start with. If you do make videos about these, give me a shoutout at the beginning of the videos if you don’t mind please 😂. Again, you make GREAT videos! You seem like such a genuine and nice guy. I subscribed to you. Hopefully you’re channel will blow up one day, I bet it will.

Hey James! I just received my facsimile copy of The Hobbit the other day and it seems to slip out of the slipcase very easily, so I think it just might be your copy that's getting caught that tightly, unfortunately. Mine appears to be a 5th printing though, so it could be something that was corrected in later printings too. I love how the error correction of Dodgson on the rear inside cover was even kept in this edition! Such attention to detail!

I own a copy of the last one you mentioned. 2013 illustrated edition. I'd recommend it its so nice. and the entire book is on glossy paper inside a cloth bound.

Regarding the last illustrated edition you mentioned: I got 8t for Christmas a few years ago and it's a great edition. I wanted it fir the interesting artwork and there are a lot of illustrations to enjoy. Definitely recommend.

I have the Folio edition and it is so beautiful amnd tactile. Showing my age I also have a 'deluxe edition’ which I got in 1976 when it was published.

I have a Romanian translation of the Jemima Catlin version and it’s really beautiful! I believe the pages are sewn together too, rather than glued, which is extra nice (if true). Out of all the various wonderful editions, this one might look the most like a children’s book, though it might be somewhat uncomfortably heavy. However, I have not read it yet as I wanted to start with the original English text. I finally bought a random copy the other day and just found out that it is, in fact, the 75th anniversary edition, so thank you for the information! Edit: the pages are actually glued but they flow (is that the right word?) so nicely, without any need for “cracking”, that one would think they were sewn!

I always have a huge amount of respect for KZfaqrs who respond to their viewer’s comments. Keep up the great content!!

I have a copy of the paperback with the red Smuag and black background along with the matching Silmarlion and Unfinished Tales. It's a nice looking set of mass market paperbacks.

I'm so glad to find someone else agrees with me about that pocket edition (and similar LOTR editions)! There is so much love for them, but when I first went to the shop, the "leather" covering was already coming off by sticking to shelves and other books. I could never bring myself to buy them.

Thank you for your review! Great presentation.

Thanks for this video. It's been very helpful. I recently immersed myself into Tolkien's Middle-Earth world and now want to start reading The Hobbit for the first time, so I think I'll go with Alan Lee's Illustrated Edition.

The third edition you showed is the one I have but in paperback, the illustrations are amazing and the cover has a superb drawing of the sleeping Smaug in the Lonely Mountain. Alan Lee perfectly compliments Tolkien's genius.

James what is the isbn # of your favorite so I get the right one! All your videos are great 👍

Thanks for the review! It was super useful to me as a buyer of a nice edition of the book. A few questions I have: - Is the Folio Society's edition any good? I would have been cool to be part of this review as well. - Do you know which which book contains which illustrations? For example, I know some contain 5 illustrations and other 7 (I believe) by Tolkein. Other (like Alan Lee's) I am not sure if they contain Tolkein's illustration as well or not? Awesome review! It helped me a lot, so thanks for making these 🙏

There are so many nice editions of the Hobbit but nothing beats the annotated edition by Douglas A. Anderson for me.

I just got the "avoidable" edition. Yeah it will look awful in a couple of years, but it had a discount, and you can't deny that, at least when it's brand new, it's just gorgeous. The only sad thing, is that it's way prettier than I thought it would be. Videos and images certainly don't do it justice.

I almost fell for the "leather-bound" pocket book set but I figured it would have less in it... instead I just bought the Alan Lee illustrated Hobbit in a box set with the matching Lord of the Rings in 3 volumes. I picked it because its practical and affordable while still being so beautiful and collectible... it came today in a big box with no bubble wrap and the Slipcover Box was banged up and split apart and the edges of the dust jackets were scuffed from the journey. I am so sad. I guess it came here and will have to go back again.

I'll always have a soft spot for the paperback with the old school cover of Smaug lying on his treasure, like I read back when I was 8.

