The Hobbit vs. The Hobbit There and Back Again

[Laura_inDE]

I'm a new person.. and from Germany. Can somebody tell me if there is a difference in these two books? Or is it only a change of title?

[ragamuffin92]

Hi, Laura--Nice to have you here.
To the best of my knowledge, they are one and the same. The book was supposedly written by Bilbo Baggins himself, under title of "There and Back Again." When published by the "big people" (us :) ), it was called "The Hobbit, orThere and Back Again."

[Littledude87]

They are the same, but in the books Bilbo's book is significantly different than the Hobbit

[Laurelyn]

Yeah. Around the edge of my book it says, "The hobbit, or there and back again, being an account of a year's journey by Bilbo Baggins, compiled from his memiors." or something like that. In a way, I just have a book w/ a really long title.

[samwiselvr2008]

wasnt There and Back Again Bilbo's name for it, and the Hobbit was Tolkiens?:confused:

[Strange-Looking Lurker]

Unless I am mistaken (unless?) Tolkien wanted to give it the name There and Back Again, but his publishers changed it to The Hobbit.

[Spock]

TROTK has Frodo going over his papers and a big book with red cover. In Bilbo's hand was "My Diary, My Unexpected Joruney. There and Back Again And What Happened After.
Adventures of Five Hobbits. The Tale of the Great Ring, compiled by Bilbo Baggins from his own observations and the accounts of his friends. What we did in the War of the Ring."

The Big People decided on "The Hobbit".

Then too, remember the original book starts off "In a hole in the ground there lived a hobbit."