On what date was J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Hobbit first published in 1937?

J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Hobbit was first published on 21 September 1937.

The book was issued by George Allen & Unwin in London, with illustrations and maps by Tolkien himself. Its unexpected success led the publisher to ask Tolkien for a sequel, eventually producing The Lord of the Rings.

The Hobbit began as a children’s fantasy about Bilbo Baggins, a home-loving hobbit drawn into a quest with Thorin Oakenshield and thirteen dwarves. Although it is lighter in tone than The Lord of the Rings, it introduces important elements of Tolkien’s mythology, including Gollum and the One Ring.

Readers sometimes confuse the publication date with the dates of later editions, translations, or film adaptations. The first edition appeared in 1937; Tolkien revised parts of the text for the second edition in 1951, particularly to align the story more closely with the developing mythology of the Ring.