The Hobbit Book Summary - The Hobbit Book explained in key points

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The Hobbit summary

Name: The Hobbit
Rating: 4.5 (27 reviews)
Author: J. R. R. Tolkien

J. R. R. Tolkien

A Journey Through Middle Earth—A Lord of the Rings Prequel

4.5 (27 ratings)

21 mins

Table of Contents

The Hobbit
summarized in 9 key ideas

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Key idea 1 of 9

What’s in it for me? Set out on a thrilling, fantastical adventure.

J. R. R. Tolkien was marking students’ examination papers one day in the early 1930s when he came across a blank page. Suddenly struck with inspiration, he wrote the words: “In a hole in the ground, there lived a hobbit.”

For a while, that single line was all that existed of the novel that would become The Hobbit. In subsequent years, other material would be added: maps, characters, places, and much more. All of these were pulled from Tolkien’s legendarium –⁠ his trove of lore about the fantasy universe he invented.

The Hobbit was published for the first time in 1937. Since then, its legacy in the fantasy genre has been unmatched. The book spawned the genre of high fantasy and gave birth to a mythology whose influence can be found all across modern pop culture. Though written for children, The Hobbit is a tale that all ages can relate and return to.

In this Blink, we won’t cover every single one of the encounters in The Hobbit. But you’ll still meet some of the most iconic characters and experience some of the most riveting events in all of fantasy literature.

The Hobbit and The Wizard

Bilbo Baggins was a hobbit –⁠ and by all appearances, not much different from others of his kind. That meant he was slightly pudgy, dressed in bright colors, and wore no shoes. He was small, about half an average human’s height, and had a friendly, good-natured face.

Like other hobbits, Bilbo also lived in a hole in the ground, which could be accessed through a perfectly round, green door. One morning he was standing outside of it and smoking his pipe when suddenly an old man with a staff walked up. He wore a tall, pointed hat, a long gray cloak, and an enormous beard.

The man was, in fact, a wizard, and he was there in search of someone to take part in an adventure. But it was very difficult to find a suitable candidate anywhere in hobbit territory. Most hobbits –⁠ the Bagginses included –⁠ were not exactly adventurous types. They generally preferred to remain in their quiet, cozy homes.

However, Bilbo wasn’t just a Baggins. He was also a Took, on his mother’s side, and Tooks had been known to go on adventures from time to time.

These two conflicting elements of Bilbo’s nature were both at play as the wizard engaged him in conversation. When the wizard finally gave his name –⁠ Gandalf –⁠ Bilbo was pleasantly surprised. Of course he knew Gandalf! The wizard was well-known for his stories, fireworks, and enchanted objects –⁠ as well as for drawing young lads and lasses out on adventures.

Gandalf was pleased to find that Bilbo remembered him, and at that moment, he resolved to give Bilbo what he asked for. Bilbo assured Gandalf that he hadn’t asked for anything, and that he didn’t want any adventures, but that Gandalf was welcome to come to tea anytime –⁠ perhaps even tomorrow.

Thorin and Company

The next day, Bilbo had nearly forgotten that he’d invited Gandalf to tea. He’d been so flustered that he’d forgotten to record the appointment in his Engagement Tablet! But regardless of his forgetting, just before tea time, there was a loud ring of the front doorbell.

But standing outside wasn’t Gandalf. Instead, it was a short man with a blue beard who introduced himself as Dwalin. He was a dwarf.

Trolls

The adventure was off to a rocky start. Bilbo had nearly been late to the rendezvous with the dwarves, which meant he’d left without a hat, a walking stick, and worst of all, a pocket handkerchief. And then it began to rain.

That night, still soaking wet, Balin, their look-out dwarf, spotted a glow in the distance. Naturally, Bilbo –⁠ the resident burglar –⁠ was selected to investigate its cause.

Gollum

Bilbo opened his eyes into complete darkness. Fear gripped him immediately. He was all alone, and the only thing he could feel was the stone floor beneath him. The dwarves had been sheltering in a cave when they were captured by goblins, and Bilbo had been separated from the group.

Slowly he crawled forward, groping around with his hands until he did feel something else –⁠ a tiny, cold, metal ring. Almost unthinkingly, he picked it up and placed it in his pocket.

