What is the name of the first part of J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Hobbit, as listed in its chapter titles?

The first chapter of J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Hobbit is titled “An Unexpected Party.”

The chapter begins at Bilbo Baggins’s home, Bag End, where the wizard Gandalf and thirteen dwarves arrive unexpectedly. Their gathering introduces Thorin Oakenshield and establishes the quest to reclaim the Lonely Mountain and its treasure from Smaug.

The title describes the event from Bilbo’s perspective. He is initially unprepared for a large group of visitors and becomes increasingly alarmed as the dwarves eat, drink, sing, and discuss their planned expedition. Gandalf’s arrival helps set the adventure in motion.

The phrase is often confused with “A Long-expected Party,” the title of the opening chapter of The Fellowship of the Ring. The similar wording is deliberate in effect: Tolkien uses both parties to mark major transitions in Bilbo’s and Frodo’s stories, but they occur in different books and involve very different circumstances.