September 21 - The Hobbit!

Posted on September 21, 2020

Key points

On this date in 1937, J.R.R. Tolkien’s Middle Earth fantasy world first became available to humans in an increasingly fearful real world!

John Ronald Reuel Tolkien was a World War I soldier, a scholar and professor, a loving husband and father – as well as a writer. He made up stories for his own children; he wrote a book called The Hobbit for his kids – and they loved it.

Although he had published many works for adults, he didn’t think about publishing The Hobbit.

Luckily for the world, and quite by accident, a woman who worked at a publishing company learned of the existence of The Hobbit and asked to read it. She talked Tolkien into publishing it. On September 21, 1937, The Hobbit‘s first printing was released, and to Tolkien’s surprise it earned a big thumbs-up from pretty much every reviewer that wrote about it!

It was nominated for prizes, and it won some of those prizes! It was reprinted and adapted for stage and film. It became popular with kids AND adults! The publishers even asked for a sequel…and THAT was The Lord of the Rings.

Since the first bit of fame and acclaim received by The Hobbit, of course the popularity and adaptations have kept rolling in. Global sales may be as many as 100 million copies, and signed first editions sell for more than 60,000 pounds! Not just plays, operas, radio dramas, and movie versions have been created, but also comic books, computer and video games, and toys. Hobbiton – the movie set for the Peter Jackson Lord of the Rings and Hobbit movies – is a popular tourist destination in New Zealand.