The Hobbit

The Hobbit has an obsessive depth of detail. Tolkien constructs full cultures. Details like the dwarves' hats, Baggins family history, general hobbit history, songs of each culture, nasty songs for goblins, war and mine songs for dwarves, etc, all of which build the reality of Tolkien's fantasy world. Tolkien doesn't write as a commercial writer bent on selling, rather he constructs his story as his own modern version of ancient myth. Much is actually taken from ancient mythology, even names such as Thorin which is taken from the Norse God, Thor. The Hobbit's main character, Bilbo, follows the "Hero's journey" very precisely, starting with the innocence of the Shire, the call to adventure by Gandalf and dwarves, the refusal to leave, the supernatural aid of Gandalf, etc. The book is a kids' kind of classic, adventure tale full of exploration. I really liked the annotated Hobbit because it included sources from which Tolkien got his ideas and different illustrations done by numerous artists. I liked the book better when I was a kid, but I still found it enjoyable.