WBCP Oks Hobbit Companions

HarperCollins and Houghton Mifflin Harcourt will publish tie-in books for Warner Bros.’ two The Hobbit features. Harper Collins Publishers has secured the exclusive worldwide publishing rights from Warner Bros. Consumer Products. Houghton Mifflin Ha

April 6, 2018

Harper Collins Publishers has secured the exclusive worldwide publishing rights from Warner Bros. Consumer Products. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt has acquired the U.S. publishing rights from HarperCollins. The books will be based on

The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey

(set for a Dec. 14 release) and

The Hobbit: There and Back Again

(Dec. 13, 2013).

Houghton Mifflin Harcourt’s deal includes five titles to be released starting in November.

“Inspired by the two films based on

The Hobbit

, the companion books are a fantastic way for fans of the world of Middle-earth to immerse themselves in the film experience,” says Karen McTier, executive vice president, domestic licensing and worldwide marketing, Warner Bros. Consumer Products. “Houghton Mifflin Harcourt has a strong history with the works of J.R.R. Tolkien, and we know that the detailed tie-in books will bring

The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey

and

The Hobbit: There and Back Again

to life in an in-depth and imaginative way.”

“The books by J.R.R.

Tolkien are exceptional in their quality and their popularity, as are the films that they have inspired, and

The Hobbit

is the story that started it all three-quarters of a century ago,” says Victoria Barnsley, chief executive officer and publisher, HarperCollins U.K. and International. “I am a huge admirer of the legacy of these stories and my own arrival at HarperCollins coincided with the work on

The Lord of the Rings

tie-ins, so I am especially excited to be returning to this unique publishing phenomenon.”

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