The Hobbit - J.R.R Tolkien's most famous book and how much it's worth - An Antique Books Guide

Here's a brief version of a longer post I have written, but this time only focusing on The Hobbit.

As Tolkien's most famous book, people often wonder how much a copy can be worth up to, especially if they happen to own a rather old edition.

Well hopefully this post will help guide anyone who wants to know what their Hobbit might be worth or anything else about editions of the Hobbit currently available.

The Hobbit

Published in 1937 with a very limited print run, this book is Tolkien's most famous and arguably the most famous fantasy book of all time.

Originally written for children but now touted as an adult friendly book due to advanced themes and lexis, this book is one of the most collected of any fictional works.

Look out for hardback copies with the dust jacket that are pre-1975 for real value.

Below are a selection of the editions of The Hobbit currently available and what they might be worth:

George Allen and Unwin Hobbit

The original Hobbit book with the Iconic dust jacket.

This design ran from 1937 up to 1975 with only minor alterations and as such is the classic Hobbit edition.

The first editions can reach over £6,000 at auction whilst later impressions drop to £20 approx. Here's a quick value guide for the George Allen and Unwin illustrated Hobbit:

First Edition/ Impression 1937 - £6,000+

First Edition 1932-1946 - Between £400 and £1,000+

Second Edition 1951-1965 - Between £80 up to £300 

Third Edition 1966-1975 - Between £15 and £80 

Editions with dust jackets and in good condition sell for the most

Folio Hobbit

This recent Folio edition is worth between £10-£20 despite the lovely covers, fine binding and black and white illustrations

Deluxe Edition

These versions started in 1976 and are known for their incredible quality throughout from the luxurious binding to the incredible cover designs.

This is THE edition for the collector.

Worth up to £200 for the first edition to at least £50 for last editions

Longmans Edition

A more obscure edition, this version was created primarily for schools.

Worth between £50 for a first edition and under £10 for a later edition.

The 1975 Hobbit paperback

This book is a a particularly rare year and contains colour illustrations and the unique cover design.

Worth up to £10

The Vintage Paperback

This is the classic paperback edition with covers using a drawing from Tolkien's own hand.

Starting in 1966 this edition ran to the mid 1970's.

Values range from £5 up to £20 for the first impression of this edition

The First Paperback edition

This is the very rare 1961 first paperback.

With a never used before or after cover illustration and poor quality binding, these books are growing rarer and rarer.

Valued at £25 for a poor condition version to £100 for one in very fine condition.

The Guild Publishing Deluxe edition

This rather nice looking copy has a uniform Lord of the Rings and Silmarillion also and is one of the more unique copies.

Prices vary from £10 for a poor condition edition to over £60 in some cases.

The 50th Anniversary Edition

The 1987 50th edition is one of the most collected recent editions.

Valued between £10 and £25

The 1978 Fourth Edition

The fourth edition may not be quite as collectible as the third, second or first editions (all of which have the classic iconic covers) but is nonetheless sought after.

Valued at between £10 and £25

The Michael Hague edition

This particular edition has some of the nicest and most elaborate illustrations of any yet published.

A large book and with completely unparalleled presentation, this book can be worth up to £30 for a first impression and as low as £5 for a later poor condition copy.

Earlier Folio

This particular folio edition is the middle edition between the 1979 deluxe and the 1990's popular Folio in terms of value.

Prices range from £10 to £30 in rare cases

Guild Publishing edition

Another rare GP edition with fine binding

Worth between £10 and £20

Guild Publishing edition

And another GP edition, worth slightly less than the above edition but still a nice rare copy to own.

Valued between £7.50 and £15

The Modern anniversary edition

This 1990's edition is a nice modern revamp of the classic edition and worth up to £10 in some cases

The modern Paperback

The standard modern paperback is ideal for children to read.

Worth generally less than £1 unless a first print of this edition in which case it could be worth up to £10

Limited Box Set

This rare boxset contains a unique edition of the book and many other extras including postcards, a CD with Tolkien reading excerpts and adverts.

