I was lucky enough to attend the Pacific Northwest Bookseller’s Association conference this past weekend, and at the tradeshow came across a book that I remember saying “no” to when it was published in 2012. Emily, my hardworking sales rep from Houghton Mifflin, knows I love Science Fiction and Fantasy. She knows I love the Hobbit. So she pointed out The Art of The Hobbit during our sales call.
Art of The Hobbit
I thought, who needs a $40 book that will show the art I already have in my hardcover editions of the Hobbit. I’ll pass. Emily tried to convince me, but I held fast and promptly forgot all about the book.
Fast forward to last Monday. I walked by the Houghton Mifflin table in the exhibit hall. I saw The Art of The Hobbit on the table. After I opened the book I know Emily had been right and I had been wrong. I needed to have this book in my store.
The Art of the Hobbit is an oversized hardcover, being roughly the same size as a children’s picture book. At only 144 pages it is not very thick. But it is lavishly illustrated throughout.
Included in the book are all of the original paintings done by Tolkien for The Hobbit. Many of these images have become iconic in the world of Fantasy. I think every D&D player in the world pictures “Conversations with Smaug” whenever she thinks of a dragon sitting on a pile of treasure.
There is a chapter devoted to each painting and major map from the Hobbit. Included in these chapters are preliminary sketches for the paintings, early drafts of the painting, extra material that Tolkien created to round out the paintings (such as a copy of Thorin’s letter to Bilbo, done in tengwar) and other background material for the painting/map.
It is hard to describe how cool it feels to look at the 8 different designs that went into the original binding and dust jacket. Or to see that between the first and second printing of The Hobbit which pictures changed and how. If you are a Tolkien fan as I am toy could spend hours with this book.
This will be one of the books I am putting into people’s hands this December as they are looking for the perfect gift for the geek in their lives.
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