Almost ready!
In order to save audiobooks to your Wish List you must be signed in to your account.
Log in Create accountLimited-time offer
Get two free audiobooks when you make the switch!
Now’s a great time to shop indie. When you start a new membership supporting local bookstores with promo code SWITCH, we’ll give you two bonus audiobook credits at sign-up.
Make the switchGift audiobook credit bundles
You pick the number of credits, your recipient picks the audiobooks, and your local bookstore is supported by your purchase.
Start giftingA Hobbit Journey
This audiobook uses AI narration.
We’re taking steps to make sure AI narration is transparent.
Learn moreDiscover the enchantment of Tolkien’s Middle-earth…
“What are the costs of military victory? Is mercy sometimes too expensive? Can torture ever be justified? Are there any moral absolutes in a world of competing faiths and cultures? A Hobbit Journey traces these and many other issues through their surprisingly detailed presentation in Tolkien’s fiction. If anyone should still doubt Tolkien’s applicability and relevance to the 21st century, this is the book to put in their hands.”
-Thomas Shippey,author of J.R.R. Tolkien: Author of the Century
“J.R.R. Tolkien’s stories are countries full of treasure that will go undiscovered and unappreciated unless we learn how to be attentive treasure hunters. Matthew Dickerson writes as one who has spent his summers in the Shire, hiked every trail in Mirkwood Forest, taken counsel from Gandalf, and argued with Gollum and Smaug. It’s as though he sharpened the tools of his intellect in deep conversation with Tolkien himself. He will prove to be a thought-provoking guide through Middle-earth whether you’re a frequent visitor there or a newcomer ready for the adventure of a lifetime.”
-Jeffrey Overstreet, author of Auralia’s Colors and Through a Screen Darkly
“A Hobbit Journey instantly engages readers with its combination of scholarly knowledge and love for J.R.R. Tolkien’s work. Matthew Dickerson resists imposing his own rigid, limiting thesis and instead interprets the text by simply pointing out to fellow readers what is there. In doing so, he illuminates the power of Tolkien’s stories to challenge, delight, and transform us.”
-Colin Duriez, author of Tolkien and C.S. Lewis: The Gift of Friendship and J.R.R. Tolkien: The Making of a Legend
Matthew Dickerson (PhD, Cornell University) is a professor at Middlebury College in Vermont, a writer, and the director of the New England Young Writer’s Conference at Bread Loaf. His previous works include From Homer to Harry Potter; The Mind and the Machine; Narnia and the Fields of Arbol: The Environmental Vision of C.S. Lewis; and Ents, Elves and Eriador: The Environmental Vision of J.R.R. Tolkien.
Reviews
“What are the costs of military victory? Is mercy sometimes too expensive? Can torture ever be justified? Are there any moral absolutes in a world of competing faiths and cultures? A Hobbit Journey traces these and many other issues through their surprisingly detailed presentation in Tolkien’s fiction. If anyone should still doubt Tolkien’s applicability and relevance to the 21st century, this is the book to put in their hands.”—Thomas Shippey, author of J.R.R. Tolkien: Author of the Century
—Jeffrey Overstreet, author of Auralia’s Colors and Through a Screen Darkly
—Colin Duriez, author of Tolkien and C.S. Lewis: The Gift of Friendship and J.R.R. Tolkien: The Making of a Legend