Once upon a time, the Kingdom of Erebor in the Lonely Mountain was taken from the dwarfs by the evil dragon Smaug. Need help with Chapter 11: On the Doorstep in J.R.R. Next. One day, the young Hobbit Bilbo Baggins is unexpectedly visited by the wizard Gandalf the Grey and twelve homeless dwarfs led by their former king Thorin and decided to vanquish Smaug and recover Erebor and their treasure. Check out our revolutionary side-by-side summary and analysis. It was published on 21 September 1937 to wide critical acclaim, being nominated for the Carnegie Medal and awarded a prize from the New York Herald Tribune for best juvenile fiction. The Hobbit, or There and Back Again is a children's fantasy novel by English author J. R. R. Tolkien. The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit (Cliffs Notes) Paperback September 1, 1977 Paperback. $16.36. Tolkien's The Hobbit? ... Well, Cliff notes are cliff notes, they're the lazy way of reading a book that you have absolutely no interest in reading. Editorial Reviews From the Back Cover.