Great! You should do a comparision of the text in 1st edition of Hobbit before Tolkien changed it to suit LOTR story. Would love to see it, Hobbit is my favourite book and sometimes I pretend nothing bad happened afterwards the adventure of Erebor and Bilbo, Beorn, the dwarves, elves , dalesmen and Gandalf all lived happily everafter as friends. ( My own parallel little universe in my mind)

This video is fantastic! Usually I’d be annoyed to have to find out what version of something to get. But this video made me excited to find a copy of my own. I love the drawing of Smaug so I might get the facsimile version but I wanna read TLOTR after it so? Lol

Before my Niece was born in Spring 2020, my sister asked everyone to give her books so she could have stuff to read to her firstborn over the years. And I, book worm that I am, gave her a pile of books she could read from ages newborn - about 10, and wrote little notes in each one. So I gave her a copy of the Hobbit, 75th edition paperback with the cover of the red moon and mountains. And then when she'll turn 8, she's getting The Lord of the Rings & The Chronicles of Narnia. I've decided all my cousins kids are getting copies of one or the other for their 8th birthday. Already sent one The Lord of the Rings for his 8th birthday.

Your favorite is also my favorite. Thanks for the video.

My pocket leather kind version was great when I first got it. The same thing happened to it after years of only being displayed or stored in a box. Recently I bought the Alan Lee illustrated Hobbit and LotRs and am enjoying reading it even though it’s bigger and sturdier.

Great overview! The Deluxe & Illustrated edition by Alan Lee (2020) are my favourites. I do not own the 70th Anniversary Edition but that one just looks outstanding & looks more 'Tolkien-like' with his own artwork on the dustjacket. I've thought about getting this edition along with the other books that have the similar design cue but never got to it. I think I've got just enough editions now

Loving your videos. Do you ever use these deluxe editions to read? Or just to collect for the shelf?

The leather bound pocket edition with the damage, the gold etching, and the flexibility and size of the book is the best edition of all

Doesn't look like genuine leather, but imitation/softbound/bonded leather. That's why I usually stay away from anything softbound /bonded leather or imitation leather. I prefer to save up for the genuine leather binding if such a version is available that is (if I have to chose between both)

If you can find one, you might want to get the Easton Press edition. Easton Press books have beautiful leather hard covers, thick acid-free paper, gold edging, gorgeous artwork, and are, or were, tremendously expensive when new, but good value for the money. It’s probably been 20 years since I’ve seen their catalog, so it may be out of print now.

I have the First Edition Grafton Harper Collins with the gold foil. Is that a good copy?

Just an FYI you can get that book rebound with real leather at any book binding store.

My edition is a pocket edition but it look like your favorite's one (same dust jacket, with sun and dragon printed in Red color). the boof itself is green with gold letters with forewords by Christopher Tolkien. It cames in 2012, for the 75th anniversary. Based on what you shared here (thanks for that) I think if your looking for a goog pocket edition, you should like it.

My Mom got me a first edition Hobbit illustrated by Jemima Catlin and it is beautiful from cover to cover. The front and back cover have this nice cloth texture to them, and the title and illustrations on the cover are engraved and gilded very nicely. The paper is good quality even if it is that shiny glossy paper, and the print is nice and big on a 9x7 measurement. I think it's 9x7 I'm just eyeballing it. Anyways, I'd definitely recommend it.

What is the difference between the Facsimile and the 70th edition in terms of illustrations? Are there more illustrations in the 70th version?

Is the facsimile edition the same size as the typical Harper Collins deluxe and hardback editions? Great comparison btw

My copy of the Facsimile First Edition slides right out of the case, but of course it could be the exception.

Great review. I own the 70th anniversary edition and I also love its design and Tolkien's art, but I find terribly annoying that the spine is glued instead of sewn.

Alan lee version book, is it a acid free paper ? Thanks in advance 🙏

Is there a specific LOTR edition you would "pair" with the 70th edition of The Hobbit? I watched your video review on 4 LOTR books, but can not remember atm if you stated an answer there for my question. Also, I'm not entirely against having a single 'book' for all of the LOTR books, but it seems like it would be easier to red if they were operated into 3 as I see sometimes... but idk, any advice/opinion would be much appreciated; thank you!

I would like to get the Facsimile of the first edition because I did not know that the Hobbit was 'tweaked' by Tolkien, that's very interesting. I'd love to read that, thanks! Love your Tolkien videos!

