"The Hobbit is one of the most widely read and best-loved books of the twentieth century. In December 2012, millions will be introduced or reintroduced to J.R.R. Tolkien's classic with the arrival of the first of two film adaptations by acclaimed director Peter Jackson. Exploring J.R.R. Tolkien's "The Hobbit" is a fun, thoughtful, and insightful companion volume, designed to bring a thorough and original new reading of this great work to a general...

"Enter Bilbo Baggin's world through exclusive interviews with director Peter Jackson, Martin Freeman, Ian McKellen and all the principal cast and filmmakers, who share film-making secrets and tales of what it was actually like making movie magic in Middle-earth. Lavishly illustrated with hundreds of behind-the-scenes photos of the actors, locations, sets, creatures and costumes, this essential guide has been produced in collaboration with the filmmakers...

"A stunning look at the creative process behind The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies--the third and final installment of one of the world's biggest motion picture franchises from Academy Award-winning filmmaker Peter Jackson. Working closely with the film's production staff, the award-winning team at WETA brings together more than 240 pages of spectacular four-color visuals, including hundreds of images of concept artwork, photographs, development...

"This collection of pictures, now reissued after almost 30 years, confirms J.R.R. Tolkien's considerable talent as an artist. It provides a unique and fascinating insight into his visual conception of many of the places and characters familiar to readers of The Hobbit, The Lord of the Rings, and The Silmarillion. Examples of his art range from delicate watercolours depicting Rivendell, The Forest of Lothlórien, Smaug, and Old Man Willow, to drawings...