Q: Are There Two Hobbit Books?
ANSWER: I think people are asking if there are 2 hobbit books because there will be two hobbit movies from Peter Jackson, one coming out in December 2012 and the other in December 2013 (NOTE: After this article was originally written, the “Hobbit” films were expanded to three). The confusion is natural and perhaps to be expected. After all, Peter filmed three “Lord of the Rings” movies and The Lord of the Rings was published in three volumes, so if there are two “Hobbit” films does that mean there are two “Hobbit” books?
Technically, yes, there ARE two “hobbit” books but Peter Jackson only has the film rights for one of them. The original The Hobbit book is the source for the two-part “Hobbit” film story; but Peter Jackson has indicated that he will use material from the published Lord of the Rings story to create a bridge between his “Hobbit” and his “Lord of the Rings”.
The Hobbit Book That Came After The Lord of the Rings
The other “hobbit” book to which I refer is The Adventures of Tom Bombadil. Some people have accused me of cheating by suggesting that this is a “hobbit” book since it is only a collection of poems and a few scattered notes that Tolkien hastily complied so as to publish a book for hie beloved Aunt Jane Neave. Nonetheless, The Adventures of Tom Bombadil is presented to the reader as a collection of poems compiled by Hobbits, just as The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings are presented as being derived from a book written by hobbits long ago, The Red Book of Westmarch.
It can also be argued that The Lord of the Rings is a “hobbit” book, for it certainly began as a sequel to The Hobbit (Cf. Why Did J.R.R. Tolkien Write The Lord of the Rings?). And if you accept both of these arguments then we have to say there were three hobbit books.
In fact, in December 2011 I answered the question How Many Hobbit Books Are There? by suggesting there are at least five such books:
- The Hobbit
- The Lord of the Rings
- The Adventures of Tom Bombadil
- The Road Goes Ever On
- Unfinished Tales of Númenor and Middle-earth
The last book was published posthumously by Christopher Tolkien.
It is difficult to limit one’s definitions of “hobbit” books when trying to compile a list of such books, for after all what makes a book a “hobbit” book? Does it even have to be written by J.R.R. Tolkien? The distinctions easily blur and you quickly find yourself saying, “Wait! But! And if … !”
You’ll have to decide for yourself where you want to draw the line; someone else will almost certainly disagree with you no matter how you define “hobbit” books.
See Also
About books by J.R.R. Tolkien:
In What Order Should J.R.R. Tolkien’s Books Be Read?
Browsing the Compleat Middle-earth Library
Did J.R.R. Tolkien Thing The Lord of the Rings Was “English”?
How Canonical Are J.R.R. Tolkien’s Published Works?
Did Christopher Tolkien Write The Silmarillion?
About the “Hobbit” films:
Why Is the Hobbit Movie So Different from the Book?
How Much Padding Is There In Peter Jackson’s “Hobbit” Trilogy?
On Peter Jackson’s “Hobbit”: Richard Armitage Defines Thorin Oakenshield (Review of “The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey”>
Review of “The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug”
Kingdoms Are Won in “The Battle of Five Armies” (Review of “The Hobbit: The Battle of Five Armies”)
# # #
Have you read our other Tolkien and Middle-earth Questions and Answers articles?
