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History of Hobbit Timeline

(1937 - Present)

The Hobbit, or There and Back Again, is a children's fantasy novel by J.R.R. Tolkien. Written in the early 1930s and published in 1937, it follows Bilbo Baggins on his quest with dwarves to reclaim treasure from the dragon Smaug. The book became a classic of fantasy literature and laid the groundwork for Tolkien's epic sequel, The Lord of the Rings. Less

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Publication History

Earliest manuscript of The Hobbit written

Jan 1, 1937 - Sep 21, 1937

Before publication, Tolkien composed the earliest manuscript version of The Hobbit. Rateliff's later study sought to present and explicate this earliest manuscript of the novel for modern readers.

Image source: The Hobbit

Earliest manuscript of The Hobbit written

Original maps and illustrations drawn by Tolkien

Jan 1, 1937 - Dec 31, 1960

Tolkien drew original maps and illustrations for The Hobbit, many previously unpublished until Rateliff's book presented them alongside his account of the novel's textual history.

The Hobbit published

Sep 21, 1937

Tolkien's children's fantasy novel The Hobbit was first published in 1937. The book introduced readers to Bilbo Baggins and Middle-earth and became a classic of children's literature.

First edition of The Hobbit released

Sep 21, 1937

The first publication of The Hobbit in 1937 established the text that would go through several revisions over Tolkien's lifetime, most notably in 1947 and an abandoned attempt in 1960.

History of The Hobbit first published by HarperCollins

Jan 1, 2007

It was first published by HarperCollins in 2007, detailing Tolkien's various revisions to The Hobbit, including the abandoned 1960 third edition, plus previously unpublished original maps and illustrations.

Scholarly Studies

Connection to The Silmarillion legendarium

Sep 21, 1937

From its earliest manuscript, The Hobbit was closely connected to Tolkien's larger mythology of The Silmarillion legendarium, a connection later documented in detail by John D. Rateliff's history of the work.

Humphrey Carpenter's biography covers The Hobbit's history

Jan 1, 1977

Until Rateliff's book appeared, the best-known history of The Hobbit was contained in Humphrey Carpenter's clear and famous 1977 biography of Tolkien — though, as Shippey noted, it left several questions unanswered.

Image source: J. R. R. Tolkien: A Biography

Humphrey Carpenter's biography covers The Hobbit's history

Anderson begins The Annotated Hobbit project

Jan 1, 1980 - Jan 1, 1988

Douglas A. Anderson worked toward his annotated edition of The Hobbit, which presents and comments upon a single text of the novel. After another scholar died in 1991, the task passed to the Inklings scholar Anderson.

Image source: Douglas A. Anderson

Anderson begins The Annotated Hobbit project

The Annotated Hobbit published

Jan 1, 1988

Douglas A. Anderson's 1988 work The Annotated Hobbit presents and comments upon a single text of the novel, becoming a landmark scholarly edition of Tolkien's classic story.

Image source: The Annotated Hobbit

The Annotated Hobbit published

Anderson presents a single text of the novel

Jan 1, 1988

In contrast to Rateliff's multi-volume approach, Anderson's 1988 The Annotated Hobbit presents and comments upon a single text of the novel, providing extensive annotation for readers and scholars.

Rateliff takes up writing the history of The Hobbit

Jan 1, 1990 - Jan 1, 2007

John D. Rateliff undertook the long task of documenting the history of The Hobbit, a project whose eventual completion Fisher said was worth the very long wait from 1991.

Death passes The Hobbit task onward

Jan 1, 1991

In 1991, after the death of the scholar originally working on the history of The Hobbit, the task ultimately passed to the Inklings scholar John D. Rateliff, who completed the work years later.

Goal one: present the earliest manuscript

Jan 1, 2007

The first goal of Rateliff's book was to present and explicate the earliest manuscript version of Tolkien's novel, giving readers unprecedented access to the story's original form.

Goal two: document ties to The Silmarillion

Jan 1, 2007

Rateliff's second goal was to show, pace Christopher Tolkien, that the earliest manuscript of The Hobbit was connected to the tradition of The Silmarillion legendarium.

