To celebrate the 75th Anniversary of the publication of The Hobbit a sumptuous full colour art book containing the complete collection of more than 100 Hobbit sketches drawings paintings & maps by J.R.R. Tolkien. When J.R.R. Tolkien wrote The Hobbit he was already an accomplished amateur artist & drew illustrations for his book while it was still in manuscript. The Hobbit as first printed had ten black & white pictures two maps & binding & dust-jacket designs by its author. Later Tolkien also painted five scenes for colour plates which are some of his best work. His illustrations for The Hobbit add an extra dimension to that remarkable book & have long influenced how readers imagine Bilbo Baggins & his world. To celebrate the 75th anniversary of the publication of The Hobbit the complete artwork created by the author for his story has been collected in The Art of The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien. Including related pictures more than one hundred sketches drawings paintings maps & plans are presented here preliminary & alternate versions & experimental designs as well as finished art. Some of these images are now published for the first time & others for the first time in colour. Fresh digital scans from the Bodleian Libraries in Oxford & Marquette University in Wisconsin allow Tolkiens Hobbit pictures to be seen more vividly than ever before. The Art of The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien has been written & edited by Wayne G. Hammond & Christina Scull two of the leading experts on Tolkien & authors of the acclaimed J.R.R. Tolkien: Artist & Illustrator The Lord of the Rings: A Readers Companion & The J.R.R. Tolkien Companion & Guide.