If we look in The Letters of J.R.R. Tolkien at letter 112, we read how Katherine Farrer, an Oxford-based detective author, had apparently asked for her copy of The Hobbit to be signed. Instead, Tolkien wrote her a note in Runes.

In the letter, Tolkien thanks her for her request, and tells her he is glad The Hobbit is obtainable again (most stores had run out). I thought it was a nice idea to look at some nice Hobbit editions that would make great birthday gifts.

Of course, any nice limited edition or older printing would be a nice gift, but I wish to look at some more recent and lovely Hobbits that are not that expensive. Hobbits by the way would themselves give mathoms, and "Mathom" is a word invented by Tolkien, constructed from an obsolete Old English word máðm "treasure, precious thing". So let us look at some precious hobbits that would make nice birthday gifts!

Most of you will already know the story, but the book is about the hobbit Bilbo Baggins who enjoys a quiet and contented life, with no desire to travel far from the comforts of home; then one day the wizard Gandalf and a band of dwarves arrive unexpectedly and enlist his services – as a burglar. Bilbo’s life is never to be the same again.

Featuring the distinctive cover illustration painted by Tolkien himself, plus his own drawings in the book, this edition will be the perfect gift for little Hobbits everywhere!

This charming deluxe pocket-sized edition contains the complete unabridged text and features a beautiful leatherette cover and gilt-edging. Another perfect gift for fine Hobbits everywhere! It does not only look good, it also includes a fabulous tale (just a tip).

You have to think that somehow the publishers at Harper Collins are in the same mood as many Tolkien fans these days. And now that I see the cover they have produced for the special collector's edition a big smile appeared on my face. Here we have a cover that has nothing to do with the movies and shows us a scene of Demsterwold. Above the trees we see the butterflies that Bilbo was lucky enough to see, after climbing up in the trees, leaving the dwarves below in the darkness of the forest. I must say that this cover looks fantastic and I'm happy to see a minimalistic cover like this. The publishers could have chosen any character or film picture from the first movie, The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey, but wisely turned away from that.

This edition was released on August 30 in 2012 as a tie-in with the Hobbit movies. It had just been announced that there would not be two but three movies. Alas for the publishers the sets were ready in two parts... and there you have it. One lovely boxed The Hobbit in two parts.

I'm however happy to see the publishers decided to stick with two and not a three volume edition! Also I love the design, which is wisely chosen and does not depict any of the movie characters, but just the view from Bilbo's round door. I'm impressed and am going to by this set for my kids for sure!

Seldom has any book been so widely read and loved as JRR Tolkien’s classic tale, The Hobbit. Since its first publication in 1937 it has remained in print to delight each new generation of readers all over the world, and its hero, Bilbo Baggins, has taken his place among the ranks of the immortals: Alice, Pooh, Toad…