I recently stumbled on a post from a random library blog about one of the most beloved books in the English language. The article focused on a wonderful 1966 American edition published in Boston by Houghton Mifflin. It includes Tolkien’s own illustrations and maps, such as his distinctive rendering of Hobbiton and Thror’s map.

This left me pondering about the first version of The Hobbit that I actually read. While I distinctly recall reading the 1966 edition with the green binding, my initial reading of the novel was an old 1938 U.S. printing from my local library. Either way, The Hobbit, remains a story worth returning to, again and again. with its timeless tale of dragons, dwarves, and one very reluctant hero.