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

J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Hobbit was first published in Britain on 21 September 1937. The book was issued by George Allen & Unwin and was illustrated by Tolkien himself, including its maps and decorative designs.

The story follows Bilbo Baggins, a hobbit drawn into a quest involving Thorin Oakenshield and a company of dwarves. Its tone is lighter and more directly fairy-tale-like than The Lord of the Rings, although it introduces characters, places, and ideas that Tolkien later developed further.

The first edition sold quickly and received strong reviews. A second edition appeared in 1951 with important revisions, especially to the chapter involving Gollum and the One Ring. Tolkien adjusted that episode so it would fit the developing mythology of Middle-earth.

The Hobbit began as a children’s adventure, but its success helped lead Tolkien’s publisher to request a sequel. That sequel became the much larger The Lord of the Rings, published in three volumes between 1954 and 1955.