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  • The Hobbit

  • Written by: J. R. R. Tolkien
  • Narrated by: Rob Inglis
  • Length: 11 hrs and 5 mins
  • 4.8 out of 5 stars (3,692 ratings)

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The Hobbit

Written by: J. R. R. Tolkien
Narrated by: Rob Inglis
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Publisher's Summary

Like every other hobbit, Bilbo Baggins likes nothing better than a quiet evening in his snug hole in the ground, dining on a sumptuous dinner in front of a fire. But when a wandering wizard captivates him with tales of the unknown, Bilbo becomes restless. Soon he joins the wizard’s band of homeless dwarves in search of giant spiders, savage wolves, and other dangers. Bilbo quickly tires of the quest for adventure and longs for the security of his familiar home. But before he can return to his life of comfort, he must face the greatest threat of all - a treasure-troving dragon named Smaug.

In this fantasy classic, master storyteller J.R.R. Tolkein creates a bewitching world filled with delightful creatures and thrilling dangers. Narrator Rob Inglis will hold listeners of all ages spellbound with his skillful portrayal of hobbits, dwarves, and enchanted beasts.

©1966 J.R.R. Tolkien (P)1991 Recorded Books

What the critics say

"Rob Inglis expertly bridges the gap between the whimsical, childlike aspects of Tolkien's fantasy classic and the hints of darker things to come later in The Lord of the Rings. Though content to enjoy his cozy life, cheerful hobbit Mr. Bilbo Baggins agrees to help his wizard friend Gandalf aid a group of dwarves seeking their lost treasure. As their various adventures ensue, Inglis treats listeners to a tour-de-force performance rich in colorful characterizations and several engaging singing performances. This story should be the unquestionable starting point for those venturing into Tolkien’s Middle-earth. Listeners experience a vocal performance that is in turn charming, gripping, a little scary, and always engaging." (AudioFile magazine)

Editorial Review

Be swept away on an epic journey through Middle-earth, where elves, dwarves, trolls and dragons run wild, and courage and bravery stand against the darkest of evils.

Discover J.R.R. Tolkien’s epic story The Hobbit, which outlines the wondrous adventures of one Bilbo Baggins, who is swept up in a curious - and dangerous - adventure that takes him far from the quiet comforts of a quaint home in the shire. Exciting, dramatic, and full of wonder, this is a true fantasy novel with all the staples of a magical otherworld.

The title The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey is a prequel of sorts to The Lord of the Rings (LOTR) and tells its own fantastic story of goblins, riddles, the greedy dragon Smaug, the remarkable Arkenstone, a hoard of giant spiders in Mirkwood and the wise wizard Gandalf the Grey. Together with a ragtag team of dwarves, travel across meadows, forests, lake-towns, Misty Mountains passes and elvish lands to the great town of Erebor, under the Lonely Mountain. Tolkien builds a true sense of wonder and excitement in his work, infusing great battles and encounters with orcs, wargs, elvenkings, and the infamous Gollum who features here long before he meets Frodo in the rings trilogy. Equally, his beautiful descriptions of glorious elf towns like Rivendell and its ruler Elrond and the enchanting landscapes the travelers see on their journey paint a picture that is impossible not to imagine in your mind’s eye.

Narrator Rob Inglis brings this world to life in an engaging and heartfelt audiobook adaptation of The Hobbit that embodies all the right inflections and tone of voice an adventure story needs. He knows exactly when to build tension or heighten the storyline. But equally, he has a warm, inviting style that helps bring the much-loved characters like ‘the burglar’ Bilbo, Gandalf, Thorin Oakenshield, and the bumbling Bombur, Bofur, Fili, Kili, Nori, Oin, and company to life. Once regarded as simply a fairy tale or children’s book, this story is now regarded as an epic tale and a must-listen for any fantasy fan whether you’ve seen the epic hobbit movies or are discovering the story for the first time.

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What listeners say about The Hobbit

Average Customer Ratings
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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars

Best Reader Possible

He sings songs funnily and merrily, and has a voice for all the characters. I'm definitely going to specifically listen to his LOTR readings.

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14 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Very Good reading of a Classic Children's Fantasy

There is another performance of this novel on Audible. That one is read by, imho, a superior narrator...Martin Shaw.
That version is, unfortunately, abridged to about half length.

Rob Inglis does an admirable job reading this book, and even sings all of the songs and poems in the text, but lacks much of Shaw's proficiency. Some songs are performed loudly and confidently. Others are fairly toneless and sound like me at church with an unfamiliar hymn.
Overall, a great book. 9 stars out of 10.

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9 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Always one of my favourites

Fantastic reading by Rob Inglis of one of my favourite childhood books. I will never get sick of this story. It stands the test of time!

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8 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Another Masterful Performance by Rob Inglis

Rob Inglis knocks it out of the park every time! My mom read the hobbit to me when I was very young, and this is my first time experiencing the story as an adult and I just loved it! While the pacing is much quicker than the LOTR trilogy, it is a very enjoyable prelude to the Fellowship, and is a great book to listen to if you’re new to the fantasy genre or want to renew your love for fantasy stories!

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4 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Review of the Hobbit

Amazing story. loved the performance. had me sleep like a baby. Please read this when you get a chance.

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3 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Would recommend to anyone with good taste

Love it! hope to listen to it many times over :) narrator does a splendid job

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2 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Amazing

I absolutely loved the narrator. He made it an amazing experience. Especially when he sang

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2 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    2 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Rob Inglis is alright.

The story is fine, amusing, and a hint of something epic. It's a fairy tale, something people tend to overlook when slapping it together with the epic Lord of the Rings.

Rob Inglis is alright as a narrator, he feels like your old grandpa who's reading you your favourite story when you're about to go to sleep. However, some of his voices are ear grating- such as a few of the Dwarves and all the goblins who have speaking roles.

He also sings every song and it's a bit offputting, instead of sing-talking or chanting like most people do he blares out every note remarkably loud in an older fashion singing voice. Whenever Tolkien's poetry/music came on I would have to reach out and skip continually until he was finished.

My last bit is a nitpick- he pronounces Dain of the Iron Hills as Dine instead of Day-n, and as someone who has always heard of it as the latter just felt wrong.

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2 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

Still a classic

I thought it was better some 30yrs ago when I read it for the first time but I still struggle with all the singing. It must have been a very special book during the time that it was written because that kind of singing is difficult to appreciate now. Nevertheless, it's still a great story and even though the movie was awesome, the book remains so much better. Bless you Tokein for this book was my entry into the world of Fantasy.

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2 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Exceptional storytelling

Loved listening to this book. I have read the book, watched the movie and now listened and it still entertains me. Narrator was more like storyteller of old. Wonderful!

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1 person found this helpful