Worth between £15 and £30

And there you have it!

The Hobbit is a very well published book and a solid investment with prices continually on the rise thanks to the great work of Christopher Tolkien and the Estate of Tolkien.

I hope this guide helped you in some way - please share, comment and do anything else you can with this blog except for copy it without permission!)

Thanks for reading

The Art of J.R.R Tolkien - The Hobbit and more (An Antique Books Guide)

The Art of Tolkien

J.R.R Tolkien is best known for his world-famous fantasy world - Middle Earth. His 'big four' books (The Hobbit and the Lord of the Rings trilogy) have sold more than 250 million copies combined, making him one of the most popular authors the world has ever seen.

Sadly, this popularity has overshadowed a skill that few people know of - his skill as an artist.
J.R.R Tolkien in fact illustrated The Hobbit and created the now iconic dust-jacket design as well as the numerous maps and designs that go with the series.

Below I have collected a range of images from his books (all from my own collection) in the hope that I can enlighten just a few people to the skills of this multi-talented legend.

The Iconic Hobbit Dust-jacket

This famous design was first used in 1937 when the book was originally released and has been used for many different editions and is still being used to this day. The simple colours reflected the cost of print in the 1930's, meaning that the more colours, the more expensive the printing costs.

And yet that is what makes the design so striking, for it simple shows the misty-mountains and sweeping forest that many associate with the world of Middle-Earth.

The Map of Middle Earth

Another fairly renowned illustration of Tolkien's is the map of Middle Earth which features all of the assets of modern fantasy including mountains, a compass and a dragon as well as mysterious names like 'The Misty Mountains'.

This is true fantasy gold.

Hobbiton-across-the-water

This plate is the original frontispeice of early editions of The Hobbit and is still used today. This single scene effectively summarises the peace and tranquility of the Shire. Reminiscent of the English countryside where Tolkien found influence, this illustration is one of his brightest and is a true joy to behold.

If one example of Tolkien's artistic prowess were to be called for, this would be it.

Various Other scenes from The Hobbit:

These four illustrations all show various aspects of Tolkien's skill. The Rivendell scene is reminiscent of the Hobbiton-across-the-water scene but with the sculptured and rather fantastic mountain faces added.

The eagle scene is perhaps the most unique of the illustrations found in The Hobbit for it's harsh, bright colours and angry Eagle focus. Yet as ever the mountains are in the background and firmly place this scene in Middle Earth.

The Smaug scene below is another classic and was in fact used in a modern edition for the cover design. Here is anther unique illustration for its childish simplicity and bright colours.

And lastly the black and white illustration of Bilbo's Hobbit-hole. This is the last illustration in the book and firmly closes the tale to the reader by entering into the Hobbit's domain. The glimpse of Middle Earth outside of the hobbit-hole reminds us of the journey that has been and gone and makes this one of Tolkien's cleverest illustrations.

The 'secret' illustrations

Included in the 1987 edition of The Hobbit were a few extra illustrations collected by Tolkien's son. These are all line-drawings and far more simple than the colourful plates previously noted. Yet they strike to the bare bones of his fantastic creation more effectively and are very interesting for the advanced reader.

The Map

Tolkien was adept too at map-drawing and quite convincingly created the contour-map for Middle Earth. Below is a zoomed-in section just to show the exacting measures he applied to all of his work.

Mr Bliss

This more recent book was only published in the early 1980's and was published on the merit of Tolkien's illustration alone, from an original manuscript discovered by Christoper Tolkien. Tolkien left a mighty collection of background information and scene-setting regarding Middle-Earth, enough to create a ten-book series in fact as his son actually did. However, this charming tale is more important to this post for its artistic value.

Charming and nostalgic.

And that brings this post to an end.

I hope that I managed to impress upon you at least a little of Tolkien's skill as an artist and if you ever read The Hobbit again, maybe take a moment to appreciate the illustrations as well aa the story.

Thanks for reading and as ever please share and comment if possible!