Which Tolkien novel introduced readers to Bilbo Baggins?

The Hobbit introduced readers to Bilbo Baggins.

J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Hobbit, or There and Back Again, was first published in 1937. Its central character is Bilbo Baggins, a comfort-loving hobbit who is persuaded to join the wizard Gandalf and a company of dwarves on a journey to the Lonely Mountain.

The book began as a children’s fantasy adventure, but it also introduced important elements later connected with The Lord of the Rings. Among them were Bilbo’s discovery of the One Ring, the dragon Smaug, the dwarven kingdom under the mountain, and the creature Gollum.

A common mix-up is to treat The Hobbit as the first volume of The Lord of the Rings. It is a separate novel and a prequel in the story’s chronology. Tolkien later expanded the history behind the Ring and revised some details when writing The Lord of the Rings.