Thank you for making this video. I’m just beginning my journey with Tolkien’s books and trying to decide which version of The Hobbit to buy. I am interested in the Alan Lee illustrated version you recommend for first time readers, but curious about your reason for that recommendation and also worried about missing out on Tolkien’s original artwork. So I am torn between Alan Lee artwork and the 75th anniversary edition. I just found your channel, thanks in advance for any feedback.

I have 2 editions! The first one is the 1995 edition that has the sun and rune borders in gilt finish, and the other one is the collector's edition published in 2012 both by harpercollins. Any chance you have it sir? Would be really glad to see it in your video soon!

If you play along with Tolkien and pretend that The Hobbit and Lord of the Rings are real works translated by him for modern readers then the facsimile edition is vital for completists as it represents Bilbos version of the tale as opposed to later versions which have been emended by Frodo to bring it closer to the truth regarding Gollum. Bilbo himself admits to fudging the truth during the Council of Elrond. On another note, I prefer Alan Lees paintings reproduced on the glossy paper as I think the colours ‘pop’ more and the details are clearer. Great video 👍😁

That was a great overview - thanks! I have the Catlin edition. I bought it to read to my children as it's so generously illustrated, they're great. It is however printed on glossy white paper throughout, because of the amount of illustrations I suppose. It's not the best from a tactile perspective I think, but makes sense overall. As an aside, me and my six and five year old were thumbing through it together and I pointed at a picture of Gandalf and told them who and what he was. I then asked 'do you know what the elves call him?', 'no, what?' they said, 'Mithrandir' I replied - and they both went 'oooohh'. The power of language :)

I bought the pocket size lesther bound and loved it until it scraped its cover off. I found a slipcased hardcover full set a little later and bouhgt it immediatly. I have never seen it anywhere else. Convenience w/o And Jemima Catlin and.the Annotated edition are gems.

I really want that facsimile slipcase edition, but it doesn’t look like it’s available in the US

Wow. I have both the Easton Press version (which I just reread a couple of weeks ago) and a pocketbook version. After watching this I went and pulled down the pocket version (read only once) and almost the entire front cover peeled off because it was stuck to an adjacent book :-(

If you can see the small print in number 1 2002. I have one from the 70s which i cannmp longerc ee

My personal favorite is the Hardback illustrated by Alan Lee with with Smaug sleeping on the the jacket.

Should I start with the Silmarillion or Hobbit? Im new to reading the books. I bought the one with 4 books and Alan lee illustration and the silmarillion one idk who illustrated it I think JJR Tolkien himself. Its a reprint of his illustrations or either his sons.

I was disappointed too with that "leather" covered one. I nevertheless bought a second copy in the hope that it will last longer if I treat it preciously. My first copy lost its covers entirely. Nice review!

Could you consider the new "Illustrated by the Author" editions of the Tolkien books? I know that only LOTR and Silmarillion have been published so far. However, this coming September, HarperCollins will be putting out a new Hobbit hardback with more of Toklien's own drawings. So it would be good if you could include those newer editions in your consideration. I like your thorough discussion of the various copies you have. I did have issues with the 70th anniversary hardback. Last year, I was in England and perused the copies of the newer hardback when browsing Foyles and the Waterstones bookshops. I noticed that the pages had shrunk until the margins were too wide for the book size. This isn't good for the book design because printers could be wasting paper. I agree that the copy you have is nicely produced, but the newer reprints are less successful.

Ciao. I read the hobbit when I was 8 and I still have the 1977 version. I got the 2013 jemima catlin version for my son who is now when he was 6. We have read it twice. I have no complaints. We enjoy it and the artwork is certainly oriented for children, which is what I wanted.

Just Found your channel, huge LOTR nut here. Ive been buying old paperbacks from the 60's and up of all the books on Etsy. I kinda started because their are so many covers, im addicted lol

First version I read was mass market paperback, it didn’t include any illustrations. I was completely unaware that the illustrations even existed till I read a library version years later.

I'm hoping they make a Hobbit illustrated by Tolkien hardback to go with the recently released LOTR one and the soon to be released Silmarillion.

Love your channel. However, ISBN numbers would be helpful, at least for me, to locate the recommended books. I appreciate your work and thanks!

I have the same 2002 Hobbit and it was my first and favourite copy too

I like your videos on Tolkien so much!

What do you think of the Del Rey TPB editions of The Hobbit, LOTR, etc.?

