By now, J.R.R. Tolkien’s characters have become highly recognizable cultural icons — who wouldn’t know a hobbit when they saw one? But of course, other countries have their own interpretations, so we’re fascinated by these illustrations from a 1972 Soviet edition of The Hobbit illustrated by M. Belomlinskij, which we spotted over at Retronaut. As might be expected, the characters look quite a bit different than they do in the Western editions — for one, Gollum is frankly silly looking, and Bilbo’s legs are way hairier than we ever imagined — we know they’re supposed to be hairy, but still. Click through to page through the illustrations, and then head over to English Russia for even more from the book.
Illustration by M. Belomlinskij.
Illustration by M. Belomlinskij.
Illustration by M. Belomlinskij.
Illustration by M. Belomlinskij.
Illustration by M. Belomlinskij.
Illustration by M. Belomlinskij.
Illustration by M. Belomlinskij.
Illustration by M. Belomlinskij.
Illustration by M. Belomlinskij.
Illustration by M. Belomlinskij.