This was utterly fantastic!! More than I even thought possible! Tolkien was a genius. I'd like to say "is a genius" because as far as I'm concerned creating creatures and languages, writing songs and developing whole new languages is just not done. At least not done logically. I hold his spirit as the pinnacle to which all other fantasy authors aspire. To be a pragmatic daydreamer is not easily done . It cannot be faked. And I think with the resurgence of all things Tolkien in the last ten years or so it's proven fact that he is king.

The Hobbit Encyclopedia by Damien Bador is exactly what it says on the cover; an alphabetized guide to Tolkien's famous novel The Hobbit. Longtime Tolkien nerds will be pleased to know that this book covers not only the events of The Hobbit, but provides glimpses of the First and Second Ages as relates to those events. Entries are well-organized, with a table of contents and nice, big headings on the pages. It also points out some of Tolkien's real-world inspirations and folklore elements.
I was especially impressed by the graphic design and layout. The book has many gorgeous pencil illustrations that evoke the films while standing firmly on their own merits.

I received a free ebook of this text from NetGalley but was not obliged to give a positive review.

My thanks to Quarto Publishing Group – White Lion Frances Lincoln for a temporary review copy via NetGalley of ‘The Hobbit Encyclopaedia’ by Damien Bador, Vivien Stocker, Coralie Potot, and Dominique Vigot. It is due to be published in September 2024.

This beautiful edition is exactly what its title indicates: a comprehensive guide that covers all the characters, creatures, places, events, and objects included in J.R.R. Tolkien’s ‘The Hobbit’, the book that in 1937 first introduced readers to Middle Earth.

While the focus is upon ‘The Hobbit’ there is some natural overlap with ‘The Lord of the Rings’ and ‘The Silmarillion’, as well as other tales of Middle Earth.

I was very impressed with the depth of the entries on the above subjects as well as on the
languages and the sources of inspiration. It is richly illustrated throughout with original colour drawings.

While I read it from start to finish, it seems like the kind of reference work that can easily be dipped into at any point in the text and also used as a companion while doing a close read of ‘The Hobbit’. It is rounded out with sources for the entries, a select bibliography, and a comprehensive index.

I expect that ‘The Hobbit Encyclopaedia’ will be welcomed by Tolkien fans. I certainly plan to preorder a hardback copy.

A beautiful encyclopedia covering Tolkien’s the Hobbit including characters, places, world building and so on. Great for enthusiasts.

I wanted to read this book having seen all of the Hobbit films and not completely understanding all of the characters and back stories. My son is really knowledgeable about all of the stories and myths, so I thought it would be good to be able to understand better so we can talk about it. This book is very impressive - so beautifully illustrated and laid out. I learned so much in this book and I am hoping I can remember all the details since it is chock full of information on so many characters and places. I will use this as a reference so I can refresh my knowledge.

Thank you to Netgalley and Quarto Publishing Group – White Lion, for an ARC and I left this review voluntarily.

What an informative and creative book. I will definitely be buying a physical copy!

I would have loved more illustrations but overall it's a great lil book.

The Hobbit is the first book I truly fell in love with. I read it every year for at least a decade. So when I saw this encyclopedia I had to dive in.

First off I really enjoyed myself reading this one. As a fan of both the Hobbit and encyclopedias in general. They divide it up by the following sections; Characters, Peoples and Creatures, Languages and Writing Systems, Objects and Constructions, Places, Notable Events and Inspirations.

The format and illustrations are beautiful. The writing is engaging and detailed. The only flaw I saw was there could have been more illustrations. I also would have loved maps and or blueprints.

For any fan of Tolkien or the Hobbit will love reading this book. It’s beautiful and worthy of a coffee table. I hope the team makes more for the other books.

What a fantastic and magical read! I could get lost in this book for ages, and soak it in. I highly recommend this read to anyone who enjoys The Hobbit.

This is one that I am going to put on my "need to buy" list when it becomes available next year.

What a wonderful book. As a long time admirer of Tolkien, this book is a worthy addition to all other books written on the subject. Beautifully illustrated and well written, I agree with other reviews that there is very little new to learn from this book but it does add another layer of appreciation of Tolkien and his genius. This is definitely more suitable as a physical book in order to fully appreciate the illustrations and I would be happy to have this in my real library. Altogether wonderful. My thanks to the publishers and Netgalley for the chance to review this book.

An indispensable and comprehensive guide to J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Hobbit covering all the characters, places and objects included in the seminal book that first introduced the world of Middle Earth.

Very informative!

Thank You NetGalley, the publisher and the author for the opportunity to read this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I LOVE THE HOBBIT and so seeing this available on NetGalley means I couldn't resist this. Now for how I felt about it...it is full of information and knowledge HOWEVER for an avid fan there is absolutely nothing new about the information contained and it isn't even presented in a new and innovative way. It meant I ended up skimming through and this books is definitely a reference only and will sit on a shelf of those who love anything to do with Tolkein/The Hobbit. Overall, a good stocking filler but not sure what else I would have wanted or expected for this.

Thank you so much NetGalley, Quarto Publishing Group – White Lion, and Frances Lincoln for this absolutely stunning arc!

5/5 stars!

Everything about this book is beautiful. The text, the images, the embellishments on the pages - just UGH SO LOVELY! This would be a perfect addition to any Tolkien lovers shelf. I love how concise all the information is, and the bibliography at the back for every quote and bit of info! Excellent!

I loved reading this book, complete with beautiful illustrations it would make a perfect gift for anyone who is a fan of The Hobbit or Lords of the Rings.

Thank you to Net Galley and Tor Publishers for providing me with an advanced copy of this book!

This was such a fun read and I absolutely loved seeing all the illustrations of my favorite characters such as Bilbo Baggins and Gandalf. I would recommend maybe reading this after reading the Hobbit and the Lord of the Rings series to fully appreciate everything this book has to offer. This is a perfect gift for any lover of Tolkien's work!

As someone who only casually follows the series, this helps and was fun to read. Delving deeper into & picking what I wanna know more from the universe and lore. I hope thought, that it has more pictures, I guess? So it's more.. encyclopedic as it is. Thank you Net Galley and publisher for the eARC!

Loved this! Highly detailed. Beautiful written. Read after The Hobbit and Lord of the Rings. I would recommend the actual book over the ebook.

I would like to thank NetGalley for an early copy.

Title: The Hobbit Encyclopedia
Authors: Damien Bador, Vivien Stocker, Coralie Potat, & Dominique Vigot
Publisher: Frances Lincoln
Reviewed By: Arlena Dean
Rating: Four
Review:
"The Hobbit Encyclopedia" by Various Authors above.

My Sentiments:

The Hobbit Encyclopedia was quite interesting. It told us about the characters [with my favorite ones being Bilbo Baggins, Galadriel, Gandalf, and Legolas, to name a few]. It continues to its Peoples and Creatures and the Languages and writing systems that will keep one's interest as you turn the pages for more. This encyclopedia will be fantastic with all its illustrations, especially if you are into the Hobbits story and the Lord of the Rings series. I recommend you pick this one up.

Thank you to NetGallery for this copy.

I wish the format was more mobile friendly, but I love Tolkien enough to put up with clunky formatting. This is going to be a beautiful book when it's published.

Thanks to Netgalley for a copy for a honest review

As a Fan of The Hobbit and Lord of the Rings I found the ‘The Hobbit Encyclopaedia’ really interesting and cool 🙂 and had nice illustrations.
I would definitely recommend it to fans of the Hobbit and Lord of the Rings series

Rating 4 Stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️