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A gorgeous new edition of The Hobbit featuring illustrations from Tove Jansson, creator of The Moomins, published in English for the first time.Whisked away from his comfortable, unambitious life in his hobbit-hole in Bag End by Gandalf the wizard and a band of dwarves, Bilbo Baggins finds himself caught up in a plot to raid the treasure hoard of Smaug the Magnificent, a large and very dangerous dragon. Although quite reluctant to take part in this quest, Bilbo surprises even himself by his resourcefulness and his skill as a burglar!This landmark new edition of The Hobbit presents J.R.R. Tolkien's full text with illustrations by Tove Jansson, creator of the Moomins, from a rare Swedish-language edition never before published in English. Jansson's tender, whimsical drawings illuminate Bilbo's journey -from the comfort of Bag End to the riddled dark under the mountain- adding fresh enchantment and quiet humor to every page.

The third volume of The History of Middle-earth contains the early myths and legends which led to the writing of Tolkien's epic tale of war, The Silmarillion.The Lays of Beleriand, the third volume of The History of Middle-earth, gives us a privileged insight into the creation of the mythology of Middle-earth, through the alliterative verse tales of two of the most crucial stories in Tolkien's world - those of Turien and Lhien. The first of the poems is the unpublished "Lay of The Children of Hin," narrating on a grand scale the tragedy of Tin Turambar. The second is the moving "Lay of Leithian," the chief source of the tale of Beren and Lhien in The Silmarillion, telling of the Quest of the Silmaril and the encounter with Morgoth in his subterranean fortress.Accompanying the poems are commentaries on the evolution of the history of the Elder Days. Also included is the notable criticism of "The Lay of The Leithian" by C. S. Lewis, who read the poem in 1929.