The Annotated Hobbit

From Tolkien Gateway
The Annotated Hobbit
Annotated hobbit 1988.jpg
AuthorJ.R.R. Tolkien
EditorDouglas A. Anderson
Illustratorvarious artists
PublisherHoughton Mifflin (US)
Unwin Hyman (UK)
Released28 October 1988 (US)
1989 (UK)
FormatHardcover
Pages335
ISBN0395476909

The Annotated Hobbit is an edition of The Hobbit with commentaries by Douglas A. Anderson. It was first published in 1988 in celebration of the 50th anniversary of the first American publication of The Hobbit by Houghton Mifflin, and later in 1989 by Unwin Hyman.[1] It is the winner of the 1990 Mythopoeic Scholarship Award in Inklings Studies.[2]

Overview[edit | edit source]

The book includes more than 150 black-and-white illustrations from foreign editions and some that were drawn by Tolkien himself, as well as some photographs. The commentary notably includes a breakdown of all the differences between the original and revised version of chapter five, Riddles in the Dark, printing the altered sentences and sometimes full paragraphs where necessary.

Revised edition[edit | edit source]

In 2002, a revised and expanded edition was published by Houghton Mifflin. This version included maps and colour paintings. It also provided many new sources, due to the amount of new literature published. The British edition was published in 2003 by HarperCollins.[3] This edition includes several rare or previously unpublished poems and writings by J.R.R. Tolkien:

Third edition[edit | edit source]

Since at least 2019, rumors have been circulating about a third edition being in the works.[4] Anderson confirmed that he was working on it in a 2021 interview, but that he had also lost a lot of his progress when his house was struck by lightning.[4]

Publication history and gallery[edit | edit source]

First edition
(Houghton Mifflin)  
First edition
(Unwin Hyman)  
Revised edition  

See also[edit | edit source]

External links[edit | edit source]

References

  1. Preface to the second edition, The Annotated Hobbit
  2. Complete list of Mythopoeic Awards winners on mythsoc.org (accessed 16 May 2023)
  3. The Annotated Hobbit: the Hobbit, or There and Back Again (accessed 21 May 2022)
  4. 4.0 4.1 Interview with Douglas A. Anderson on Youtube(accessed 16 May 2023)
A J.R.R. Tolkien book guide
Books by or mainly by Tolkien
Of Arda Authored by
J.R.R. Tolkien
The Hobbit · The Lord of the Rings
(i.The Fellowship of the Ring · ii.The Two Towers · iii.The Return of the King) ·
The Road Goes Ever On · Bilbo's Last Song
Edited by Christopher Tolkien The Silmarillion · Unfinished Tales · The History of Middle-earth series
(i.The Book of Lost Tales: Part One · ii.The Book of Lost Tales: Part Two · iii.The Lays of Beleriand · iv.The Shaping of Middle-earth · v.The Lost Road and Other Writings · vi.The Return of the Shadow · vii.The Treason of Isengard · viii.The War of the Ring · ix.Sauron Defeated · x.Morgoth's Ring · xi.The War of the Jewels · xii.The Peoples of Middle-earth · Index) ·
The Children of Húrin · Beren and Lúthien · The Fall of Gondolin
Edited by others The Annotated Hobbit · The History of The Hobbit · The Nature of Middle-earth ·
The Fall of Númenor · The Maps of Middle-earth
Not of Arda Short stories
and poems
Leaf by Niggle · Farmer Giles of Ham · Smith of Wootton Major · The Adventures of Tom Bombadil ·
Letters from Father Christmas · Mr. Bliss · Roverandom ·
Tree and Leaf (compilation) · Tales from the Perilous Realm (compilation)
Fictional works The Legend of Sigurd and Gudrún · The Fall of Arthur · The Story of Kullervo · The Lay of Aotrou and Itroun
Translations and academic works Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, Pearl, and Sir Orfeo · Finn and Hengest ·
The Monsters and the Critics, and Other Essays · Beowulf and the Critics · Tolkien On Fairy-stories ·
Beowulf: A Translation and Commentary · A Secret Vice · The Battle of Maldon
Collected letters and poems The Letters of J.R.R. Tolkien · The Collected Poems of J.R.R. Tolkien
Edited old texts A Middle English Vocabulary · Sir Gawain and the Green Knight · Ancrene Wisse · The Old English Exodus
Books by other authors
Biographies J.R.R. Tolkien: A Biography · The Inklings · Tolkien and the Great War
Reference works The Complete Guide to Middle-earth · The J.R.R. Tolkien Companion and Guide
Scholarly studies The Road to Middle-earth · The Keys of Middle-earth · The Lord of the Rings: A Reader's Companion ·
The Ring of Words · A Companion to J.R.R. Tolkien · Tolkien's Lost Chaucer ·
Tolkien's Library · Tolkien on Chaucer, 1913-1959
Scholarly journals Tolkien Studies · (The Chronology)
Other works by Tolkien
Linguistic journals Vinyar Tengwar various issues · Parma Eldalamberon issue 11-22
Collections of artwork
and manuscripts
Pictures by J.R.R. Tolkien · J.R.R. Tolkien: Life and Legend · J.R.R. Tolkien: Artist and Illustrator ·
The Art of The Hobbit · The Art of The Lord of the Rings · Tolkien: Maker of Middle-earth ·
Tolkien: Treasures · J.R.R. Tolkien: The Art of the Manuscript
This list is only a selection of works, for a fuller bibliography of Tolkien see here or here. See also a timeline.