The Hobbit, or There and Back Again

A wizard's scratch on a green door changes everything

Bilbo Baggins lives the most comfortable life in the Shire—well-stocked pantries, no adventures, nothing unexpected.

A wizard's scratch on a green door changes everything

Bilbo Baggins lives the most comfortable life in the Shire—well-stocked pantries, no adventures, nothing unexpected. Then the wizard Gandalf appears at his door one spring morning, seeking someone to share in a dangerous venture. Bilbo refuses and flees inside, but Gandalf scratches a secret mark on his green front door. The next evening, thirteen dwarves arrive one by one, eating through his pantries and filling his parlor with smoke and music. Their leader, Thorin Oakenshield, reveals their purpose: to reclaim the Lonely Mountain and its treasure from the dragon Smaug, who drove his grandfather's people out generations ago. Gandalf produces a map showing a secret door and gives Thorin its key. When Bilbo overhears a dwarf dismissing him as more grocer than burglar, his Took-side pride flares—and he volunteers.

Three trolls argue until sunrise solves the problem

Bilbo nearly misses the departure entirely, sprinting to the inn without hat, handkerchief, or money. The company rides east on ponies, but when Gandalf vanishes one rainy night, they spot a fire and send their burglar to investigate. Bilbo finds three enormous trolls roasting mutton. He tries to pick one's pocket, but the troll's magical purse squeaks and gives him away. The trolls bag all thirteen dwarves in sacks. Only Gandalf's return saves them—hidden in darkness, he mimics the trolls' voices, keeping them bickering about how to cook their captives until dawn turns all three to stone. In the trolls' cave, the company finds food, gold, and three elvish blades: Orcrist for Thorin, Glamdring for Gandalf, and a small dagger that Bilbo quietly claims for himself.

Elrond reads hidden runes that will unlock the Mountain

Gandalf leads them into the hidden valley of Rivendell, the Last Homely House, where the elf-lord Elrond hosts them for two restful weeks. Elrond identifies their swords as ancient blades forged in the elf-city of Gondolin for wars against goblins. More crucially, he examines Thorin's map by moonlight and discovers invisible moon-letters—silver inscriptions readable only under a crescent moon matching the one under which they were written. The hidden message instructs them to stand by the grey stone when the thrush knocks, and the last light of Durin's Day will shine upon the keyhole. The dwarves cannot predict when Durin's Day will fall, but the instructions give them their only hope of finding the secret entrance into the Mountain's depths.