The Catholic Herald reviewed J. R. R. Tolkien's The Hobbit about a month after it appeared. The review in the "Children's Catholic Herald" section was headed by a picture of Tolkien, much younger than the pictures of him we usually see. The caption read: "Professor Tolkien discovered the Hobbit. He is not really a professor of elf-language, but of Anglo-Saxon at Oxford."The article appeared with the title "What is a hobbit? You'll learn if you read this." It was published in the 8 October 1937 issue.Everyone will enjoy this book. It is an exciting story about the adventures of a hobbit, who from being an ordinary, well-to-do, respectable, middle-aged person, becomes almost a knight errant, so many and various are the adventures thrust upon him in one year. Of course it seems much longer than that when he comes home just in time to save all his things from being sold by auction, he being thought dead!
What is a hobbit? Well you must read the book to find out exactly, but he is a most human kind of person and one whom you will soon love. His adventures lie among other queer people, too, like dwarfs, wizards, elves, trolls, ores, goblins and hobgoblins, and, to crown all, the great dragon Smaug the Magnificent himself.
Perhaps you will think you don't believe in elves and fairies so you won't like the book. This is a mistake. "Fairies " don't come in, and the people who do are much too real not to be believed in. You will understand that as soon as you begin the book.
The hobbit's name was Bilbo and this this is what he felt like when he first saw the dragon : "To say that Bilbo's breath was taken away is no description at all. There are no words left to express his staggerment, since Men changed the language that they learned of elves in the days when all the world was wonderful."
You may feel the same when you read the book, and anyhow I should want that elf-language to be able to tell you more without spoiling it.
— G. H.
The Catholic Herald reviewed J. R. R. Tolkien's The Hobbit about a month after it appeared. The review in the "Children's Catholic Herald" section was headed by a picture of Tolkien, much younger than the pictures of him we usually see. The caption read: "Professor Tolkien discovered the Hobbit. He is not really a professor of elf-language, but of Anglo-Saxon at Oxford."The article appeared with the title "What is a hobbit? You'll learn if you read this." It was published in the 8 October 1937 issue.Everyone will enjoy this book. It is an exciting story about the adventures of a hobbit, who from being an ordinary, well-to-do, respectable, middle-aged person, becomes almost a knight errant, so many and various are the adventures thrust upon him in one year. Of course it seems much longer than that when he comes home just in time to save all his things from being sold by auction, he being thought dead!
What is a hobbit? Well you must read the book to find out exactly, but he is a most human kind of person and one whom you will soon love. His adventures lie among other queer people, too, like dwarfs, wizards, elves, trolls, ores, goblins and hobgoblins, and, to crown all, the great dragon Smaug the Magnificent himself.
Perhaps you will think you don't believe in elves and fairies so you won't like the book. This is a mistake. "Fairies " don't come in, and the people who do are much too real not to be believed in. You will understand that as soon as you begin the book.
The hobbit's name was Bilbo and this this is what he felt like when he first saw the dragon : "To say that Bilbo's breath was taken away is no description at all. There are no words left to express his staggerment, since Men changed the language that they learned of elves in the days when all the world was wonderful."
You may feel the same when you read the book, and anyhow I should want that elf-language to be able to tell you more without spoiling it.
— G. H.
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