It seems to me that the deluxe HarperCollins editions are quite hard to read from (glued spine?) that is very stiff - it seems like you can't open the book flat completely and read it comfortably without intensely keeping the pages from moving? Am I wrong, because I really like how they look!

That leather one to avoid was the first time I read the Hobbit was with that book back in 2013. Mine looked worn down when I bought it new. Not that worn down though.

Could you possibly tell me where the 2004 deluxe edition was printed? There seems to be two versions of it, one more blue looking and one more green, someone speculated that the green one was a later print from China, would like to be able to confirm this before purchasing it

My edition of the facsimile goes out of the case pretty hard, too.

9:27 No, it is not that particular copy.... I was curious to listen to what you were going to say... mine does just the same...

11:43 I have this one. Also bought a Finnish translation with Tove Jansson's artwork for my wife, for she doesn't understand english.

Just a note: The changes to Riddles in the Dark were actually published without Tolkiens knowledge initially. He wrote the amendments much later in publication and submitted them to Unwin for review, but didn’t intend them to make it to print. He was surprised when the updated impression was sent to him and he said (to Unwin) that he is now accepting that essentially two versions of the Riddles chapter exist. This means his changes were less intentionally meant to make the ‘LotR narrative fit better’ (and so were perhaps more accidental in a way).

15:07 Leather does not do that. That edition is *not* leather, but leatherette, which is "imitation leather made of plastics". Thus, sun, movement, etc. will destroy it easily.

I've got the Special Edition of the Hobbit that is Clothbound (Also Hardcover) It is amazing and very practical :D!!!

I have the 70th anniversary edition, I was given it when I was young, I love it.

I have many editions of THE HOBBIT and THE LORD OF THE RINGS but my favorite editions to read are always the Ballantine paperbacks with Tolkien's art published in the 1970's...

What are everyone’s thoughts on the Folio Society edition? I noted that it was absent from this comparison.

Are you going to review To sleep in a sea of stars???

What are your thoughts on the Easton press versions?.... I want to add them to my collection.

The "leatherette" of the pocket edition means simulated, faked leather which I think is done with something like a textured paint. That stuff is generally bad to awful and I'd rather have honest cloth or plain paper covers on my books. I also disdain "PU leather" which doesn't flake but the surface still degrades quite rapidly if I actually handle it at all.

I have the 70th anniversary edition in a slipcase, it is very nice, but the 1978 issue is possibly better. The print on the dust jacket is much richer. The 2007 version looks like a photocopy, as does the slipcase. But both are very good.

Maybe eventually find a good book binder and get the delux pocket edition the cover it deserves. I really like the format and the paper quality looks good from the video. I got a copy of the normal pocket edition and really enjoyed reading it in that format. I hope that the LOTR by Houghton Mifflin with a similar leatherette cover and format does not have the same problems as the Hobbit. I was thinking of getting this edition of LOTR as my paperback edition is a little worse for wear now.

The facsimile edition is a very good reproduction of the 1937 first printing. The 'Mirkwood' illustration that you showed, was only ever printed in the main section of the book in the first two printings from 1937. In the 1937 first edition, the text is on a cream coloured paper and 'Mirkwood' is on glossy white paper, just like the facsimile edition. Sadly, Tolkien's original Mirkwood painting has been lost. My Pocket edition looks brand-new so not sure why your edition looks like it does?

I wish I knew how to get some of these

I would imagine were you to remove the dust jacket the book would fit in the case better.

hey james, I purchased a copy of the 75th anniversary edition of the hobbit but in-between pages 204 and 205 is the Conversation with smaug illustration, however it was printed in the book upside down. I'm not sure if that is an error worth a lot of money or just if the publishers put it in upsidedown because of space constraints. Do you know?

I recently got the Jemima Catlin edition. Its quality is sooo high for the price. Easily competing with the deluxe edition, if not better. And the art work is just amazing in stunning colours. It is a bit more childish, but it fits the book perfectly. Far better IMO than Alan Lee's more adult oriented work. And super easy to read as it stays open on its own due to the nice sewn binding. The maps could be better though, but at least they are not on the end papers where they would eventually deteriorate

I actually kind of prefer that one over the rest now cause I like the weathered and old look, makes me feel like a old and wise wizard with a collection of ancient artifacts.

My pocket edition has crumbled to dust just from sitting on the shelf haha glad im not the only one