The Hobbit

“The Hobbit” by J.R.R Tolkien, illustrated by Eric Fraser (Folio Society Edition)

I am was a bookworm child born to bookworm parents.  This meant that my home growing up was always full of books.  In middle school my favorite spot in our home was the “library” downstairs which contained shelves and shelves of my parents books.   I loved perusing them to find new gems to read and among these were “Little Women” and “Little House on the Prairie”.  One day, however, I ran across a little, thick paperback that was old with yellowed pages.  The cover had a simple illustration of some sort and stated “The Hobbit”.

I had no clue what it was about or who Tolkien was (this was before the days of the movies of course), but I was bored and curious so I cracked it open.  Immediately I found myself sucked into Hobbiton and subsequently blazing on an all-out fantasy adventure with Bilbo Baggins and a crew of dwarves.  I literally couldn’t put it down and read it every spare second I had over the next few days.  I have loved this book ever since and was so excited when I first saw Folio Societies edition of it.  My heart started swooning and I just knew I had to have it.  Re-reading it again was so nostalgic for me and I loved every second.

The first thing that caught my eye with this edition was the intricate cover.  It looks like it was pulled out of Smaug’s Caverns themselves!  The pattern is indented with gold foil and looks perfectly majestic.  Also, including the portrait of  the dragon Smaug in the center was a wonderful detail.

The inside of the book also makes this edition a special one worthy of a book collector.  There are 19 black and white illustrations at the heading of chapters throughout this book that suit the book both in style and spirit.   Plus, the endpapers contain two maps!  (The map that Thorin inherited from his family and a general map of Mirkwood for the reader to follow along with.)  It is all the high standards and more that I have come to expect and appreciate from Folio Society and I am in love.

Click here to purchase “The Hobbit” from Folio Society