The Hobbit - First edition text available??

[Yazad]

Greetings,

I was just wondering if anyone knows of a posting of the text of the the first edition of The Hobbit (in full or in part) anywhere on the web. I figure someone must have put up at least "The Riddle Game" somewhere, but the only like I've been able to find is down. I don't know if the copyright police hunted it down or not. I'd dearly love to read it, but can't seem to get my hands on a copy of the first edition (for lack of funds, of course!)

[Eruve]

I don't know if the text is availabe online, or anywhere for that matter. In Letters, the differences between the first and second editions are summed up in a footnote to letter #128. I can give you the text of this:

"In the original version of chapter 5 of The Hobbit, Gollum really does intend to give Bilbo the Ring when the hobbit wins the riddle-game, and is deeply apologetic when he finds that it is missing: 'I don't know how many times Gollum begged Bilbo's pardon. He kept on saying, "We are ssorry; we didn't mean to cheat, we meant to give it our only present, if it won the competition." He even offered to catch Bilbo some nice juicy fish to eat as a consolation.' [Note that the foregoing quote was a citation of the original text.] Bilbo, who has the Ring in his pocket, persuades Gollum to lead him out of the underground passages, which Gollum does,and the two of them part company in a civil manner."

I think this is the general gist of the changes. The rest would have been emendations of errors.