Robert Wood is a writer and editor based out of Cheshire, England. He is the author of 'The False Elephant: and 99 Other Unreasonably Short Stories' - 100 stories, each told in exactly 100 words.
Rob got into comics via Bendis' Ultimate Spider-Man and the UK anthology 'The Mighty World of Marvel,' which was running Frank Miller's Daredevil, Classic Hulk and Contest of Champions II.
Prior to journalism, he worked in copywriting and copyedited for Oxford University Press. He is on X as @PinchTwigs and Instagram as roobwoodjourno.
2027 will mark the ninetieth anniversary of J.R.R. Tolkien's The Hobbit - the 1937 children's fantasy novel that underpins his beloved Lore of the Rings. The historic occasion will intersect with the fiftieth anniversary of the publication of The Silmarillion, making 2027 a huge year for fans of Tolkien's sprawling Middle-earth saga, which changed fantasy fiction forever.
Unfolding in Tolkien's imagination from the fateful line "In a hole in the ground there lived a hobbit," The Hobbit is one of the most celebrated and beloved works of both fantasy and children's fiction in history, following Bilbo Baggins' decision to join Gandalf and a party of dwarves to burgle the dragon Smaug.
Now, as the incredibly influential tome turns ninety, fans have a new way to celebrate Tolkien's story.
New Tolkien Calendar Includes Unique Art Inspired by The Hobbit
Harper Collins recently announced the release of the Tolkien Calendar 2027: The Hobbit 90th Anniversary. The calendar boasts "a world-famous roll-call of artists including Alan Lee, Ted Nasmith and Pauline Baynes," with some unique images that are appearing for the first time in the calendar, alongside quotes revealing which part of Tolkien's epic inspired them.
Alan Lee was a given for any true celebration of The Hobbit, given his long history with Tolkien's world. Lee has long been the artist of choice for depicting Middle-earth in print, and also worked as lead conceptual designer for Peter Jackson's Lord of the Rings trilogy, netting a Best Art Direction Oscar for Return of the King.
The calendar also includes art from Where the Wild Things Are creator Maurice Sendak, which is published for the first time in this anniversary celebration, and shown above.
While the Tolkien Calendar 2027 is a functioning planner, it's also a celebration of the many different visions of Tolkien's world that his work has inspired over the decades since its debut.
Other Media to Check Out for The Hobbit's Anniversary
Sadly, despite the historic occasion, there isn't yet much Tolkien media planned to celebrate The Hobbit's anniversary. The other major entry is The Lord of the Rings: The Hunt for Gollum - a new live-action film scheduled for release 17 December, 2027, delayed from an originally planned 2026 release date.
Restoration Games and Space Cowboys will also likely be releasing The Lord of the Rings: The King's Gambit - a new board game in which the Riders of Rohan will battle Sauron's orcs in asymmetrical gameplay adapted from the out-of-print Star Wars: The Queen's Gambit.
Fans can also likely expect some new editions of The Hobbit and The Silmarillion to emerge in 2027, but so far there's little but the new calendar to explicitly celebrate The Hobbit. Thankfully, for those looking to return to Tolkien's world in a new way, a new edition of The Hobbit graphic novel was published in 2025, in the form of The Hobbit Graphic Novel: Revised and Expanded.
The edition includes fifty pages of new content, with Charles Dixon and David Wenzel retelling Bilbo's journey in painterly style. It's also a great time to revisit Rankin/Bass' animated The Hobbit from 1977, which has been praised for its book-accurate tone and stirring soundtrack.
So far, it doesn't seem like Lord of the Rings fans will be given much help in celebrating the ninetieth anniversary of The Hobbit's publication. Thankfully, Harper Collins Tolkien Calendar 2027: The Hobbit 90th Anniversary is the exception, collecting art inspired by J.R.R. Tolkien's beloved story to mark the occasion in style.
Tolkien Calendar 2027: The Hobbit 90th Anniversary is coming August 13, 2026 from Harper Collins.