Image source: The Silmarillion

Goal two: document ties to The Silmarillion

Goal three: explain the 1947 and 1960 revisions

Jan 1, 2007

Rateliff's third goal was to explain what Tolkien was doing in his 1947 revision and in his aborted 1960 rewrite, which had sought to harmonize the novel with The Lord of the Rings.

Tolkien's Revisions

Phase 4: Tolkien's 1947 rewrite of The Hobbit

Jan 1, 1947 - Dec 31, 1947

Ten years after the novel's publication, Tolkien rewrote The Hobbit in 1947. This revision, known as Phase 4, produced much of the familiar published text of the novel.

1947 revision gives the familiar text

Jan 1, 1947

Fisher notes that Tolkien's revision of 1947 gave the familiar text of The Hobbit, adjusting it as part of the author's ongoing engagement with his growing Middle-earth mythology.

Abandoned third edition planned for 1960

Jan 1, 1960 - Dec 31, 1960

In 1960 Tolkien began rewriting Chapters 1 and 2 of The Hobbit for an intended unpublished third edition. These abandoned revisions were meant to explain Gandalf's selection of Bilbo as the story's burglar.

Phase 5: the 1960 rewriting of Chapters 1 and 2

Jan 1, 1960

Phase 5 was Tolkien's 1960 rewriting of the opening chapters of The Hobbit, attempting to harmonize the novel with The Lord of the Rings and to justify Gandalf's choice of Bilbo as burglar.

Unfinished 1960 rewrite adds detail of passing through Bree

Jan 1, 1960

For Fisher, the most interesting addition in the unfinished 1960 rewrite of the first three chapters was new detail such as Bilbo's passage through Bree — though it lost much of the original humour.

Image source: Bree (Middle-earth)

Unfinished 1960 rewrite adds detail of passing through Bree

1960 rewrite would have brought harmony with The Lord of the Rings

Jan 1, 1960

The abandoned 1960 rewrite would have refashioned the whole book 'to bring it into greater harmony with the mood, language, and geography of The Lord of the Rings', but was ultimately set aside.

Image source: The Lord of the Rings

1960 rewrite would have brought harmony with The Lord of the Rings

Reception

Book layout compared to History of Middle-earth

Jan 1, 2007

Jason Fisher described Rateliff's book layout as 'meticulously systematic' and comparable to Christopher Tolkien's History of Middle-earth series, praising its careful organization.

Image source: The History of Middle-earth

Book layout compared to History of Middle-earth

Tom Shippey welcomes the book

Jan 1, 2007

The Tolkien scholar Tom Shippey welcomed Rateliff's book, noting that until its appearance the best-known history of The Hobbit was Carpenter's 1977 biography, which left several questions unanswered.

Image source: Tom Shippey

Tom Shippey welcomes the book

Jason Fisher reviews the book in Mythlore

Jan 1, 2007

Reviewing the book for Mythlore, Jason Fisher said it was worth the very long wait since 1991, describing Rateliff's account of the novel's history as 'riveting'.

Image source: Mythlore

Jason Fisher reviews the book in Mythlore

Fisher highlights lost humour of the 1960 rewrite

Jan 1, 2007

In his review, Fisher observed that while the unfinished 1960 rewrite added interesting detail like passing through Bree, it also lost much of the light-hearted humour characteristic of The Hobbit.

Key Facts

  1. J.R.R. Tolkien wrote The Hobbit in the early 1930s, reportedly beginning the story on a blank exam paper while grading student work.
  2. The novel was first published on September 21, 1937, by George Allen & Unwin in London and quickly became a bestseller.
  3. The book's success led publisher Stanley Unwin to request a sequel, which eventually became the far more epic Lord of the Rings (1954-1955).
  4. Tolkien made significant revisions to the chapter 'Riddles in the Dark' in the second edition (1951) to align Gollum's character with the darker tone of The Lord of the Rings.
  5. The story was adapted into a three-part film series directed by Peter Jackson, released between 2012 and 2014.

Source

This History of Hobbit timeline was generated with the help of AI, using information found on the internet.

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