Ilustrated Hobbit

[Beren87]

Has any one seen or own this? Very cool fully illustrated Hobbit,much like a comic book.
On the cover however, it says that the illustrated edition itself is a classic adaption of the fantasy classic. How can a book be a classic when it was just released? Very odd.....

[Ithaeliel]

I have seen that in several places. I like the artist's ideas of the characters (except Thranduil and the elves and Bilbo's haircut).
How can you be sure that the illustrated edition wasn't made later than the novel? As well as the fact that it basically copied the book word for word, with a few things left out that didn't go along with an illustration.

[Legolas]

I think what the topic-starter was wondering is "How can this new adaption of the book be called a 'classic' already?"

He/she was not questioning the novel's status as 'classic,' but this particular illustrated adaption.

[Beren87]

Thank YOU Legolas,sometimes it is hard to interpret my often quickly wrote posts.

And it's he by the way...

[Tarthang]

It would seem to me that a publisher calling a new adaptation a classic (of a classic) is little more than a cheap marketing scheme to get people to buy the new adaptation. Although in this case, The Hobbit has been released as an illustrated version (where only some scenes had an accompanying illustration on the next page) for some while, if not to the extent of comic book style (if I interpreted Ithaelial's statements correctly, I haven't seen this adaptation yet) until recently.

[ August 06, 2002: Message edited by: Tarthang ]

[ August 06, 2002: Message edited by: Tarthang ]

[Ithaeliel]

Ah, now that I get it! I have no idea why they would call it a classic when it was recently released. Perhaps it was a typo.

Tarthang, I think you misinterpreted my statements. It is in comic-book style, but the people who put it together completely left out the passages that could not be illustrated (for example, the lengthy description of the dark forest of Mirkwood).

[Oliphaunt]

I own the illustrated Hobbit in question. Incidentally, I won it in the Barrow-Downs Haiku contest. I thought that The Illustrated Hobbit was quite well done.

[Beren87]

I quite agree that it is a most excelent book, however on the bacl cover it very clearly states
First published in the United States more than 60 years ago, J.R.R Tolkien's the Hobbit became one of thte best loved books of all time. Tolkien's fantasy was then adapted into a fully painted graphic novel, which became a classic in it's own right...

You can't call a new book a classic!

Btw, what happened to the Books 2?

[Estelyn Telcontar]

Beren, Books II was integrated into Books - there is now only one book forum.

[The Squatter of Amon Rûdh]

You can't call a new book a classic!

It makes them sell like hot cakes, though. Publishing is a bit like breeding cattle for the fast food industry in that respect: some idiot will always swallow your bull.

[ August 09, 2002: Message edited by: Squatter of Amon Rudh ]

[Child of the 7th Age]

I don't know if a book from 1989 counts as a classic, but that could explain those quotations. In 1989 and 1990 Eclipse published the illustrated hobbits in three comic books. I actually bought the first one of those comics many years ago.

Then, in 2001, Del Rey books, a division of Ballentine, reissued the three comics in a one-volume edition, probably because the movie was coming out, and they knew there would be a larger market for such things. I bought the one-volume edition. The text and pictures and everything seem to be identical with the earlier comic books.

I don't know if the comic book edition is a "classic" but I do know Tolkien collectors often include it on their bookshelves. You can still pick up the comics fairly cheap through e-bay.

sharon, the 7th age hobbit