What do you mean?” he said. “Do you wish me a good morning, or mean that it is a good morning whether I want it or not; or that you feel good this morning; or that it is a morning to be good on?” Illustrated and hand painted in full colour throughout, and accompanied by the carefully abridged text of the original novel, this handsome authorised edition will introduce new generations to a magical masterpiece - and be treasured by Hobbit fans of all ages, everywhere. Illustrated and hand painted in full colour throughout, and accompanied by the carefully abridged text of the original novel, this handsome authorised edition will introduce new generations to a magical masterpiece – and be treasured by Hobbit fans of all ages, everywhere. Just as The Hobbit was an immediate success 80 years ago, so this adaptation has become one of the best-loved graphic novels of the last quarter of a century. It is a beautiful and worthy tribute to the classic story.

This hobbit was a very well-to-do hobbit, and his name was Baggins. The Bagginses had lived in the neighbourhood of The Hill for time out of mind, and people considered them very respectable, not only because most of them were rich, but also because they never had any adventures or did anything unexpected: you could tell what a Baggins would say on any question without the bother of asking him. This is a story of how a Baggins had an adventure, and found himself doing and saying things altogether unexpected. He may have lost the neighbours’ respect, but he gained—well, you will see whether he gained anything in the end. Decir ante todo que es una versión adaptada del libro, con lo que es normal que su extensión se reduzca y haya pasajes que se resumen en una página o poco más. Pero aun así, la obra de Tolkien es perfectamente reconocible bajo los trazados de cada viñeta. Basta echar un vistado a un paisaje, a un orco o a un enano para darse cuenta de que estamos observando Tierra Media en todo su esplendor.

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First published in 1990, David Wenzel’s comic book adaptation of J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Hobbit was an immediate success and has become one of the best-loved graphic novels of the last 25 years. The real success here is the scenery. The Shire is luscious and simple; it is homely and basic. I think it’s illustrated perfectly with its wondrous shades of green. This may seem like a simple thing, but it really is a vital thing. It is the crux of the story; it is the anchor that embodies Tolkien’s idea of “a far greener country.” It had to be done right; it had to embody the simple, goodly and unrefined aspect of middle-earth. And it did. But, what I will say is that this brings the story to life. Well, that’s a bad phrase. Tolkien’s story is already alive when you read it. What I mean is that this presents it in a medium that allows you to physically see it rather than just visualise it. Is that better? No I think not. Let me try again: this provides illustrations to aid with an abridged version of the story; it enhances the experience, somewhat, because the artwork is so appropriate.

J.R.R. Tolkien's enchanting prelude to The Lord of the Rings is one of the best-loved books of all time. Carefully abridged and beautifully painted, David Wenzel's graphic novel has become a best-selling classic in its own right. In a hole in the ground there lived a hobbit. Not a nasty, dirty, wet hole, filled with the ends of worms and an oozy smell, nor yet a dry, bare, sandy hole with nothing in it to sit down on or to eat: it was a hobbit-hole, and that means comfort. this book, originally published as three comics, has a really VERY well done adaptation of the book - though, of course, necessarily much reduced in literary value- and exceptionally beautiful artwork with only one or two small shortcomings.

Success!

It had a perfectly round door like a porthole, painted green, with a shiny yellow brass knob in the exact middle. The door opened on to a tube-shaped hall like a tunnel: a very comfortable tunnel without smoke, with panelled walls, and floors tiled and carpeted, provided with polished chairs, and lots and lots of pegs for hats and coats—the hobbit was fond of visitors. The tunnel wound on and on, going fairly but not quite straight into the side of the hill—The Hill, as all the people for many miles round called it—and many little round doors opened out of it, first on one side and then on another. No going upstairs for the hobbit: bedrooms, bathrooms, cellars, pantries (lots of these), wardrobes (he had whole rooms devoted to clothes), kitchens, dining-rooms, all were on the same floor, and indeed on the same passage. The best rooms were all on the left-hand side (going in), for these were the only ones to have windows, deep-set round windows looking over his garden, and meadows beyond, sloping down to the river. On the other hand, the illustrations are beautiful. Water-colored works of art grace the reader's eyes, always magnificent to look at. Indeed, David Wenzel did an amazing job of drawing the scenes and crafting the characters. Gandalf is perfect, as are the Dwarves and Bilbo. Smaug is awesome (when are dragons not?). The Elves weren't how I imagined them, but still fit the overall stylistic themes of the book. This version of the Hobbit is quite dense for a graphic novel, with a lot of narration. There are some interesting choices in what to include, as goes for any adaptations of prose novels to other mediums, and I probably would have cut some more of the endless descriptions of travels and stretched out some more adventures. But it still overall works.