This wide-ranging encyclopedia covers all the characters, places and objects included in the seminal book that first introduced the world of Middle-earth, highlighting the legendary sources from which Tolkien took inspiration.
The prequel to The Lord of the Rings (1954), The Hobbit (1937) is an extraordinarily rich work that first introduced us to the world of Middle-earth and sets up the fantasy world that would be built upon at greater length in Tolkien’s later books. Peter Jackson's trilogy of films based on this single work has helped to create a whole new generation of Tolkien fans.