Bilbo Baggins is a hobbit, a small, beardless creature with hairy feet

who is quite sociable and loves the comforts of home. His mother was
a member of the Took family, who are considered a little irregular
because they were rumored to have intermarried with a fairy and
because they love adventure. Bilbo himself is very well off and fond of
food and clothes. His house is a beautifully furnished hole in the
ground.

Bilbo Baggins greets a passer-by, not recognizing him as Gandalf the

wizard. Gandalf tells Bilbo that he is looking for someone to share an
adventure with, but Bilbo firmly declines the invitation even after
Gandalf reveals his identity to Bilbo and reminds him of Gandalf's
longtime friendship with the Took family. Bilbo invites him to tea the
next day; Gandalf makes a strange mark on the outside of Bilbo's front
door and leaves.
The next day, Gandalf and thirteen dwarves — Dwalin, Balin, Kili, Fili,
Dori, Nori, Ori, Oin, Gloin, Bifur, Bofur, Bombur, and Thorin — visit
Bilbo and make themselves at home. They demand refreshments, and
while they eat, they talk, smoke, sing, and play musical instruments.
The dwarves sing of seeking a treasure that lies buried under a
mountain guarded by a dragon. Thorin, their leader, addresses the
group, including Bilbo, whom he calls a fellow conspirator, reminding
them that they are embarking the next day on a journey from which
they may not return. Bilbo, who had not planned to join the group,
becomes frightened and falls into a fit. When he comes to, he learns
that Gandalf had advertised his services as a burglar — the meaning
of the secret mark on the door — hoping that the dwarves would
recruit him. Bilbo agrees to go on the journey, partly out of pride,
because the dwarves are skeptical of his ability.
Gandalf takes out a map made by Thror, Thorin's grandfather, that
shows where the treasure is hidden. He points to a secret entrance
marked on the map and gives Thorin the key to it. Thorin tells the
story of his ancestors, who lived in great wealth under the Mountain
near Dale until Smaug the dragon invaded Dale and took control of
the treasure of the Mountain. Bilbo asks about the business details of
the adventure. They go to bed with plans for an early start the next
morning.

Bilbo Baggins awakes late the next morning to find that the dwarves
are gone. Gandalf appears and shows him a note the dwarves left,
agreeing to give him one-fourteenth of the profits if he accompanies
them to reclaim their treasure. Bilbo runs to meet the dwarves,
forgetting his handkerchief.

Bilbo and the dwarves set off on ponies loaded with provisions;
Gandalf soon joins them. They ride first through friendly hobbit-lands,
but the journey becomes unpleasant by the end of May, as they ride
far into the uninhabited Lone-lands. Riding in the rain, Bilbo wishes he
were back at home. Gandalf disappears, and one of their loaded
ponies runs away, leaving them with little food.
The hungry group is trying to make camp in the wet forest when they
see a light and send Bilbo to investigate. He finds three trolls — Bert,
Tom, and William — around a fire, roasting mutton and complaining of
having no men to eat. Bilbo, trying to act like a burglar, is caught
trying to pick William's pocket. The trolls disagree about what to do
with Bilbo and are fighting among themselves when Balin enters their
camp. They capture him and put him into a sack, and then do the
same to the rest of the dwarves who come looking for Bilbo. Bilbo
hides in the top of a bush.
Gandalf returns and tricks the trolls into staying out past dawn and
they turn to stone, because trolls must be underground during the
day. Gandalf and Bilbo free the dwarves. They find the trolls' secret
cave and help themselves to food, clothes, swords, and gold coins,
and then they go to sleep.
The next morning, they load their ponies. They bury the gold for
safekeeping and continue to travel east. Gandalf tells Thorin that he
had been scouting ahead when he heard in Rivendell that trolls were
in the area and he knew he was wanted back. He warns Thorin to take
care.

Bilbo and the dwarves approach the Misty Mountains. The sense of danger
increases and, once again, Bilbo thinks of home. Gandalf warns them that they
are at the edge of the Wild and that they can stay with his friend Elrond in
Rivendell. The way is difficult, but at last they come to the valley of Rivendell and
are greeted by singing elves. Bilbo loves elves, but dwarves and elves are
traditional enemies, and Bilbo's companions decline the elves' invitation to
supper.

