Contents

Cover

Title Page

Dedication

 

Frontispiece

Introduction

i. Chronology of Composition

ii. A Note on the Text

iii. The Plan of This Edition

iv. Abbreviations and Acknowledgments

The First Phase

I(a). The Pryftan Fragment

i. The Lost Opening

ii. Nomenclature in the Pryftan Fragment

iii. The Geography of the Tale & The First Map

I(b). The Bladorthin Typescript

i. Baggins of Bag-End

ii. Bladorthin

iii. Dwarven Magic

iv. The Voice of the Narrator

The Second Phase

I(c). The Adventure Continues

i. The Dwarves

ii. Moria

iii. The Necromancer

iv. The Third of March

II. Trolls

i. The Trolls

ii. Bilbo’s Contract

III. Rivendell

i. The Last Decent House

ii. Elves in the Moonlight

iii. Elrond

iv. Durin’s Day

IV. Goblins

i. Goblins

ii. The Giants

iii. Switzerland

iv. Bilbo’s Dreams, and Other Matters

V. Gollum

i. The Gollum

ii. Riddles

iii. The Ring

iv. The Invisible Monster

VI. Wargs and Eagles

i. The Wolves

ii. The Eagles

VII. Medwed

i. Bears

ii. Bothvar Bjarki

iii. Beorn’s Hall

iv. The Carrock

v. The Dolittle Theme

vi. Radagast

Plot Notes A

Tolkien’s Plot Notes

VIII. Mirkwood

i. The Children of Ungoliant

ii. Butterflies

iii. The Theseus Theme

iv. Bilbo the Warrior

‘The Enchanted Stream’

Mirkwood Reconsidered

Plot Notes B

i. The Story Foreseen from the Capture by Wood-elves

ii. Visiting the Mewlips

iii. Lake Town

iv. The Original Time-Scheme

v. Into the Dragon’s Lair

vi. Conversations with Smaug

vii. The Gem of Girion

viii. Bilbo Kills Smaug

ix. The Poem

x. A Battle Gathering in the West

xi. Just a Hobbit Again

IX. In the Halls of the Elvenking

i. The Vanishing People

ii. The Three Kindreds of the Elves

iii. The King of Wood and Stone

iv. The Name ‘Thranduil’

v. The Wine of Dorwinion

X. Lake Town

i. Lake Town

ii. ‘The Mayor & Corporation’

iii. Thorin, son of Thrain, son of Thror

XI. The Lonely Mountain

i. The Desolation of the Dragon

ii. The Thrush

Plot Notes C

XII. Conversations with Smaug

i. Tolkien’s Dragons

ii. Smaug the Magnificent

iii. ‘The Only Philological Remark’

XIII (later XIV). The Death of Smaug

i. Bard the Dragon-Slayer

ii. The Black Arrow

iii. The Death of Smaug

iv. The Name ‘Esgaroth’

Plot Notes D

XIV (later XIII). While the Dragon’s Away . . .

i. Dragon-sickness (‘The Hoard’)

ii. The Arkenstone as Silmaril

iii. A Note on Cram

XVa. The Kindness of Ravens

i. The Ravens of the Mountain

The Siege of the Mountain

Plot Notes E: ‘Little Bird’

Plot Notes F

The Third Phase

‘A Thief Indeed’

XVb. King Bard

XVI. Divided Loyalties

XVII. The Battle of Five Armies

XVIII. ‘And Back Again’

XIX. The End of the Journey

i. Dain son of Nain

ii. Bolg of the North

iii. The Battle of Five Armies

iv. ‘The Halls of Waiting’

v. Bilbo’s First Poem

The Fourth Phase

The 1947 Hobbit

i. ‘Proposed correction of Hobbit to simplify Sequel’

ii. Errors in ‘The Hobbit’

iii. Other corrections

iv. Prefatory Note

v. Thrym Thistlebeard

The Fortunate Misunderstanding

The Fifth Phase

The 1960 Hobbit

New Chapter I. A Well-Planned Party

New Chapter II. The Broken Bridge

New Chapter III. Arrival in Rivendell

Queries and Reminders

The End of the Fifth Phase

Timelines and Itinerary

i. Distances and Itinerary

ii. Timetable from Rivendell to Lake Town

ii. The Timeline Revisited

iv. Waxing and Waning

v. Phases of the Moon

vi. The Wandering Moon

Appendices

I. The Denham Tracts (The Name ‘Hobbit’)

II. Tolkien’s letter to The Observer (The Hobyahs)

III. The Dvergatal (The Dwarf Names)

IV. Tolkien’s Correspondence with Arthur Ransome

V. Author’s Copies List

Addendum: The Seventh Phase

i. Timeline of Events

ii. Notes on a Parley

iii. Responses to Queries

iv. Personae

v. Runic Charts

vi. Fëanorian Letters

Index

Endnotes

Picture Section

 

Copyright

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