The Hobbit is a fantasy novel by J.R.R Tolkien, published on September 21st of 1937.Most of us has read the book (or at least seen the movie) and know that this is the first part of the Lord of the Rings trilogy, in which Bilbo Baggins embarks on a journey searching for a treasure guarded by a dragon.
However we know that the climax of the whole story lies within the riddle game between Bilbo and Gollum, in which Bilbo takes the ring away from Gollum and hence, and prepares the novel for a sequel.
Editors asked Tolkien for a sequel, so Tolkien started to work on “The New Hobbit” which eventually became “The Lord of the Rings” and hence changed the context of the original story!
In the first edition of The Hobbit, Gollum willingly bets his magic ring on the outcome of the riddle-game, and he and Bilbo part amicably. In the second edition, the ring has corrupting abilities and Gollum is more aggressive towards Bilbo and distraught at losing the ring.At the end of their encounter Gollum exclaims “Thief! Thief, Thief, Baggins! We hates it, we hates it, we hates it forever!” And hence The Lord of the Rings begin.