J.R.R. Tolkien, pictured late in life, authored The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings

J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Hobbit turns 75 years old today.

Originally published on September 21, 1937, the novel has been translated into 50 languages and sold 100 million copies and continues to capture the hearts and minds of readers young and old.

The cover of the 1937 edition of The Hobbit was designed by Tolkien

The Hobbit is the prelude to The Lord of the Rings, the book-turned-film that captured the world just over a decade ago.

While marking papers one evening in the early 1930’s, inspiration for the story came to Tolkien. The Oxford professor turned to a blank piece of paper and wrote “in a hole in the ground lived a hobbit.”

The story follows hobbit Bilbo Baggins as he’s tricked by the wizard Gandalf and a group of dwarfs and leaves the comfort of home to embark on a long trek to the Lonely Mountain. Rising to the occasion many times, Bilbo proceeds to outwit angry trolls, sneaks away with the Golum’s “magical ring”, and prevents two warring parties from going to battle. The book shows us what it means to believe in yourself and defeat any challenge.

If you love the book, be sure to watch out for Peter Jackson’s adaptation on the big screen this winter. “The Hobbit: Unexpected Journey,” the first in “The Hobbit” movie trilogy, comes out on December 14th.

Watch the new movie trailer below.

– Stew

(Photo Credit: 1, 2)