The classic fantasy novel of a time before the “dominion of men”, this book introduces the reader to Tolkien’s world of hobbits, dwarves, goblins and wizards. The story takes the form of a quest as the hobbit Bilbo Baggins joins Gandalf the wizard Thorin Oakenshield the dwarf on a journey to claim a vast treasure guarded by the evil dragon Smaug. This book is a precursor to Tolkien’s extremely popular Lord of the Rings trilogy, the first of which was published nearly fifteen years later.