For readers around the globe, The Hobbit serves as an introduction to the enchanting world of Middle-Earth, home of elves, wizards, dwarves, goblins, dragons, orcs, and a host of other creatures depicted in The Lord of the Rings and The Silmarillion - tales that sprang from the mind of the most beloved author of all time, J. R. R. Tolkien.
Newly expanded and completely redesigned, Douglas A. Anderson's The Annotated Hobbit is the definitive explication of the sources, characters, places, and things of J. R. R. Tolkien's timeless classic. Integrated with Anderson's notes and placed alongside the fully restored and corrected text of the original story are more than 150 illustrations showing visual interpretations of The Hobbit specific to many of the cultures that have come to know and love Middle-earth. Tolkien's original line drawings, maps, and color paintings are also included, making this the most informative edition of The …
For readers around the globe, The Hobbit serves as an introduction to the enchanting world of Middle-Earth, home of elves, wizards, dwarves, goblins, dragons, orcs, and a host of other creatures depicted in The Lord of the Rings and The Silmarillion - tales that sprang from the mind of the most beloved author of all time, J. R. R. Tolkien.
Newly expanded and completely redesigned, Douglas A. Anderson's The Annotated Hobbit is the definitive explication of the sources, characters, places, and things of J. R. R. Tolkien's timeless classic. Integrated with Anderson's notes and placed alongside the fully restored and corrected text of the original story are more than 150 illustrations showing visual interpretations of The Hobbit specific to many of the cultures that have come to know and love Middle-earth. Tolkien's original line drawings, maps, and color paintings are also included, making this the most informative edition of The Hobbit available.
The Annotated Hobbit shows how Tolkien worked as a writer, what his influences and interests were, and how these relate to the invented world of Middle-earth. It gives a valuable overview of Tolkien's life and the publishing history of The Hobbit, and explains how every feature of The Hobbit fits within the rest of Tolkien's invented world. Here we learn how Gollum's character was revised to accommodate the true nature of the One Ring, and we can read the full text of The Quest of Erebor, Gandalf's explanation of how he came to send Bilbo Baggins on his journey with the dwarves. Anderson also makes meaningful and often surprising connections to our own world and literary history – from Beowulf to The Marvellous Land of Snergs, from the Brothers Grimm to C. S. Lewis.
With annotated text and illustrations on every page, this really gives you a sense of Tolkien's impressive world building and artwork. He essentially revised the basic text twice over 30 years, with corrections and changes to make it consistent and canonical to the rest of his works about Middle-earth. There are 8 full-color glossy pages in this annotated version, which makes me want to seek out larger reproductions or exhibits of the originals.
Valida edizione accademica di uno dei più bei romanzi del Novecento
5 stars
Lo Hobbit è un classico nel vero senso della parola: un romanzo che per quanto passino gli anni ha una trama così ben strutturata, un'estetica così coerente e una prosa (e delle poesie) così fine che sembra non invecchiare mai – come opera può piacere o meno, ma come qualità tecnica resta un capolavoro.
Per quanto riguarda l'edizione annotata, è lo strumento ideale per chi voglia imparare un poco la storia editoriale del romanzo o addirittura (come nel mio caso) farci degli studi accademici. Purtroppo l'impaginazione delle note ha un prezzo e a volte spezza la continuità del testo narrativo e delle illustrazioni, quindi potrebbe non essere l'edizione ottimale per chi vorrebbe solo un bel romanzo da leggere per sé e con i propri cari.
