J.R.R. Tolkien’s first Middle-earth novel, The Hobbit, was published in 1937.
The book appeared in the United Kingdom on 21 September 1937, published by George Allen & Unwin. Its full title was The Hobbit, or There and Back Again. Tolkien originally wrote it as a children’s fantasy story, but its carefully constructed mythology and invented languages gave it unusual depth.
The novel follows Bilbo Baggins, who leaves the Shire with the wizard Gandalf and thirteen Dwarves to reclaim treasure from the dragon Smaug. Its success led Tolkien’s publisher to request a sequel, which eventually became The Lord of the Rings.
A common mix-up is to date Tolkien’s Middle-earth publishing career from The Lord of the Rings. The Hobbit came first, while The Lord of the Rings was published in three volumes from 1954 to 1955.