The group comes to the house of Elrond, a wise and hospitable elf. They stay for
fourteen days, until midsummer, eating, singing, and telling tales. Elrond
identifies their swords as having come from dragon plunder or the Goblin-wars
and translates their runes: Thorin's sword is named Orcrist and Gandalf's is
Glamdring.
Elrond also interprets the moon-letters on Thorin's map, letters like runes that can
be seen only by the light of a moon that is the same as the one under which they
were written. The letters tell the reader to stand by a stone near a thrush and the
setting sun of Durin's Day will shine on a key-hole. Thorin, Durin's heir, explains
that Durin's Day is the first day of the dwarves' New Year.
The next day, the dwarves leave to go over the Misty Mountains and beyond.

With the advice of Elrond and under the direction of Gandalf, Bilbo and the
dwarves take the right path that leads into the mountains. As they climb up out
of the valley and the weather gets colder and the terrain more dangerous, Bilbo
thinks of the joys of summer back at home. The dwarves are hopeful of reaching
the Lonely Mountain by Durin's Day, but Gandalf is skeptical because he knows
that the land they are traveling has become evil and dangerous.

The travelers are caught in a violent thunderstorm that is the work of stone-
giants. With their ponies, the expedition seeks shelter and sleep in a cave. Bilbo
dreams that a crack opens in the back of the cave; he wakes to find that the
crack is real and that the ponies have disappeared through it and Goblins have
entered. When the Goblins try to grab Gandalf, he creates a great lightning-like
flash in the cave and several Goblins fall dead. The crack closes, and Gandalf
disappears.
With whips, the Goblins drive Bilbo and the dwarves to the cavern of the Great
Goblin. On the way, they see their ponies, who will be eaten by the Goblins. The
Great Goblin interrogates Thorin and accuses the dwarves of being spies, thieves,
and murderers. The Goblins discover Thorin's sword, Orcrist or Goblin-cleaver,
which they recognize as an elvish sword that killed many Goblins; they know it as
Biter. The Great Goblin is enraged and orders the dwarves sent off to their
deaths. Suddenly, the lights go off and the sword Glamdring (also called Foe-
hammer or Beater), appears by itself, and runs through the Great Goblin, killing
him.
Gandalf's voice leads the dwarves and Bilbo out of the cavern. The Goblins chase
after them until, finally, Thorin and Gandalf turn and, with their swords, kill
several of the Goblins. Bilbo, the dwarves, and Gandalf then descend deeper into
the Goblin tunnels. Goblins sneak up behind Dori, who is carrying Bilbo; Dori falls
and Bilbo hits his head on a rock and loses consciousness.

Bilbo regains consciousness and, finding himself alone, tries to crawl through the
tunnel. He finds a ring, which he absentmindedly pockets. He wishes he were
back in his comfortable home, eating. As a hobbit, he can orient himself quite
well underground, and he continues to descend the tunnel until he comes to a
lake that he cannot cross, not knowing how to swim.

Bilbo is spotted by old Gollum, who lives alone on an island in the lake, which he
navigates in a small boat. Gollum is a small, slimy, dark creature with pale eyes,
named for the sound he makes as he swallows; he preys upon Goblins and fish.
Because he lives alone, Gollum is in the habit of speaking to himself in a kind of
hissing baby-talk, calling himself "my precious." Trying to assess Bilbo, he
engages him in a game of riddles, at which Bilbo proves his equal.
Gollum decides to get the better of Bilbo by using his birthday present, a ring.
When he wears it, he is invisible and can more easily snag his prey. He goes to
the hiding place where he keeps the ring, but it is gone. Gollum correctly
surmises that Bilbo has it and confronts him, asking what is in his pocket. Bilbo,
who does not understand the power of the ring, slips it on his finger as Gollum
runs to attack him. Bilbo becomes invisible, and Gollum cannot find him to attack.
Gollum is afraid that without the invisibility of the ring, he will be captured by the
Goblins. He panics and runs to escape the cave. Bilbo, who is still invisible,
follows him, thereby discovering the way out. Gollum, who can smell Bilbo, blocks
his way. Bilbo thinks of killing Gollum, but decides it would not be fair, because
Bilbo is invisible and Gollum is unarmed. Bilbo escapes by an extraordinary leap
over Gollum's head and through the passageway, but he runs into the Goblins. As
they rush at him, he slips the ring on, becoming invisible, and narrowly escapes
to the outside where it is light and the Goblins cannot follow.

