History of the Hobbit

1244 Pages·2011·26.2 MB·English

by  John D. Rateliff

The History of the Hobbit
John D. Rateliff
Dedication
to
Charles B. Elston
&
Janice K. Coulter
Contents
Cover
Title Page
Dedication

Frontispiece
Introduction
i. Chronology of Composition
ii. A Note on the Text
iii. The Plan of This Edition
iv. Abbreviations and Acknowledgments
The First Phase
I(a). The Pryftan Fragment
i. The Lost Opening
ii. Nomenclature in the Pryftan Fragment
iii. The Geography of the Tale & The First Map
I(b). The Bladorthin Typescript
i. Baggins of Bag-End
ii. Bladorthin
iii. Dwarven Magic
iv. The Voice of the Narrator
The Second Phase
I(c). The Adventure Continues
i. The Dwarves
ii. Moria
iii. The Necromancer
iv. The Third of March
II. Trolls
i. The Trolls
ii. Bilbo’s Contract
III. Rivendell
i. The Last Decent House
ii. Elves in the Moonlight
iii. Elrond
iv. Durin’s Day
IV. Goblins
i. Goblins
ii. The Giants
iii. Switzerland
iv. Bilbo’s Dreams, and Other Matters
V. Gollum
i. The Gollum
ii. Riddles
iii. The Ring
iv. The Invisible Monster
VI. Wargs and Eagles
i. The Wolves
ii. The Eagles
VII. Medwed
i. Bears
ii. Bothvar Bjarki
iii. Beorn’s Hall
iv. The Carrock
v. The Dolittle Theme
vi. Radagast
Plot Notes A
Tolkien’s Plot Notes
VIII. Mirkwood
i. The Children of Ungoliant
ii. Butterflies
iii. The Theseus Theme
iv. Bilbo the Warrior
‘The Enchanted Stream’
Mirkwood Reconsidered
Plot Notes B
i. The Story Foreseen from the Capture by Wood-elves
ii. Visiting the Mewlips
iii. Lake Town
iv. The Original Time-Scheme
v. Into the Dragon’s Lair
vi. Conversations with Smaug
vii. The Gem of Girion
viii. Bilbo Kills Smaug
ix. The Poem
x. A Battle Gathering in the West
xi. Just a Hobbit Again
IX. In the Halls of the Elvenking
i. The Vanishing People
ii. The Three Kindreds of the Elves
iii. The King of Wood and Stone
iv. The Name ‘Thranduil’
v. The Wine of Dorwinion
X. Lake Town
i. Lake Town
ii. ‘The Mayor & Corporation’
iii. Thorin, son of Thrain, son of Thror
XI. The Lonely Mountain
i. The Desolation of the Dragon
ii. The Thrush
Plot Notes C
XII. Conversations with Smaug
i. Tolkien’s Dragons
ii. Smaug the Magnificent
iii. ‘The Only Philological Remark’
XIII (later XIV). The Death of Smaug
i. Bard the Dragon-Slayer
ii. The Black Arrow
iii. The Death of Smaug
iv. The Name ‘Esgaroth’
Plot Notes D
XIV (later XIII). While the Dragon’s Away . . .
i. Dragon-sickness (‘The Hoard’)
ii. The Arkenstone as Silmaril
iii. A Note on Cram
XVa. The Kindness of Ravens
i. The Ravens of the Mountain
The Siege of the Mountain
Plot Notes E: ‘Little Bird’
Plot Notes F
The Third Phase
‘A Thief Indeed’
XVb. King Bard
XVI. Divided Loyalties
XVII. The Battle of Five Armies
XVIII. ‘And Back Again’
XIX. The End of the Journey
i. Dain son of Nain
ii. Bolg of the North
iii. The Battle of Five Armies
iv. ‘The Halls of Waiting’
v. Bilbo’s First Poem
The Fourth Phase
The 1947 Hobbit
i. ‘Proposed correction of Hobbit to simplify Sequel’
ii. Errors in ‘The Hobbit’
iii. Other corrections
iv. Prefatory Note
v. Thrym Thistlebeard
The Fortunate Misunderstanding
The Fifth Phase
The 1960 Hobbit
New Chapter I. A Well-Planned Party
New Chapter II. The Broken Bridge
New Chapter III. Arrival in Rivendell
Queries and Reminders
The End of the Fifth Phase
Timelines and Itinerary
i. Distances and Itinerary
ii. Timetable from Rivendell to Lake Town
ii. The Timeline Revisited
iv. Waxing and Waning
v. Phases of the Moon
vi. The Wandering Moon
Appendices
I. The Denham Tracts (The Name ‘Hobbit’)
II. Tolkien’s letter to The Observer (The Hobyahs)
III. The Dvergatal (The Dwarf Names)
IV. Tolkien’s Correspondence with Arthur Ransome
V. Author’s Copies List
Addendum: The Seventh Phase
i. Timeline of Events
ii. Notes on a Parley
iii. Responses to Queries
iv. Personae
v. Runic Charts
vi. Fëanorian Letters
Index
Endnotes
Picture Section

Copyright
About the Publisher
Frontispiece