The run-up to the release of the first film in Peter Jackson’s The Hobbit trilogy has seen a spate of tie-in publications and new editions of the works of JRR Tolkien.

The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey ***

There is a moment early in 'The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey' when Gandalf The Grey (Ian McKellen) turns to diminutive hero Bilbo Baggins (Freeman) and counsels: “All good stories deserve embellishment.”