...the hobbit...

The Hobbit is such a simple story, in terms of fantasy, but so beautifully succinct and so loving of its world and its characters.  I read and re-read the book at least three times in succession when I was 14.  Like the average nerd, I found a corner (literally) at my high school, sandwiched between a locker and a wall.  I lost myself for an hour a day in Middle Earth, with little interference.  To get through certain parts, I would continue reading in the next class (American History then Government).

And, then, glory of glories, there was a PC game at Walden Books (yeah, remember that?).  It was an interactive text adventure that I could sneak into Computer class (yes, a class that introduced the fabulous Apple IIe).  Between the OEM IIe I had at home and the one at school - I was in pre-geek heaven.

In hindsight, it was definitively one of the first times an ancillary product would come out of a piece of a written one.  There was a definitive extension of a work into something else: something electronic.  And, like many games of the time, your mind would need to hyper-extend the excitement since it was basic graphics in the extreme.  Ah, text games - take a gander below and wonder how this would play out today?

Anyhoo, Empire has the Hobbit soundtrack available to listen through (no controls, you'll have to go straight through), but it is a lovely soundtrack: http://www.empireonline.com/news/story.asp?NID=35757.

And, while at Barnes and Noble this past weekend, came across a leather-ish pocket edition that would make a great gift, pending you can find a young kid that still likes to read: http://www.amazon.com/The-Hobbit-Deluxe-Pocket-Edition/dp/0544045521/ref=sr_1_7?ie=UTF8&qid=1352995091&sr=8-7&keywords=hobbit.

If you have yet to read it, it's Lord of the Rings lite and a very quick commitment.