While many of us were first introduced to The Lord of the Rings and then to The Hobbit, the latter is, in fact, a prequel to the former. However, while in the process of writing The Lord of the Rings, Tolkien made many changes to the world he had created in his earlier book, The Hobbit. These changes were included in later editions of the book, but most readers still swear by the first edition. In this book, set in an era between the Dawn of the Faerie and the Dominion of Men, when Gandalf the Grey asks Bilbo Baggins to help him aid the dwarves in reclaiming their home in the Lonely Mountain, from the dragon Smaug, peace-loving Bilbo, is drawn into a perilous journey fleeing goblins, Silvan elves, men, trolls, and giant spiders; and winning a mysterious ring from a subterranean creature known as the Gollum in a game of riddles- the ring that changes the course of Middle Earth, in ways that Bilbo has no way of knowing.