Tove Jansson
 

I've just been having a poke around and found the illustrations by Tove Jansson for a Swedish edition of The Hobbit: http://www.zepe.de/tjillu/hobbit/index.html

They're not my imaginings of what Hobbits look like, but I do like them! I especially like Smaug with his six legs, and they're slightly creepy but cute at the same time. Her version of Gollum is worth checking out - he's huge! :eek:

Tove Jansson incidentally is more famous for creating Moomintroll: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tove_Jansson

Any of you Scandi-Downers know more about this edition of The Hobbit? I'd like to get one! It does look very old (and hence probably collectible and expensive) though.

Well, I can't really help you, but...
 

A year or two ago a Finnish edition of the Hobbit was published with those pictures by Tove Jansson. Unfortunately, it's not currently available anywhere - all the copies have been sold and they have not taken a new edition of it. But if you're hunting for it, it might be slightly easier to find than the Swedish one as it's a bit newer.

You know, they look a bit like Moomins the way she draws them.

Oh good find, Lal!
I love Tove Jansson. I'm not sure about her elves but I her Lonely Mountain is fabulous and her Bilbo adorable.

The original version was published in the beginning of the seventies I think. We had that in my home when I was a kid. My dad read it to me and my sis when we were really young.

The translation was horrible though. It was made into a children's book and heavily abridged. :(

But yes, I do love the pictures as well.

Sadly the old version in my parent's home is coloured by me for I so much loved them that I decided to give them a tuning up with my masterly under 10-year old colouring skills... ;)

The book surely is hard to come by as Lommy said. Maybe you should go for the Swedish version?

I hope you kept inside the 'lines' and your colouring was tidy ;)

I've already been scouring online booksellers for either a Swedish or Finnish copy - don't mind which - but no luck yet.

Bilbo is very cute indeed in those pics! Oddly the illustrations remind me a bit of Noggin The Nog!

I saw these some time before, when certain good-hearted Downer linked me to them ;) I don't remember exactly my first reaction, but I liked them very much, though they do not reflect the world as I imagined it. But somehow, it fits - in the "child" way (also reminds me of Letters from Father Christmas, you know, and these things). But it's true that they look also like coming from a tale from the Moominvalley.