Whisked from his comfortable hobbit-hole by Gandalf the wizard and a band of dwarves, Bilbo Baggins finds himself caught up in a plot to raid the treasure hoard of Smaug the Magnificent, a large and very dangerous dragon.
©1937, 1951, 1966, 1978 George Allen and Unwin (Publishers) Ltd.; (P)1993 HarperCollins UK
"The Hobbit"
Listened to this in the car with the kids (8 & 13) & we all loved it. In this abridged version the story cracks along at a good pace & the narration by Martin Shaw is just right (it also has no singing which is a big plus!!).
"THE HOBBIT (no singing version!)"
I usually buy unabridged books but having skimmed most of the songs sections while reading The Hobbit (over the years) felt that I did not really want to listen to all the songs/rhymes etc. included in this book. I love The Hobbit and this recording was exciting and wonderful to listen to at bedtime or while travelling. None of the essence of the adventure is lost and I would really reccomend this book. My 14 year old son enjoyed it too.
"all good ;-)"
this is a book everyone should have hear, read and share with all the family.
Have a listern it will take you on a far away journey.
"An all time classic!"
This was a 'must read' book for my 10-year-old son, so we decided to listen to it instead. I'd forgotten how rich and engaging the story was. Great to revisit it again!
"Classic Book"
This book is action packed and much better than the lord of the rings book.This book tells the tale of Bilbo the hobbit adventure to claim back treasure from a dragon. In this book you will learn how bilbo got hold of the ring and meet gollum for the first time.If you have read or watched any of the films of LOTR you need to read or listen to this book.
"Great book"
This is a lovely book and the voice of Martin Shaw just makes it come alive?
Try it you won't regret it.
"good old fashioned fantasty"
the hobbit is a fantasy story, but it is not an epic tale; its quite a simple story, but one you cant help but love. it is essentially a children's book, and is not as intense or dark as the lord of the rings, but it still draws you in as an adult. it offers up lighthearted humor with a fun and captivating story- and also there is Gollum to enjoy!
"Only 4 stars because it is abridged"
I chose this version because of Martin Shaw being the narrator. He reads it beautifully with good characterisation - as you can well imagine making the dwarves sound different from each other would be quite a job.
Anyway, I would love to hear Mr Shaw read an unabridged version, but this is a good version to get to know this book.
Although it has been sympathetically abridged, there is nothing like the whole story, because knowing the book well, I missed the bits that had been cut out.
"An exciting read"
I saw the film and had to buy the audible book. The film set the mood and the book really expands your picture of middle earth during the smaug era. Martin Shaw also makes this book all the more enjoyable.
"Great read!"
It was fantastic to be able to listen to Hobbit in the car, my busy life style doesn't allow much time for sitting down with a good book. So lots tending to the story was fantastic for me and I love the way it was read, you were able to imagine the story unfolding before you.