The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey Visual Companion

Granted, this book more than anything, is just a promo for the upcoming film. Yet I was pleasantly surprised with the overall presentation which is very nice and (pun intended) very unexpected. There is a great four page fold out map of Middle Earth in the middle of the book, there are numerous two full page pictures that are immense in detail and very high quality with no upscaling. Regardless of the fact that this is a $14 promo book, there are awesome pictures, great page layout and such a cool forward by Martin Freeman (Bilbo Baggins). I wasn't expecting much from this book, I got it because I cannot contain my excitement for the movie and am getting any and everything Hobbit related while it's cheap and available. This book covers broad subjects in sections like Hobbiton, the Shire, Bilbo, the Ring, Gandalf, each Dwarve, the White Council, Rivendell and so forth. All the pictures look like finished post production photos from the actual film transfer. Note: there are no pictures of Smaug or the Necromancer or spiders or Lake-Town, Bard or Beorn, but there are some great pictures of Orcs and Goblins and the Goblin King. This book, as the title states, is only covering the first film "An Unexpected Journey". I am very pleased with this book. It's a little on the small side, but The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey Chronicles: Art & Design by Weta Digital should have far more content and behind the scenes info when it's released on December 14th. If you love anything Hobbit related or like collecting any and all things Middle Earth, this book is well worth the price for the great pictures and fold out map.

The artwork is mesmerizing. The story timeless. A great read for any fan of LOTR no matter what their age

Great souvenir for the Hobbit movie junkie, which I am - lovely pictures with interesting tidbits about hobbits, dwarves, and other characters. My one complaint about a book such as this is that a number of the images seem to be the same publicity shots released by Warner Bros. - I'd seen them before and often so was hoping for more still shots from the film itself. Yet, it is still nice to see and have them as hard copy in a gentle little book, and I quite enjoyed reading Martin Freeman's opening. For the heavy details on the movie production I have picked up WETA's "Chronicles" books.

A very pleasing introduction to the participants in The Hobbit, and its landscapes and plot.I especially liked the photos and background on each individual Dwarf. So many Dwarves appear almost simultaneously in the book (and the movie). I have read the book dozens of times since I first found it in 1967, and have often wished for a better way to sort out the Dwarves. Thus I was enchanted with the casting and costumes as shown in the Visual Companion. Who knew Bombur would be so distinguished and fine looking (love that red hair!)? Or that Kili would turn out to be such a heart throb?The only things I would have liked to have seen more of were Hobbit house interiors, and Smaug! Where is the dreaded Smaug!

Very well [email protected] dry. Hot cold red blue, orange purple black. troll hobbits human. Backup power supplies. Amazon

The character reviews were very informative

This book helps explain a lot on the movie characters, and puts photographs on each page to help you point out each character. I read Tolkien's book, but this is the book to have as a companion piece. It talks about each dwarf, and now you can put a face to the name, and refer back to it again and again. The film introduces the dwarves, but I found it hard to remember and keep track of them. This book takes te guesswork out of it. if you're like me, you want to understand the relationships among them and how they relate to Thorin, then you need this book.

I realized that I would never hear the end of it about buying this book considering it contains morepictures than text! But I love it! It was simple, and explained everything in a clear, concise mannerthat I even got people wanting to borrow it. It had beautiful pictures of the characters, locations,and even drawings from the movie that I have something to keep and enjoy in my library for yearsto come.

Granted I haven't yet watched this movie, but as a big fan of tLotR (book and movies) and the Hobbit book, I know that I will enjoy it. And thanks to this companion book I love Peter Jackson's movie already. The images in the book are clear and large. The writing is easy to follow and there is enough of it that you don't feel you've just bought a picture book (though it is a visual companion).The book is great quality and the pages are strong.It completes my tLotR collection of visual companions perfectly.I recommend it to all.

Lovely companion to the Movie. Good quality. A must of fans of the movie.

I absolutely love this book! It describes the relations between the dwarfs I wasn't aware of after reading The Hobbit. It gives you a lot new information about the characters in the movie, also about the creatutres which appear in it. Highly recommended for every Hobbit fan!

This book fulfilled my expectations, having bought the previous books by the same author relating to The Lord of the Rings film trilogy. It is a useful and informative guide to the background of the characters and the photographs make the book an excellent souvenir of the film.

This collection is definitely brilliant with many great photos in colour. I so adore the trilogy of The Hobbit and The Lord of The Rings.