When Bilbo emerges, he discovers that he is on the other side of the Misty
Mountains; his wanderings inside have taken him through. He decides he must go
back and look for his friends. Still invisible, he hears Gandalf and the dwarves
arguing; Gandalf is saying that they must go back and rescue Bilbo. Bilbo slips
into their midst and takes off the ring so that they see him. He tells his tale and
gains their respect, but he does not reveal the existence of the ring. They set off,
because the Goblins will be after them. They have nothing to eat, and Bilbo is
hungry.

Gandalf, Bilbo, and the dwarves slide down a stony slope, making more headway
on their journey. Night falls and they hear wild wolves, the Wargs, howling. The
dwarves and Bilbo (who is helped by Dori), climb trees to hide from them;
Gandalf, who understands Warg language, listens to the wolves talking about their
plans to join the Goblins in a raid on the nearby villages. He sets the wolves on
fire with burning pinecones that he throws down from his tree, chasing them
away.
The Lord of the Eagles hears the noise and brings other eagles with him to
investigate. In the meantime, the Wargs have joined the Goblins, setting fire to
the forest as they run through it. The Goblins build up the fire around the trees
where Gandalf, Bilbo, and the dwarves are hidden in an attempt to smoke them
out of their hiding places. As Gandalf's tree goes up in flames and he prepares to
jump to his death, the Lord of the Eagles swoops down and carries him away. The
other eagles seize the dwarves and Bilbo and carry them to their eyrie. The eagles
cannot fly them too far on their journey because men will shoot at them, but they
give the expedition a place to rest for the night and bring back animals for the
dwarves to roast and eat.

In the morning, the eagles carry the travelers to a large rock, the Carrock. Gandalf
tells Bilbo and the dwarves that he must leave them soon. He takes them to see
Beorn the skin-changer, who farms a vast property some distance away. He is
called skin-changer because he can change himself into a bear. Gandalf
introduces himself and Bilbo to Beorn, who at first does not appear too friendly.
Gandalf cleverly tells a suspenseful tale about how they killed the Great Goblin
and escaped from the Goblins and Wargs, however, and Beorn grows more
sympathetic and interested in the dwarves. Gandalf introduces them, and Beorn
invites the entire company to stay for supper. He tells them stories of the
dangerous forest of Mirkwood, which they must pass through on their journey
east. As Bilbo and the dwarves go to bed, Gandalf warns them that they must not
go outside until morning. During the night, Bilbo hears growling outside and
wonders whether it is Beorn in the shape of a bear.

When Bilbo awakes the next morning, Gandalf is gone and does not return until
evening. Evidence of a great gathering of bears the night before had led Gandalf
back to the woods where they had earlier encountered the Wargs, and he implies
that Beorn has gone there, too. The next morning Beorn returns, saying that he
has confirmed the tale Gandalf told about killing the Great Goblin, and that he
himself killed a Goblin and a Warg the night before. He feels great friendship with
the travelers, because the Goblins have been his enemies, too. Beorn outfits the
expedition for the journey through Mirkwood with well-provisioned ponies and
bows and arrows. He tells them not to drink or bathe in the enchanted stream in
Mirkwood, to send his ponies back when they get to the forest, and, above all, not
to stray from the path. He takes them to a little known forest road, and they begin
their journey to Mirkwood.
On the fourth day, they reach the edge of Mirkwood and Gandalf reminds them to
send back the ponies and tells them he must leave to pursue other business. He
cautions them not to leave the path.