What subtitle did J.R.R. Tolkien give The Hobbit?

J.R.R. Tolkien gave The Hobbit the subtitle There and Back Again.

The full title of Tolkien’s book is The Hobbit, or There and Back Again. The phrase reflects the shape of Bilbo Baggins’s adventure: he leaves his comfortable home, travels to the Lonely Mountain, participates in the conflict over its treasure, and eventually returns to Hobbiton.

The subtitle is presented as Bilbo’s account of his travels. It also echoes a recurring pattern in Tolkien’s writing, in which a journey away from home leads to danger, discovery, and a changed understanding of the familiar world. Bilbo returns physically to Bag End, but his experiences separate him from the assumptions of many other hobbits.

The subtitle should not be confused with An Unexpected Journey, the title of the first film in Peter Jackson’s Hobbit film trilogy. That phrase describes the story but is not Tolkien’s original subtitle.