Mirkwood

The eaves of Mirkwood consisted of huge, gnarled trees with twisted branches and long, dark leaves. The company had reached the forest after escaping the goblin lair and receiving help from a shape-shifting woodsman called Beorn. Beorn had given them supplies for their journey as well as an essential piece of advice: once they were in Mirkwood, they shouldn’t, under any circumstances, stray from the path.

But one night, after many wearying days of travel through the suffocatingly dark forest, one of the dwarves, Bombur, was struck by strangely beautiful dreams. He dreamt of a forest lit with torches and lamps swinging from the trees. There was a great feast with singing and a woodland king. Bombur’s description was so enticing that, all at once, the company decided to leave the path and plunge into the forest.

Barreling Toward Smaug

Once Bilbo had freed himself, he was able to locate the other dwarves. With the help of his magic ring, he lured the spiders away and slashed at them with Sting until the spiders fearfully retreated.

But one of the dwarves’ company was missing: Thorin. Unbeknownst to the rest of them, Thorin had been captured by wood elves long before the other dwarves had been assaulted by the spiders. Soon, they found and captured the other dwarves, too. But Bilbo remained unnoticed thanks to his magical ring.

Smaug

Bilbo put on his ring and crept down into the darkness of the Mountain. Surrounded by the blackness, the least Tookish part of himself began to chide him: Now you’re really in for it, Bilbo Baggins! With every step, he was getting closer to Smaug.

Eventually, he saw a warm glow coming from down the corridor –⁠ a red light that grew redder and redder as he approached. He began to sweat, seeing wisps of vapor floating around him. Here, Bilbo paused, and after a brief moment, he continued onward. It was the bravest thing he ever did. At the end of the tunnel lay the lowest dungeon hall of the ancient dwarves, and inside it lay Smaug.

The Five Armies

While Smaug was away from the Mountain, Bilbo and the dwarves crept back into his cavern. Inside it, Bilbo found an item more spectacular than all the rest: a gem that turned all light into thousands of sparks tinged with rainbow colors. It was called the Arkenstone: the Heart of the Mountain. Bilbo lifted it out and placed it in his pocket.

Meanwhile, Smaug burned Lake-town to the ground. Yet he was defeated by a grim-faced bowman named Bard –⁠ the descendent of one of the heroes of this land.

Epilogue

When Bilbo finally came to after the Battle of Five Armies, he was brought by an emissary to a dwarven tent. There, Thorin lay dying inside. As he departed the earth, Thorin bid Bilbo farewell and told him he wished to end as friends. He told Bilbo that there was more good in Bilbo than Bilbo even knew –⁠ courage and wisdom blended in good measure. It would be a merrier world, he said, if more beings valued food and cheer and song above hoarded gold. Then he departed, and Bilbo wept.

Thorin was buried deep beneath the Mountain. Bard laid the Arkenstone upon Thorin’s breast, where it would lie until the Mountain fell. Finally, it was time for Bilbo to return home. He did so carrying two chests filled with silver and gold –⁠ and, of course, all the memories of his great adventure. And a ring …

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What is The Hobbit about?

The Hobbit (1937) is the classic fantasy adventure story of an unsuspecting hobbit named Bilbo Baggins. Ripped unexpectedly from his idle epicurean life by the wizard Gandalf, Bilbo finds himself on a journey to help a group of dwarves take back their stolen treasure from the jealous dragon Smaug. Along the way, he encounters trolls, elves, goblins, and spiders –⁠ plus a certain magic ring –⁠ and eventually finds that he had what it took to be a hero all along.

Who should read The Hobbit?

Fantasy lovers
Fans of the Lord of the Rings or Hobbit movies
Adventure seekers

About the Author

J. R. R. Tolkien was a writer, philologist, and professor of literature and Anglo-Saxon at the University of Oxford. His body of work includes a large collection of stories, poems, invented languages, and essays dealing with the fantasy world of Middle-Earth. The Lord of the Rings series and The Hobbit are part of this collection, and their immense, enduring popularity has led many to name Tolkien the father of high fantasy.

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