Thread by @JoelMerriner

So, on this day in 1937 The #Hobbit (see #Tolkien cover below👇) was published. To mark this auspicious occasion, I present an old thread newly entitled 'My Top 10 (Not Quite Definitive) Favourite (Mostly Published) Illustrations of Hobbits (And Not Just Bilbo) Ever (Almost)'...

First up and holding fast at No.10 is the #Hobbit that inspired my first ever oil painting - Michael Hague's Bilbo from Riddles in the Dark (1984). My own version featured the same red waistcoat, the same green cloak, but, sadly, not the same artistic skill #Tolkien (1/10)

And jumping two places to No.9 we have not one #Hobbit but a whole Shire-full of them in Lidia Postma's subtle exploration of light and mood - No Admittance Except on Party Business (1997). A bonus point for spotting Bilbo's guest Dwarves in their white party hats #Tolkien (2/10)

At No.8, it's Mikhail Belomlinsky's jovial, round-faced Бильбо Бэггинс (1976). Admired by Soviet readers for his resemblance to famous actor Yevgeny Leonov, a translation quirk may have given him hairy legs, but this #Hobbit bridged the cultural divide with style #Tolkien (3/10)

In at No.7...they may be small but don't let that fool you. It's the mega tough #Hobbit quartet confronting the ravenous Warg's in Igor Kordej's colour-soaked 1995 #LOTR action scene. Favourite detail: the little bruiser behind Gandalf's cloak. He's got to be Sam #Tolkien (4/10)

Hovering at No.6 - the story says he used to be a #Hobbit(ish) so that's good enough for me. Yes, it's Gollum by Inger Edelfeldt (1983). Pictured here in his old Misty Mountain home, his staring eyes and haunted expression hint at the imminent loss of the Precious #Tolkien (5/10)

Down one place to No.5, its #Hobbit duo Frodo and Sam at the fall of Barad-dûr by Denis Gordeev. Admittedly there's a touch too much of the Ludwig II Bavarian castle about the Dark Tower, but the bloodied weariness of Frodo makes up for any architectural weirdness #Tolkien (6/10)

Up one place to No.4 is Bilbo's touching last farewell to Thorin Oakenshield by Olga Ionajtis (2005). Rarely has there been such a finely composed, poignant #Hobbit scene as this one. Every detail is delicately rendered, from Bilbo's pose to the blood-stained axe #Tolkien (7/10)

Right in at No.3, we have Lidia Postma again, this time with her softly blended 1979 black and white depiction of Merry and Pippin decked out in their full regalia (#Hobbit short trousers excepted) as knights of Rohan and Gondor. Ruffians, lay down your weapons! #Tolkien (8/10)

Now we mean business! At No.2 in our #Hobbit rundown is Frodo at the Cracks of Doom from Sergei Iukhimov's lurid cover illustration for Vlastelin Kolets (1993). The setting is blood red and infernal as the magnified shadow of the Ring flickers on the wall behind #Tolkien (9/10)

Finally, No.1 in my illustrated #Hobbit countdown for the 100th week running is Laima Eglïte's glowing 1991 depiction of wild-haired Bilbo sat beside the grey stone on the doorstep of the Lonely Mountain as the sun sets on Durin's Day. All that and the snail too #Tolkien (10/10)