1937 'Instant Success' Fantasy Novel Ranked a 'Best Book of the 20th Century'
"In a hole in the ground there lived a hobbit."
One simple sentence written on a blank page by Professor J. R. R. Tolkien that would become a critically acclaimed fantasy novel which would go on to become one of the most beloved novels of all time. On Goodreads and elsewhere, the book starring Bilbo Baggins as the titular hobbit is indisputably one of the "Best Books of the 20th Century."
By the early 1930s, Tolkien had finished his manuscript and sent it to several friends, including fellow writer C.S. Lewis. In 1936 Susan Dagnall, a staff member of the publisher George Allen & Unwin, was given or loaned a copy by a former student of Tolkein's from the University of Oxford and she urged publisher Stanley Unwin to consider it for publication. When Unwin's 10-year-old son, Rayner, loved the story, it convinced him to publish the novel.
Set in Middle-earth, The Hobbit centers on Bilbo Baggins, a hobbit who lives a comfortable and peaceful life in his hobbit-hole at Bag End. Bilbo's life is somewhat upended when Gandalf the wizard and a group of dwarves enlist his services to go on a quest to reclaim their home on Lonely Mountain (and its massive treasure) from the dragon Smaug. After some coaxing, Bilbo joins the quest, encountering several things along the way including trolls, elves, giant spiders, goblins, and a magical ring that lets him turn invisible. Throughout his journey, Bilbo finds the courage and resourcefulness he didn't know he possessed. After several battles and instances of unexpected bravery, Bilbo returns to his home in the Shire with a much more vast outlook on his once little, somewhat unassuming world.
The first run of The Hobbit in September of 1937 was for 1500 copies, but it sold out by December due to the enthusiasm and buzz surrounding the book. Additionally, it was met with almost unanimous acclaim. C.S. Lewis wrote of the book for The Times:
"The truth is that in this book a number of good things, never before united, have come together: a fund of humour, an understanding of children, and a happy fusion of the scholar's with the poet's grasp of mythology... The professor has the air of inventing nothing. He has studied trolls and dragons at first hand and describes them with that fidelity that is worth oceans of glib "originality."
The book was nominated for a Carnegie Medal, and was awarded by the New York Herald Tribune for best juvenile fiction of 1938. Now almost 90-year's post-publication, The Hobbit has sold an estimated 100 million copies world wide, making it one of the best-selling books of all time. It has been adapted numerous times, most recently in 2014 with the live-action film version directed by Peter Jackson.
Readers still love The Hobbit and regularly praise the impact it has had on them and largely agree in terms of books, there are few better or quite like it.
🎬SIGN UP for Parade's Daily newsletter to get the latest pop culture news & celebrity interviews delivered right to your inbox🎬
Copyright 2026 The Arena Group, Inc. All Rights Reserved
This story was originally published May 6, 2026 at 9:15 PM.