What subtitle did J.R.R. Tolkien give to the first edition of The Hobbit?

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

The complete title was The Hobbit, or There and Back Again. The phrase describes Bilbo Baggins’s journey from his comfortable home in the Shire, across dangerous lands, and back again. It also signals the book’s structure as an adventure story told by a traveler who returns changed by experience.

Bilbo begins as someone who believes he is not suited to adventure. His travels with Thorin Oakenshield’s company expose him to trolls, Goblins, Gollum, giant spiders, Wood-elves, and the dragon Smaug. By the end, he has gained courage and practical wisdom, though he remains attached to home and ordinary comforts.

The subtitle is sometimes omitted in modern references, which usually call the book simply The Hobbit. Tolkien’s later novel The Lord of the Rings develops the Ring and its history much further, but The Hobbit retains its own lighter tone and self-contained quest narrative.