There and back again

"In a hole in the ground there lived a hobbit." 

With those words, a literary classic was born; J. R. R. Tolkien's The Hobbit was published on Sept. 21, 1937.

Whisked away from his comfortable, unambitious life in his hobbit-hole by Gandalf the wizard and a company of dwarves, Bilbo Baggins finds himself caught up in a plot to raid the treasure hoard of Smaug the Magnificent, a large and very dangerous dragon.

The Hobbit has never been out of print and has been translated into more than 40 languages. It has also been through many stage, screen, radio, board and video game adaptations.

I admit a certain affinity for hobbits. In The Lord of the Rings trilogy's prologue, Tolkien wrote that Hobbits are about 3'6" on the average. (I'm 18 inches but I do not have hairy feet!) They also like bright colors such as yellow and green and typically wear a brown or green jacket with gold (or brass) buttons.

Due to The Hobbit's critical and financial success, Tolkien's publishers requested a sequel ... and got three! The Fellowship of the Ring, The Two Towers, and The Return of the King were published in 1954-55.

You might have seen the movies. Now stay tuned for The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey in 2012!