The Hobbit was published in 1937 as J.R.R. Tolkien’s first Middle-earth novel.
The story follows Bilbo Baggins, a comfort-loving hobbit who joins Thorin Oakenshield and a company of dwarves on a quest to reclaim the Lonely Mountain from Smaug. Gandalf helps set the adventure in motion, while encounters with trolls, goblins, Gollum, giant spiders, and the Wood-elves expand Bilbo’s world beyond the Shire.
The novel introduced many features that later became central to Tolkien’s legendarium, including the One Ring and the history of the dragon’s treasure. Its tone is generally more direct and playful than that of The Lord of the Rings, although later revisions strengthened links between the two works.
The Silmarillion was published later, in 1977, and Unfinished Tales appeared in 1980. The Lord of the Rings followed The Hobbit and was published in three volumes from 1954 to 1955.