The first print run of The Hobbit was 1,500 copies. George Allen & Unwin published J. R. R. Tolkien’s book in London on 21 September 1937, taking a cautious approach to a children’s fantasy novel by a relatively unknown author.
The gamble paid off quickly. Enthusiastic reviews helped the first printing sell out by December, only a few months after publication. Tolkien supplied the illustrations and designed the dust jacket, giving the first edition a distinctive appearance that later made early copies highly desirable to collectors.
The success led to a second printing before the end of 1937. Unlike the first printing, it incorporated Tolkien’s colour illustrations, while an American edition from Houghton Mifflin followed in early 1938. The book’s later editions also changed some wording and illustrations, making printing history important to bibliographers and collectors.
The figure of 1,500 refers to the initial British print run, not total sales. The Hobbit eventually sold tens of millions of copies worldwide and became one of the best-known fantasy novels ever published.